Taylor Studios

General Installation

Taylor Tile can be installed in a variety of patterns using cut tile pieces and whole tile, or in regular rows.  Different colors can be added for accent borders, mosaics, centerpieces, or thresholds.  Design possibilities are extensive, and indeed are a major benefit of using locally handmade tile.  Custom tile can be molded in color to your specifications.

The 8” by 8” tile are molded with flat sides and can fit together with a very small grout joint – 3/32” or less.  The larger tiles have rounded edges and are slightly beveled to provide for a grout joint of 3/8” to 1/2”.  Larger grout joints do not usually look as good or last as long as smaller ones, and finishing the joint by striking it with a convex rodding tool to slightly compress and smooth the joint gives the best effect and the strongest joint.

On a good slab, Taylor Tile should be laid with thinset using a 1/2” or 3/8” notched trowel.  Thinset must be applied to both the floor and the bottom of the tile to ensure a good bond and leveling bed.  It is NOT recommended that the tile be beaten with a mallet of any kind.  Seat and level them with a twisting motion and hand pressure only as with marble, limestone, or quarry tiles. Clean frequently as you go with a damp sponge.  The 12" tile can be laid to a string stretched tightly every 12 1/4". Setting one side of the tile to this string will ensure nicely spaced tile, and the slight hand made discrepancies between the tile will add to the pleasing effect.

The next day, the clean, dry tiles may be lightly sealed with a silicone or siloxane sealer (see Lambert Products). This sealer is available on island from Taylor Studios for exterior use.  A penetrating silicone sealer solution with petroleum distillates should be used.  Interior tile can be ordered pre-sealed with a petroleum based acrylic sealer.  (Please use a water based acrylic sealer only as a last resort:  the acrylic may not bond to the concrete tile if there is excessive moisture present either on top or below the tile.  The sealer will crack and pop off.)  The joints should be filled with a pourable cement-and-sand grout mix, which should be pigmented to match the tile.  Fill a small, connected area of joints at a time, overfilling slightly to allow for slump in this wet mix.  The joint can be rodded, smoothed, and compressed when the grout filling it is no longer wet, but just damp and workable.  A damp sponge or the edge of your trowel does a good job of cleaning any crust that may be left on the edge of the tile.  It is important to realize that smearing grout over the entire tile will not work, as the texture of the tile surface may be ruined.  Don’t let the grout dry out on the tile surface.

After the tile is grouted, they should be cleaned and sealed again. Please do not pressure wash or acid wash our tiles.  A water based acrylic sealer is the last choice for sealers, as it may cause many more problems if there is any dampness in the slab. There are silicone sealer products that do work, and different brands may be found locally.  We can supply these sealers.  Both exterior and interior tiles should be sealed, and resealed as needed, perhaps every year in high traffic areas.  You can test the water repellent ability of the exterior tile to determine the necessity of resealing; tile that need resealing will darken when wet.  Interior tile treated with only a sealer will gradually achieve a very attractive patina as they are further polished by use.

Installation without a slab

For installation without a slab, we recommend laying the tile on a dry, screeded bed of a portland cement (20%) and manufactured sand (80%) mixture at least 1 1/2” thick.  The fill underneath should have been thoroughly tamped and leveled.  When the tiles have been carefully placed, the area is soaked with water, and after curing a few days and after sealing lightly, the tiles are ready to grout.  For this installation procedure, the thicker 2” tile work best.

Installation of Danish Pattern Brick and Soaps

These guidelines can be found on our page

Danish Pattern Brick and Sidewalk Pavers .

Installation of stone finish tile

The installation of some exterior tile with a fine exposed aggregate (stone) finish may require that the tile be washed with a mild muriatic solution after they have been cemented in place and before they are sealed or grouted, to remove efflorescence.  If you have chosen pre-sealed tile, this is not necessary.  The solution should be no stronger than a 10% mix; i.e., one part muriatic to nine parts water.  This will thoroughly  clean the surface of any staining prior to the sealing and grouting procedure.

We recommend hiring an experienced professional tile setter, and we are, of course, available for consultation.