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How Floor Pavers Are Made

Handmade Mexican Terra Cotta

Our Mexican floor pavers are handmade from carefully prepared clay, shaped by hand, slowly dried, high-fired, inspected, and packed for shipment. This process gives each tile its natural surface movement, irregular edges, color variation, and authentic old-world character.

What makes these pavers different: handmade character, high-temperature firing, natural surface movement, and the warmth of real terra cotta.
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From Clay to Finished Paver

The process below shows how our handmade Mexican floor pavers move from raw clay to finished tile, ready to ship from our San Diego distribution center.

Clay used for handmade Mexican terra cotta floor pavers being extracted and prepared for transport
01 Clay Selection The clay is extracted from the earth and prepared for transport to the factory.
Clay being processed at the factory for handmade Mexican terra cotta pavers
02 Clay Preparation Once at the factory, the clay is processed and refined before the tiles are formed.
Prepared clay being worked into a mass for handmade Mexican terra cotta floor tiles
03 Working the Clay The clay is worked into a consistent mass before it is shaped into individual pavers.
Artisan preparing clay by hand for terra cotta floor tile production
04 Hand Preparation An artisan prepares and spreads the clay by hand before molding.
Clay being pressed into a wooden mold to make a handmade Mexican floor paver
05 Hand Molding The clay is placed into individual wooden molds and pressed by hand.
Handmade Mexican terra cotta floor tiles laid out in rows to dry
06 Natural Drying The handmade floor pavers are laid out in rows and left to dry naturally.
Artisan shaping a bullnose edge on a handmade terra cotta floor paver
07 Edge Shaping When required, artisans shape the bullnose edge by hand.
Dried Mexican floor pavers stacked on shelves before kiln firing
08 Ready for the Kiln Once dry, the tiles are placed on shelves and prepared for firing.
Kiln used to high fire handmade Mexican terra cotta floor tiles
09 High Firing The pavers are high-fired at approximately 1180–1200°C, or about 2100°F.
Fired terra cotta floor tiles being cleaned before packing
10 Cleaning & Inspection After firing, the tiles are cleaned and inspected before they are packed.
Handmade terra cotta floor tiles tightly packed in boxes for shipment
11 Packing The finished tiles are tightly packed and prepared for shipment.
Boxes of handmade Mexican floor pavers arriving at the San Diego distribution center
12 Arrival in San Diego The floor pavers arrive at our San Diego, California distribution center.
Why high-fired terra cotta matters

These floor pavers are fired at approximately 1180–1200°C, or about 2100°F. This high firing temperature helps create a harder, denser tile than traditional low-fired clay pavers.

Sealing terra cotta pavers

Terra cotta floor tiles must be sealed before use. We recommend a high-quality penetrating sealer suitable for porous terra-cotta surfaces, such as 511 Impregnator or 511 Porous Plus by Miracle Sealants.

Natural variation and add-on orders

Because these pavers are handmade, variation in color, size, surface texture, and edge detail should be expected. Add-on orders are not guaranteed to match previous orders exactly.

Explore Handmade Floor Pavers

Shop handmade Mexican terra-cotta floor pavers in classic shapes, sizes, finishes, and trim pieces.

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