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Kimpatsu Hekigan

Nov 28, 2010, 11:41 AM

Post #1 of 6 (1332 views)

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Salvaging old talavera tile -- is it possible?

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Can anyone offer suggestions on how to salvage old talavera tile?

A neighbor mentioned that he plans to remodel a kitchen and bathroom in his house in the coming weeks. Both rooms are decorated with old talavera tile that he said his parents had purchased in Dolores Hidalgo more than 25 years ago.

When I admired the interesting patterns and soft colors, he said I could have the tiles if I could remove them before construction begins.

The tiles are the classic 4-inch low-fire red terracotta clay with a painted glazed top. They are attached to concrete mortar-coated walls using something like white plaster (maybe yeso?). I tried to pry a couple of them off, but they shattered immediately.

Is there any (reasonable) way to remove them intact?

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated?

Thanks,

-- K.H.

Before enlightenment: Chop wood, haul water.
After enlightenment: Chop wood, haul water.

chicois8

Nov 28, 2010, 12:14 PM

Post #2 of 6 (1321 views)

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Re: [Kimpatsu Hekigan] Salvaging old talavera tile -- is it possible?

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When trying to remove white mortar from used brick I soak them in a solution of one cup of 5% muratic acid in a gallon of water,maybe you could spray on the top side of the tile and it might run down the back disolving the mortar, worth a try.....

chinagringo

Nov 28, 2010, 1:15 PM

Post #3 of 6 (1310 views)

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Re: [Kimpatsu Hekigan] Salvaging old talavera tile -- is it possible?

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With the ready availability of all different styles of Talavera tile at a relatively low cost, I am not so sure I would dedicate the time and effort in attempting a salvage job. With respect to the suggestion on the muriatic acid solution, I would suggest being very careful on old tile since it may degrade the design by etching the colors.

The slideshow link which follows has a fairly extensive photo display of various Talavera tiles currently on the market today:

http://www.flickr.com/...57625336011783/show/

If you don't see the actual pattern or another that you care for, then PM me and I can give you the contact info for someone who can replicate the pattern exactly, providing you can give him good clear photos of the design.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

Vichil

Nov 28, 2010, 2:09 PM

Post #4 of 6 (1301 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Salvaging old talavera tile -- is it possible?

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You can always try but be ready to lose a bunch of them. First you hace to use a very fine saw to cut into the grout to prevent a lot of shattering and then get a lot of the product I forget the name maybe perdura? with some of the tile or adobe with it and then work on each tile of block of tiles to clean them up before resetting the old tiles.
I just went through that to salvage some of the old tiles I had in a bathroom remodelling but came short 5 tiles to redo some type of patching we had to do.
We ended up doing something totally different as the old talavera cannot be matched. The size is slightly different and they had lead in the glaze with gave them a different finish. The new talavera is very shining next to the old one .
Salvaging old talavera is very time consuming and not that easy.

The patterns and colors can be "duplicated" but you cannot use the old next to the new. They look similar but are not the same and the difference really sticks out when the tiles are juxtaposed. I guess it is ok if everything is new.

Sculptari

Dec 1, 2010, 10:50 AM

Post #5 of 6 (1254 views)

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Re: [Vichil] Salvaging old talavera tile -- is it possible?

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I have an extensive background in the restoration of architectural terracotta and pottery - often requiring touchup with custom pigmented epoxy resins. I will point out, first of all, that there is nothing that can beat the endurance of natural ceramic glazed tiles - the tiles of Abyssinia come to mind.

There is a way to reproduce antique terracotta tiles fairly easily and inexpensively using the dye sublimation process. The first step is to take a high quality photograph of the original tile. The next stage can end quite quickly if you can find a talavera artist to reproduce it for you from the photos at a reasonable cost - including the antiquing. However - this is often has disappointing results. The next stage is to find a 'blank tile the size of the missing one. This may have to be cast from a mold - this is again, fairly easy depending on how many you need. The tile is coated with a special polyester 'varnish' -then transferred with a heat press. Dye sublimation does not transfer the 'little dots' you see in a printed applique. The surface must then be antiqued, and then sealed with layers of UV resistant/protectant varnish - (glossy or flat or anything between).

If the original tiles are 'wavy' (modern tiles are often diamond ground to be glossy) or if there are raised relief sections - then it becomes more difficult, a molded silicone blanket is used to make the transfer. This system is light stable, but no where near as lasting as the real thing. There are some new ceramic transfer processes which are more lightfast. The key - I feel, is to get excellent photographic documentation of the tiles, artwork or whatever.

If you search dye sublimation ceramics you will get a lot of hits.

Sculptari

Dec 1, 2010, 4:08 PM

Post #6 of 6 (1224 views)

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Re: [Kimpatsu Hekigan] Salvaging old talavera tile -- is it possible?

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I almost forgot - another pricey option would be one of the new "Abortech" masonry saws, which cuts like the old electric carving knife - except through brick and grout. I have not tried one yet, but have heard good reviews.

http://www.as170.com/applications.html