New Cuban Cement Tile from Aguayo Tile

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

A few weeks ago, I shared 2015 Tile Trends from my annual pilgrimage to Coverings, a trade show for tile and stone. I promised to share some other great new tile finds that Avente Tile will be adding to our offerings. Not being one to disappoint, I want to show the new Cuban Heritage Cement tile offerings from Aguayo.

Cuban Heritage Design 140 4B Cement Tile 

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Cuban Heritage Design 150 4A Cement Tile

Cuban Heritage Design 160 4A Cement Tile

Cuban Heritage Design 160 5B Cement Tile

Gray, Blue, and Earth Tones
The new Cuban Heritage colorways embrace the trends we have been seeing with color. You'll notice more straight-forward colorways using three or four colors. Also, you'll find slightly muted patterns using shades of gray and blue or warm earth tones and neutrals with an accent of color.

These new colorways have been created with you in mind. We want to make it easy for the designer and homeowner to use cement tile in the home.

Cuban Heritage Design 200 4A Cement Tile

Cuban Heritage Design 210 4B Cement Tile

Cuban Heritage Design 240 4B Cement Tile

Cuban Heritage Design 260 4B Cement Tile

Available Now and Soon to be Quick Shipped
These new colorways are available now. Although we have limited sample stock available at this time, we'll be adding these tiles to our stocked inventory and as a result, they'll be available for quick ship soon.

With a focus on quality and distinguished look all their own (compared to other suppliers), our Cuban Heritage cement tiles all come with a polished finish. Polished tiles have a slightly satin surface sheen, the desired patina that all cement floor tiles naturally develop over time. Polished tiles are also easier to install because the slightly smoother finish makes grout easier to remove from the surface.

Discover our entire Cuban Heritage Cement Tile collection  online now. The "Series 3" colorways, like CH260-3B, will no longer be stocked. These colorways are still available with a standard lead time of 8 to 10 weeks. Like all our cement tiles, these patterns can be customized with your choice of colors, Just contact us to let us know what you need.  Love Cuban Tiles?  Find out more in our post, A Brief Overview of Cuban Tiles.

See All Cuban Heritage Cement Tiles

More Exciting Cement Tiles from Avente Tile
It's not easy to get all of the new tile designs and lines we will  be offering from Coverings 2015 ready. I came back from the show energized and excited to share new tile inspiration, trends, and products. I'll share more new cement tile products and lines as we launch them over the next six weeks.

Cuban Tile Redux in Muted Color Palette

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

For the last post of the year, I'm excited to share an exclusive tour of a private residence that uses Cuban Heritage cement tiles in a custom, muted color palette. You'll find the design is peaceful and calming. The redux also shows how cement tiles are not just for flooring anymore.

Avente's exclusive tour of a private residence using Cuban cement tiles

The tropical setting of this private home on the island of Hispaniola is the perfect locale for Cuban tiles.  The home's design takes full advantage of the balmy, tropical weather and uses an open air design.  You are greeted by a small sitting area that opens to a large covered, open-air patio that joins the dining room, powder room, pool, and living spaces.

Cuban tile entry greets guests and sets the design theme

A Cuban cement tile rug adorns the large, central breeze-way

Our Cuban Heritage cement tiles have been popular since we introduced them over ten years ago. Because of their ubiquitous use in residential and commercial applications on the island of Cuba, cement tiles became known as Cuban tiles in some parts of the world. When Cuba was a tropical playground for jetsetters between 1920 - 1950 and for homes built in the Spanish Mediterranean Revival period, Cuban tiles were de rigueur flooring for businesses, hotels, and private estates.

This pattern, Cuban Heritage Design 150, does not utilize a border that was common in traditional Cuban designs.  However, the rug's colors standout from the surrounding coral stone pavers and a more contemporary feel is maintained without the use of a border.

Cuban Heritage Design 150 using a custom, muted color palette

While I love the eye-catching, open-air patio with the large cement tile rug, the powder room and dining room are some of the best examples of how a traditional, handmade product can adapt to provide design consistency and durability.  You'll notice that cement tile is used both on the floor and as wainscot in this small; but, rich powder room.  Avente's Traditional Salcedo border cement tile is used to frame the top wainscot row.  Also, notice the border pattern orientation does not change by the door as is it would in a traditional installation. All, unique details, executed flawlessly that really work.

Cement tile are used for floor and wainscot in this powder room

Note the unique border tile orientation near the door

Cuban tile in soft colors work well for this powder room floor and wainscot

The large, formal dining room sparingly uses the same Cuban Heritage pattern and colorway as wainscot between the tall, windows and French doors that run from floor to ceiling.  This is a nice way to maintain the color and pattern without getting "pattern overload."

The same Cuban tile is used as wainscot in the formal dining room

Another view of the large dining room that uses cement tile wainscot

A detail showing cement tile wainscot

Leaving the dining room from the same door that I entered, I once again strolled across the large open patio that connects all the living spaces. This time, I headed away from the entrance to get a glimpse of the pool and golf course.  Before, I reached my destination, I spotted a reflecting pool that provides privacy.  The pool is very Romanesque; but, rather than being lined with mosaic tile they used cement tile.  The same Traditional Salcedo border pattern that you see in the bathroom wainscot is used for the reflecting pool sideboard.  Here the effect is even more subtle; but, the  geometric design works well and helps keep the design motif consistent.

A reflecting pool uses cement tile for the sidebar

Two rows of Avente's Salcedo border pattern provide subtle design details for this pool

I finally made it past all the stunning tile details to get a glimpse of the ocean.  Wow, what a verdant and peaceful ocean view!

View of pool, golf course and ocean from patio

I hope you enjoyed the exclusive tour of this private residence on the island of Hispaniola.  While this classic Cuban tile pattern has been brought back to use, I think you'll agree that the redux is both unique in design and creative in application.  I love how a simple, muted color palette, and repeated pattern work to create a a peaceful and harmonious theme throughout.

Want to see more photos of this installation? View the slideshow below, or click to see Cuban Cement Tile with Custom Color for Residence.



Cement tiles provide design flexibility because they can be customized with your choice of colors. As this project illustrates, cement tile adapt to any setting and work well in contemporary or traditional installations. Finally, you can't forget that cement tile are durable and will withstand decades of wear with little care. Finally, they can be used on floors, walls or even ceilings. They are a great way to carry a design motif, pattern or color throughout a home to achieve a cohesive and harmonious design. Visit our website to see all of the Cuban Heritage encaustic cement tile patterns and colorways we offer. Or, like this customer, you can customize the colors on any pattern to suite your distinct sense of style.

See More Cuban Cement Tile Designs

Benefits of Pre-Sealing Cement Tile

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

Pre-sealing cement tiles is not a required step in all manufacturers' installation procedures; however, it is something I recommend. Before deciding whether or not to pre-seal your cement tiles, let's make sure you understand the purpose of pre-sealing along with its benefits and risks.

Using a grout release or pre-sealer on cement tiles helps ensure a successful installation.

Why Pre-Seal Cement Tile?
First, let's not confuse sealing with pre-sealing. After installation, sealing cement tile with a penetrating sealer is recommend because concrete is porous. The sealer help protect the tile from oil, acids and water. The purpose of a pre-sealer is very different. A good pre-sealer should do two things: it should clean the tile; and it should make grout clean-up, or removal, easier. In fact, a pre-sealer may be called a "grout release."

When you see a finished cement tile installation (or any tile installation), it's hard to visualize how bad it looked when grout was first applied. The only way to get grout into the grout joint is by smearing it all over the tile. With a glazed ceramic tile, grout removal and clean-up can be difficult. However, a porous material like cement makes the task more arduous, especially because acids can't be used.

Grout being applied to patterned cement tiles - a messy job!

The benefit of a pre-sealer or "grout release" is to make sure the grout can be easily removed after grouting. By apply a grout release prior to the installation of the tile, you also get the added benefit of inspecting each tile and the opportunity to cull any that might be damaged or off-color before the actual installation.

The only downside is that pulling each tile out of the box and re-packing them is time consuming. Also, the more the tile is handled, the greater its chance for breakage. Using a grout release or pre-sealer on cement tile is not always required. In fact, if you have someone familiar with installing cement tile, they may even laugh. After all, there were no pre-sealing products when cement tile was used more than 150 years ago. Rest assured, pre-sealing is another step that will help guarantee the project's success.

While a penetrating sealer could be used (and is sometimes recommended), I prefer a water-based "green" product, such as Fila PS87. For pre-sealing, using it in its undiluted form will be less expensive than using a penetrating sealer. You can also dilute it to clean and remove grease and grime from the tiles after installation. It's an excellent product for acid-sensitive material, such as concrete.

How to Apply a Cement Tile Pre-Sealer
Applying a pre-sealer is not difficult, but it will take a great deal of time. As I mentioned, an added benefit is that you can view/inspect all of your tiles, and verify the quantity purchased.

First, pull the tiles from the box and arrange them onto pallets. Place the tiles next to each other so you can match pattern colors. More importantly, this step will also help prevent the grout release from dripping down the sides of the tile. Now, apply liberally; but, be neat.

Cement tiles are removed from the box and placed on pallets prior to applying a grout release.

Next, pour a small amount of the undiluted grout release into a container. Apply with a small, soft rag cut to a dimension smaller than the tile. Again, this keeps the pre-sealer away from the sides of the tile. You need the grout to stick to the sides of the tile.

Pre-sealer being applied to cement tile

Use a small, soft cloth to apply the pre-sealer

Make sure grout release does not drip down the side of the tile.

Where can I purchase this product?
We have recommended Fila products for years, but often, they have been difficult to obtain outside large metropolitan areas. Thankfully, you can purchase Fila PS87 and all Fila products in small or large quantities online at SealersRus.com. The owner of the company, Ali Madani, is extremely knowledgeable about Fila sealers and their application for both tile and stone.

Fila PS87 is a water-based cleaner that can be used to pre-seal cement tile.

Fila PS87 is a degreaser and cleaner for acid-sensitive materials like natural stone and concrete. It's ideal for basic cleaning of concrete and removes water-based wax. Use it undiluted for pre-sealing cement tile prior to installation. It will help ensure the tile is clean and assist as a grout-release.

To learn even more and see how a pre-sealer is applied, watch our latest video, How to Apply a Grout Release - Cement Tile Install Tips.

Watch the Video: How to Apply a Grout Release to Cement Tiles

This short video shows how to apply grout release to cement tiles. This optional step is a great insurance policy to protect your tiles from the hazards of installers while making sure the grout is easily removed.

In the coming months, we'll be providing more tips on how to successfully install cement tiles. Stay tuned!