One Carey brother (unnamed here) once had a rather unattractive concrete walk leading from the sidewalk to the front door of his home. The stained walkway was further marred by multiple hairline cracks.

Suggestions were made by friends and neighbors. "Paint it," one fellow advised. Another proposed that the entire walk be removed and replaced with steeping stones. A third urged replacing the concrete with wood decking. The solution, however, came from his wife. "Cover the concrete with tile," she implored. Bingo!

The tile not only would cover up the unsightly concrete, but would look good, as well. It would also add a design element that could be tied into architectural elements of the home. The home herein mentioned is a Mediterranean. It consists of a dashed plaster exterior, red S-tile roof with decorative arches and other ornamentation. After a visit to the tile store, it became clear that a Mexican paver tile would be consistent with the look of the home.

Paver tiles generally are unglazed, and handmade in Mexico and the Mediterranean. Those from Mexico are usually terra-cotta colored, yellow or brown, while Mediterranean pavers traditionally are doe-colored. Glazed handmade pavers are produced mainly in Mexico, Portugal, Italy and France.

All handmade pavers are non-vitreous tiles fired at low temperatures. These tiles, as opposed to semi-vitreous, vitreous, and impervious ones, readily absorb water and are, therefore, not freeze-thaw resistant; a condition that will likely result in cracking. Thus, they might not be a good choice for areas of the country where the mercury dips below freezing. On the other hand, quarry tile which comes in an array of colors, shapes and sizes, is vitreous and would be an excellent choice for colder climates. Since the Carey home in question is in a warm climate, unglazed Mexican paver tile was the choice.

Once the tile and installation materials are on hand, the next step is to prepare the surface and lay out the pattern. The concrete should be clean and dry. A pressure washer works best to remove all of the surface grit and grime, and clean deep into the pores. A light acid wash with a 10-percent solution will etch the surface slightly and improve the bond.

A measuring tape and chalk line can be used to create a straight layout line. In the case of the entry walk, a tile placed on center of the walk looked the best and resulted in equal-sized cuts at either side of the walk. This also ended up saving tile. Cuts can be made using a wet saw which can be rented from most home-improvement centers or tool-rental stores.

Use a thinset mortar as the adhesive between the concrete and the tile. Thinset mortar consists of fine sand, portland cement and other ingredients to produce a pasty adhesive for sticking ceramic or natural stone to a variety of substrates. "Thinset mortar" is a generic term that includes some adhesives that contain an epoxy resin rather than portland cement.

The mortar is applied with a deep U-notched trowel. Use the trowel at a consistent angle (approximately 45 degrees) to comb the mortar to produce ridges of uniform height. Because handmade Mexican paver tile is uneven, it's a good idea to apply mortar to the back side of the tile, a process known as "back-buttering." With mortar on both surfaces, the tile is pressed into place using the layout lines. Plastic spacers can be used between each of the subsequent tiles to maintain uniform spacing and layout. Work in small areas. Spreading too much mortar will make working in the area difficult and cause the mortar to dry too rapidly.

After the tile has been installed, and before it is grouted, it should be sealed. This is done to prevent it from absorbing all of the moisture from the grout. Grout is the material that is used to fill in the joints between the tile. It is another type of mortar that is generally packaged as a powder and mixed with a liquid to form a stiff paste. Because paver tile typically has wider joints, you should use a sanded grout which is stronger. Grout is best applied using a rubber grout float held at an angle and worked in a diagonal direction.

Don't take shortcuts when it comes to sealers. We have found that a high-quality silicone sealer works the best. Most professionals recommend a couple of coats of sealer before grouting. We used five before a uniform luster was developed. After the grout is installed, both the tile and grout should have a couple of additional coats of sealer applied to them.

Although there are several methods of applying the sealer, we chose to brush it on with a 4-inch paint brush. For a nice even finish, avoid puddling. The high quality silicone sealers dry so rapidly that another coat can be applied almost immediately after applying a coat. Plan to reseal the tile at least once annually to keep it looking good and to maintain water and stain-resistance.