Tag Archives: tile

What is Engineered Tile?

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What is engineered tile? You have probably heard of it before, but are unsure how it differs from traditional tile. To help expand on the topic, we dove deeper into discussing what it is and why you should choose it.

What is it? 

You may be wondering how engineered tile differs from traditional tile. What exactly is the difference? Engineered tile is built on a stone composite base to help deliver it with incredible durability and resilience. This tile differs from your traditional ceramic and porcelain tile options because of its strength. 

Why choose it? 

	1. Stylish. 

Engineered tile comes in a wide selection of designs that have been inspired by elements found in nature. You can find anything from a wood-like finish to classic tile. If you choose a class tile look, you can have your engineered tile installed with grout to create a more authentic look. Otherwise, you have the option to work without grout for a more seamless and aesthetically-pleasing look. 

	2. Durable.

Like we mentioned before, the resilience found in engineered tile is outstanding. If you were to drop something hard on your traditional tile floors, you would often find a crack. With engineered tile, you will find a more resilient and durable flooring that can handle drops and accidents. This attribute helps to make engineered tile a greater investment. Plus, if damage were to occur in your engineered tile, it is easier to replace than traditional tile. 

	3. Comfort. 

You will find that traditional tile floors are often hard and cold. It can feel uncomfortable to stand on for hours at end, especially in kitchens when prepping meals. With engineered tile, you can receive the natural tile look with more warmth and comfort. Engineered tile offers a softer underfoot to help your feet feel at ease during meal preparation. 

	4. Quick Installation.

You will find that engineered tile comes with a fast and easy installation process. Helping to make your remodel process go by faster for more enjoyment. 

	5. Easy-to-Maintain. 

With engineered tile, you are guaranteed an easy to clean and maintain flooring option. Plus, this flooring is extremely resistant to stains and scratches helping to make accidents less tragic. 

	6. Versatile. 

Amongst the vast selection of styles, engineered tile can be installed on your walls for a transitional look in bathrooms and kitchens. 

 7. Long-Lasting. 

Engineered tile is long-lasting with high performance and beautiful features. It truly is an incredibly flooring choice for your home.

What are your thoughts on engineered tile? We would love to hear your thoughts below in the comment section.

The Benefits of Natural Stone

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Stonewhy01We love telling you about the advantages of this product because we know how much you value the true and the genuine in life.

Natural stone is the real deal. Strong, solid and stable to live with (be still our heart), this is the world’s oldest building material. It was the material of choice for Egypt’s pyramids, Grecian temples and splish-splashing in Rome’s ancient baths. (Imagine you in a marble bath in your home!)

Natural stone is beauty solidified. From granite, the hardest, most dense stone, to luxurious marble, from soft limestone to “touch me” travertine, natural stone exudes elegance, transforms your home – speaks to your soul.

Natural stone has a unique personality. Quarried from Mother Earth, natural stone’s “complexion” is impacted by temperature, pressure, minerals and underground springs. Each slab cut from this environment is one-of-a-kind. You’re not imitation. Why should the “face” of your home be?

Natural stone invented variety. You only need to walk a seashore, lakeside or riverbed to experience the variety of stone. Colors, patterns, finishes and textures beyond imagination – all available for the walkways of your home.

Natural stone can be affordable. (Now we’ve really got your attention.) Today’s stone quarrying and processing technology is more efficient than ever before. Automated equipment cuts the stone in thinner slabs for less cost and, being lighter, it’s cheaper to transport. You’re the solid winner.

For the joy of you list lovers, here are ALL THE BENEFITS OF NATURAL STONE FLOOR COVERING:

• Natural stone is genuine, timeless and authentic

• Natural stone embodies beauty and rich character

• Natural stone is singular, exclusive, one-of-a-kind

• Natural stone offers variety, choice, imagination

• Natural stone has become more cost conscious

• Natural stone virtually always adds resale value

• Natural stone is ideal for radiant heat applications

Feel free to call me for more information or to ask a question.

And don’t hesitate to leave a comment here – we’d love to hear from you!

Designing a Room from the Floor Up

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If you have wood floors or carpet that you love, you can build a room design from the floor up. Often when designing a room, we begin with an inspiration fabric or accent color. Flooring is typically 30% of a room, so it should be a big factor in the overall design of the space.  Taking flooring into account at the beginning of your design will create a beautiful polished room in the end.

 

Even if you don’t love your existing flooring, choosing your flooring at the beginning of the design process is a good idea. Think of how you will use the space. Kitchens and bathrooms have different flooring needs than living and bedrooms. Do you have pets? Kids? High foot traffic? All of these should be taken into consideration when choosing flooring types and colors.

 

Once you have your beautiful floors selected, you can begin building your room.  Get samples of paint, wallpaper, fabric and accent colors to create a unified design.  When selecting colors for the room, take into account the color and tone of your floors.  Dark or light, warm or cool tones in the flooring will make wall and fabric colors look differently.  Keep floor color in mind especially if you have wood furniture on wood floors. A little bit of contrast between the woods will make the furniture stand out more; similar colors will make the two elements blend together.

 

Remember, if it all seems too overwhelming, involve the help of a flooring professional. They can help you pull everything together.

 

Transitioning Between Flooring

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Having a single type of flooring throughout a home or story means you don’t have to worry about the transition between two types of flooring at a doorway or opening. If you have more than one type of flooring, creating the smoothest transition between materials is important to give your floors and home a polished look.

 

Transitioning between different types of flooring can mean going from hardwood to carpet between the hall and bedroom or from carpet to tile between the bedroom and bathroom. Sometimes the transition will be between hard surfaces like tile and hardwood.  Each of these types of transitions may require something different to protect the materials.

 

This picture illustrates a smooth transition from tile in the kitchen to hardwood in the hall. There is a nice and tidy line between the two materials. Having similar colors between the tile and wood also eases the visual transition as well as the texture transition.

 

Some homes use raised threshold between rooms and different types of flooring. When used with wood flooring, the door threshold, sometimes called a saddle threshold, is made of the same type and stain as the wood floor to aid in continuity.

 

How you transition between two types of flooring is both a personal choice and what is best for the longevity of the materials. Carpet will have different considerations than tile or wood. For decisions involving flooring, it is always best to ask your flooring retailer or installer. They can recommend the best option for both you and your flooring.

Unglazed Tile and Pottery Have Rustic Appeal

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The pots to the left have the same appeal as the unglazed tile flooring underneath – the simplicity of natural materials minimally-handled to create a space that feels handmade and rustic.

This pottery and tile is not all that different from that found in archeological digs across the world. Clay is available in almost all areas, and it’s easy to dig, form and fire basic containers with it.

Of course, the skill to make pots and tiles requires a sophistication that comes with practice and time. This tile is rough but basically matches in shape, color and thickness. The pots are also similar and are probably thrown. All of them were fired in a professional kiln to make sure they are hard enough to handle everyday use. However, they have that handmade appeal that is unique to these products.

In contrast, the modern standard clay pots that are part of the patio to the right are manufactured quickly and to a clearly-defined standard. Containing the plants they were designed to hold, these clay pots are simple but not handmade in feeling.

Today, you can find ceramic tiles and containers rich in variety and style. Sophisticated glazes and firing methods combine to make your choices almost unlimited. However, sometimes it makes sense to design a space that takes advantage of the simpler beginnings of clay, to highlight where we came from and that beauty is not always about complexity.

Whatever style of tile appeals to you, the best news is that for thousands of years, clay from the ground has been converted to a product that provides us with an edge when building, decorating or making our lives better.

Pool should Integrate with your Home

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If you want to add a pool or any backyard feature to your home, think about more than the addition itself. It needs to connect to your home and the other elements in your yard.

This pool addition was designed to take full advantage of a natural nook created by the home’s architecture.

The stone chosen for the pool surround was extended all the way to the foundation of the home, making the space feel like an inviting oasis in the yard. By centering the pool, visitors have plenty of space to move around it from the French doors. A wider section of stone on the far side of the pool provides space for a couple of lounging chairs.

The choice of stone was smart. It has enough variation to handle this large an installation, and is versatile enough to work on the columns holding the patio cover. The light tone provides an effective contrast to the dark wood surrounding the windows and doors.

Another fun design element is the choice of thatch as a patio cover. It adds a tropical flavor and softens the design. A small splash of green toward the far side of the pool provides a cool contrast to the light stucco wall.

Remember this pool as you plan your own. You can see that by using stone or tile for your patio and repeating the style with your pool surround and trim, the new addition will feel like a fundamental part of your home.

Bland Kitchen Needs Backsplash Update

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Notice the bright red and yellow peppers in this kitchen. With the lettuce, tomatoes and carrots and a few pink flowers in the background, this kitchen seems bright and inviting. However, step back and imagine the produce, flowers and girl out of the picture. You’re left with a kitchen that feels bland and even a bit depressing.

It’s not hard to make a kitchen cheerful and alive. Color and contrast make a space feel special. Unfortunately this kitchen demonstrates little of either characteristic.

The cabinets match the countertop, losing an opportunity to add contrast. The neutral flooring in a light shade is fine but the white tile backsplash has a minimal effect on the look of this kitchen. The only real contrast comes from the black bases to the upper cabinets, which isn’t enough to compensate for all of that brown.

Let’s consider adding a spark to make this kitchen come alive. How about a glass tile backsplash? Take a look at the one in the photo shown below. There are brown and light neutral tiles that link to the other kitchen elements, but then this backsplash adds in yellow and green to make it special.

With the addition of one new element, this kitchen can move from bland to spicy. And the good news is that you don’t have to piece this type of design together. At our showroom you can take a look at a variety of tile combinations to suit your color preferences, taste and style.

Take a chance and update your kitchen. By adding one new element you can make your kitchen capture people’s attention even if you don’t cook.

Tile Adds Style

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This is a beautiful stairway that perfectly suits the home’s style. Many elements make this area of the home special: the wrought iron railings, the dramatic curve of the stairway itself, and the plants that balance that curve.

One of the more dramatic and effective elements of this stair is the warm-toned decorative tiles along the risers. The decision to add color through the tiles, using two different tile choices that coordinate while having enough style connections to complement each other, helps create a strong design impact. This would be a beautiful stairway without the tile, but adding it defines each step and increases the power and appeal of the room.

Do you have stairs in your home that could benefit from applying tile vertically on the risers? Because of tile’s weather-resistant nature, this is also an option as part of your outdoor landscaping.

If you have plain concrete steps to your front door, consider tile or stone covering the steps and decorative tile risers that coordinate with your home. You could turn an uneventful entrance into something that captures attention and makes a statement before people even enter your home.

Do you have steps, built in benches or planters on your backyard patio? Adding decorative tile along the edges that coordinate well with each other could integrate your outdoor areas while adding color and an additional design element.

Tile comes in virtually any color and style. You can choose a more neutral tile that adds a subtle touch or go wild with something that shows a strong personality. Visit our showroom to see all the possibilities.

Tile Inspiration

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Today’s Inspiration: Element Porcelain Tile. Provided by Walk on Tile.

10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Flooring

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I began writing today’s post to talk about dark floors and whether or not they make a room feel smaller and I began by saying that I get this question almost  as often as I get the question “What type of floors should I use?”. So, I thought it would be fun to do a series on the top 10 most frequently asked flooring questions. Below is a list of questions that we will be posting answers to over the next 2 weeks. Your job is to tell me if you’ve had this same question or if I didn’t include a question that you would like the answer to!

10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Flooring and Design

1. Will dark floors make my room look smaller?

2. What type of floors should I use?

3. Is laminate a good choice for homes with kids and pets?

4. Will small tiles help a small room appear larger?

5. Can I pick out the pieces of travertine or slate that I want to use so that they all look like the sample?

6. Does carpet cushion really matter?

7.  How can I tell what my flooring will look like when it’s installed in my home?

8. Is carpet a bad choice if I have allergies?

9. Should I use the same floor that my mother/neighbor/best friend used because it sure looks good in her house?

10. Won’t it be cheaper if I buy my floors and install them myself?

There are dozens more questions out there and we will address those in future posts, but for now, enjoy learning the answers to those questions that you and many others have had!