Tag Archives: Tile

Tile flooring tips

Tiling a floor, wall or any other surface enhances the beauty of the room and the décor but practical considerations play an important role in choosing the right tiles for a surface. Different surfaces have different needs when it comes to tiling. Some rooms like the bathroom or the laundry room for instance, are exposed to high amounts of moisture while other rooms like the kitchen counters are exposed to much wear and tear. Therefore, it is only natural that different kinds of tile are used for different rooms. Balancing the aesthetic requirements with practical considerations is a must if you want the tile surface to look good and last long.

The first step is planning. There are various kinds of tiles available for different surfaces. Vinyl tiles, ceramic tiles and stone tiles are some examples. Among stone tiles, there are a variety of tiles to choose from including marble, sandstone, slate, granite or travertine, to name a few. Natural stones tiles have become highly popular thanks to their unique beauty and good looks. The brown tones, beiges, reddish and golden hues of these tiles give a free hand to people who want to beautify the interior of their homes. Along with color variations, unique patterns are also available in stone tiles. However, stone tiles like travertine may not be ideal for certain surfaces. Since the stone is somewhat porous, it reacts quickly to acids. Any spills must be taken care of immediately to avoid permanent staining. Due to these reasons, one might want to keep stone tiles away from kitchens or laundry rooms.

Once you have decided on the kind of tile you want for a particular surface, it is time to choose colors and patterns. It is a good idea to take samples of certain tiles from the store and experiment with different patterns. It must be kept in mind that fluorescent lighting modifies the color tone of tiles. While light colors give an impression of brightness, dark colors are easy to maintain. Natural stone tiles may vary a little in color and pattern, therefore, it makes sense to buy a few extra tiles when making your purchase. Larger tiles may look better in certain areas and are definitely easier to clean. In certain cases, accented tiles may be the best option.

Tile prices may vary from place to place. Hand cut tiles are more expensive. Even so, it is important to look for reliable average rates before buying tiles for flooring and other requirements. Installation costs also vary from store to store. It is advisable to buy floor tiles from stores that specialize in the same as they have better selections. These days, it is possible to buy a huge variety of floor tiles from online stores too.

Are you looking for affordable, high quality tile flooring in Houston? Keystone tile is located just outside Houston and is an exquisite showroom offering a wide variety of tiles for walls, tiles and pools. Check them out before you decide to buy elsewhere.

Bathroom Designs With Ceramic Tile

Choosing your bathroom design is an extremely important decision for many homeowners. It is a consensus among real estate experts that the bathroom is one of the rooms that adds the most value to any home. Therefore, it is extremely important when choosing a design for your tiling.

Ceramic is a popular choice for designing bathrooms because of its reasonable price and beautiful look. Further, ceramic tile may be used for both floor tiling and wall tiling. There are several different options that many folks can take when choosing a bathroom design using ceramic tile. Regardless of the design that you choose to use, there are a few key guidelines that you should always take into consideration before making a decision:

1. Consistency- When designing with ceramic tile, it is essential that homeowners stay consistent throughout the design process. This means that if you should choose to use a certain color palette for your floor tile, you should always stay consistent with the type of tile you choose to use for your wall tiles so that you can achieve a consistent look in the room.

2. Stay creative- Even though you should be consistent when choosing a color palette, you can still be quite creative with ceramic tiles. That is, you should choose different sizes for the floor tiles and the wall tiles. Another interesting way to stay creative is by laying the floor tiles on a diagonal, as opposed to laying them straight. This design pattern will provide a diamond shaped look, and will help make your bathroom look unique or different than other bathrooms. You can also choose to lay the wall tiling in a diagonal pattern as well.

3. Make small changes for a big impact- One way to make a big impact with ceramic tiles is by using an accent color and creating a pattern for that color. For example, you can choose one off color tile and lay it every 4 tiles throughout the bathroom. This may sound like it is contradicting the consistency guideline, but if you are consistent in your creativity, these small changes can make a huge impact in the overall look and feel of your bathroom.

Choosing bathroom tiles can be a daunting task, but designing with ceramic tile can be quite cost effective, while continuing to maintain a high end look. I have provided three guidelines for designing with ceramic tile; however, these are not the be-all design. Seeking the advice of a design professional is recommended when make major changes to your bathroom. Good luck with your project and remember to always have fun while doing it.

You can learn more about marble bathroom tile, and get much more information, articles and resources about bathroom tiles by visiting bathroom tile design

Bathroom floor tile advice.

Home owners want to make an impression within their bathroom and floor tiles are one way that you can do that. The bathroom as a whole has to match and the design style you use must compliment the whole bathroom and not conflict. The bathroom floor will be a large part of your bathroom design style and there are many materials of tile you can choose to suit any design style. Many home owners like the wood effect tiles that create a real traditional feel, others like the minimalistic look and feel, the design you choose will largely rest on your personal preferences and the rest of your bathroom design.

It is true that the material of your floor tiles should be suitable for the bathroom and there are certain reasons for this. The floor tiles you choose have to be suitable for busy areas and areas where there is water and moisture and the floor tiles you select should always be low maintenance floor tiles that are easy to clean and maintain, this is especially important for busy family bathrooms that will see a lot of traffic and activity. Floor tiles that are high maintenance will be difficult to keep looking good and this can be tiresome over time.

The first choices that are ideal are ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles which are relatively cheap and inexpensive but cheap does not mean that they are of poor quality, not does it mean that their design styles are limited. There are many ceramic floor tile choices that offer and mimic other tile materials such as the wood effect ceramic tile which gives the home owner the look of wood with the durability of ceramic tile. Porcelain tiles have a wide colour and design choice and are absolutely ideal for bathroom floor tiles.

There are also natural stone floor tile solutions that fit in very nicely with bathroom design and although they may stretch the budget a little more than ceramic and porcelain tiles, many home owners feel the extra expense are worth the results. Granite and slate are floor tile solutions with slate tiles being very popular for both their design and functionality. Slate tiles come in many colour variations which will blend in with all decors and the darker slate floor tiles are very popular and sought after.

Slate floor tiles are heat resistant, scratch proof and slip resistant making them ideal for most rooms within the home. Slate tiles come in a variety of colours and choosing the darker colours of slate tiles means darker shades of grout can be used which will hide any marks and keep the floor area looking good. Slate tiles are also available in different sizes with the very large sizes being referred to as slate slabs. There is the option to use many design styles with slate floor tiles and the variations between tile shades only adds to the design finish of your floor tiles.

Take the time to look at the different bathroom floor tiles on offer and you may be surprised just how many tile materials are actually suitable for bathroom floor areas.

Tile choice supply a wide variety of tile choice for the walls and floors, we also supply underfloor heating systems. http://www.tilechoice.co.uk

Bathroom Designs With Ceramic Tile

You can learn more about marble bathroom tile, and get much more information, articles and resources about bathroom tiles by visiting bathroom tile design

Cheaper floor tile options.

Porcelain floor tiles have been used for years as a floor tile solution for homes and are used commonly in commercial settings. Porcelain tiles can be found very often in shopping centres and over vast large floor surfaces. They are so popular because they offer two very important aspects, they are excellent floor tile solutions, they are strong, durable and wear extremely well in high traffic areas and they offer a wide range of design and style. The colours and styles of porcelain floor tiles allow home owners to create traditional and modern designs within the home.

Wall tiles and floor tiles range in price from the cheaper options to the more expensive but you don’t always have to spend a fortune to have good quality floor tiles. There are lots of things home owners can do to keep costs down and carrying out the tiling job independently is a way of cutting costs. If you are confident about completing a floor tile installation, it will certainly help keep within a budget. If you know anyone that can help you complete the task or a friend or relative that is qualified in this area, will also help you keep costs down. Installing porcelain tiles is relatively straight forward and they are one of the easier tile installation jobs, some tile materials can be tricky to install but porcelain tiles don’t throw up any particular installation problems.

The tile material you choose will also play a role in the installation costs, many natural stone floor tiles will be more expensive to install because they are commonly heavier tile materials, glass tiles are also a little trickier to install because they are more prone to breaking during the installation process but once installed will certainly last the test of time.

Ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles are relatively reasonably priced tiles and there are many cheap tile offers running in many tile stores that are end of line sales, this is usually because the particular floor tile design or style of tile is no longer being produced. Home owners need to ensure there are enough tiles left to fully carry out the floor tile installation and any extra floor tiles for breakages during installation and as the years pass, to replace cracked or stained floor tiles. This is a good way to reduce costs and get good quality cheap tiles.

More expensive floor tile materials can be used in small quantities to keep costs down, marble tiles are a more expensive tile choice but they can be saved for small areas in the bathroom such as mosaic’s and edging tiles. There is an abundance of tile design choices and taking the extra time to look around and see what is on offer, can result in some good quality cheap tile offers and design styles.

Crwon tiles supply a wide range of tile choice for the walls and floors, we supply good quality cheap tile options. http://www.crowntiles.co.uk

Decorative Ceramic Tile Murals

A mural is a piece of artwork that can be found on interior or exterior walls. They can also be found on ceilings and floors. These forms of artwork are usually on a large scale. The earliest forms of art were murals, also known as cave paintings. These tile murals and other types of murals can be found in homes, churches, government buildings and businesses. Often times these works of art are commissioned. Nowadays many murals are painted on either tile or canvas instead of walls and ceilings. These ceramic tile murals are popular choice of home decor.

It can be said that the mural is humanity’s oldest art forms. All around the world, these murals are well-documented. In the earliest days of humanity, murals were rock and cave paintings as well as carvings. After that, artwork left by South Americans and ancient Egyptians can be seen inside of buildings. These murals would show religious themes as well as everyday life. And in the Middle Ages, the rise of the Church showed its riches and power with commissioned works of art that showed biblical images. The most popular of these include Michelangelo’s famous Last Judgment and Creation inside the Sistine Chapel. Then in during the 19th and 20th century ceramic murals were used not only as art but forms of advertisement as they began to gain commercial interest. Technology began making advancements in the 1970s as murals were starting to become mass-produce on wallpaper, canvases and tile. These ceramic tiles murals came with photographic life-sized images, which brought the look of the outdoors inside the boardroom and living room. Then with the development of faux painting that started in the early 1990s, people begin to hire painters to come into their homes to design ceramic tile murals.

Tile murals bring beauty to the inside or outside of a building or structure. Many times in industrial areas, companies will use outdoor murals to bring in colors and brightness into an otherwise grey and drab environment.
Indoor ceramic murals can give the appearance of outdoor environments located inside the room. Designs can include turning a room into a mountaintop, jungle or Roman bath. With the design of tile murals, the rest of the home is made to harmonize with colors and furnishings.

Ceramic murals are also used to make a faux finish of brick, marble pillar, adobe, wood or white Greek plaster. Restaurants are well known for their use of outdoor and indoor tile murals to create a theme. This is commonly seen when one goes to Mexican restaurants that gives an appearance of walking through and sitting in a Mexican village.

Whether for your home or for business, tile murals can brighten an area and send across any message or theme that you wish.

Welcome to Ceramic Tiles And Stones, inside you will discover an amazing selection of low priced and excellent quality ceramic tile murals.

DIY Disasters – Ceramic Tile Flooring

Too many homeowners dive headlong into do-it- yourself flooring projects with the mindset that yes, it is going to take a little longer and require more effort than had they hired a flooring professional to do it for them, but the money they save will make it all worthwhile.

In their minds all they have to do is make a quick trip to a nearby flooring store, pick out their ceramic tile, watch a couple of DIY home shows on cable and voilà – soon they too will have a nice new ceramic tile floor and extra money in the bank.

Sadly, in many cases that is not quite the way the story plays out. Installing any kind of flooring is a lot trickier than any of those videos make it look and that home show they watched where the girl with the twinkling smile and designer jeans laid a tile floor in an afternoon and still had time to throw a couple of new kitchen cabinets together is exposed as the made for TV fiction it is.

Failing to get the measurements right is one of the biggest pitfalls an amateur can face when installing a ceramic tile floor. Even being just one sixteenth of an inch off compounds as you move across the floor and the end result is often an unsightly and unstable floor that will have to be ripped up and started over.

Another problem is that, as tough as ceramic flooring tiles are, if they are laid on an inadequately prepared subfloor you are simply asking for trouble. It may take weeks, or even months, but chances are that those tiles will crack and buckle leaving you with a real disaster on your hands.

So now the homeowner is back at the tile store, repurchasing the ceramic tile needed to start the floor all over again. So much for saving money. This time though, when the sympathetic salesperson suggests the services of a professional tiling installer, the wisest thing to do is listen and start looking for a good one right away.

Not all amateurs are going to have a terrible time installing a ceramic tile floor. If you are truly confident in your experience level and enjoy DIY, it could be a rewarding way to spend a weekend or two. For most people though, the best thing to do is leave the flooring installation to the pros and just look forward to enjoying your brand new flooring instead.

Ursula K Rose – Renovation Experts USA
You can find lots of helpful information about finding a suitable home renovation contractor at Renovation Experts and read our home Renovation with Renovation Experts Blog, which is updated several times a week with helpful home renovation articles.

Bathroom Floor tile choices.

There are now so many bathroom ideas for decorating and planning the layout of your bathroom. There is the option to turn your bathroom into a wet room which will create space and an individual design or you could turn your bathroom into a luxurious relaxing zone with a designer bath and walk in shower. It really depends on the style and design you want to create but the one aspect of any bathroom is designing a space that can be maintained easily.

The material you use for your bathroom floors is important because it is an area that becomes wet and moist and an area that needs to be kept clean. Carpet is the less popular choice because it becomes wet often and is hard to maintain in a bathroom area. Bathroom floor tiles are the most popular because they are easy to clean; they are waterproof and can be wiped clean and dry.

The most popular bathroom tiles are porcelain tiles and ceramic tiles because they are two of the most versatile tiles. They are also incredibly string and durable, will not stain and are heat proof.

Different tile materials can also be used with great effect and design and home owners can have fun creating their own original and unique design as well as creating different designs.

Natural stone tiles are very popular and some natural stone materials can be used in bathroom settings. Natural slate tiles are a beautiful material and will add both beauty and elegance to any bathroom. There are different types of slate tiles and some variations are ideal for bathroom floors where they will blend in well and suit any existing decor. Slate tiles in bathroom settings will almost certainly be sealed which will protect them from any moisture and spillages.

Travertine tiles are also very popular for their beauty and are ideal for bathroom floors, there are however different finishes of travertine floor tiles and some varieties are less slippery when wet than others.

Limestone tiles are another option for bathroom flooring and will give the home owner a different alternative. Limestone again is a beautiful alternative to other tiles but there are different varieties and it is important to choose the correct tile in the correct setting.

There are so many choices when it comes to bathroom floor tiles and any good tile company will be able to advise you on the best tiles to suit both your personal preferences and the existing decor.

Tile choice offer a wide variety of Tile choice for the walls and floors, we also supply underfloor heating systems. http://www.tilechoice.co.uk

How to Install Ceramic Tile Floors

Ceramic tile flooring is a great option for your home. Some of the advantages of ceramic tile flooring are ease of maintenance, ease of repair and good style. Ceramic tile is also very durable and cost effective. When you’re considering what flooring to put in your home, ceramic tile is a options that you want to consider.

A good way to save money with ceramic tile floors is to install them on your own. Following are a few instructions that can help you in installing ceramic tile floors.

Measure the length and width of the floor and find out the center point in the room.
Lay down the ceramic tiles on the floor to check how they fit on to it before using mortar.
Find out the number of ceramic tiles required using this layout.
Put tile spacers between each tile so that your grout lines are even. Smaller grout lines are easier to clean, but require more accurate cuts.
Now apply mortar (tile adhesive) in the center of the subfloor and start laying the ceramic tile.
Choose a direction. Move from left to right or right to left.
Continue laying the tiles and reach to the edge of the room.
Cut the tiles to fit the edges of the room using a sharp tile cutter or wet saw to cut the ceramic tile. Make sure to measure carefully before you do any cutting.
Once you lay all the tiles completely, let the tile and mortar set for at least one day. Leave the spacers until the next day.
After a day, add grout. Make sure you mix the grout thoroughly according to the specifications given by your manufacturer, or it can fall apart after a few years and have uneven color.
Apply the grout across the ceramic tile flooring.
Wipe the excess grout from the ceramic tile, but make sure you do not wipe away the grout lines.
Leave the grout to dry for another 24 hours.
Seal the grout lines with a sealer so that they do not stain with every day wear and tear.

Installing ceramic tile flooring takes extra time, but if you follow the proper steps you can save money and still have a beautiful, durable floor.

Visit Aggieland Texas Carpet Service for Bryan Texas carpet, ceramic tile and Laminate flooring services in Bryan, College Station, Houston and Brazos Valley. Our team specializes in custom area rugs and ceramic tile floors.

Tile Flooring Options

Before heading out to buy flooring in Vancouver or Portland, sit down and make a list of what you want from the flooring. Factors such as price are of course a primary consideration. But that needs to be balanced with other equally important factors when choosing flooring. Factors such as durability-will the flooring you choose hold up to the planned use? What about ease of upkeep? As you do your pre-shopping planning consider: for a busy rec room for the children, durability may be highest on your list, as well as sound absorbency. In that case as well as for a bathroom or entryway– tile flooring may be a great option to explore. Depending on the type of tile it’s a very flexible flooring option. If you are looking for flooring in Portland or Vancouver, WA you’ll want helpful advice, fair prices and quick delivery and guidance on installation, after your flooring purchase.

There are numerous types of tile flooring in the Vancouver, WA area as in other parts of the country. The primary pluses of tile as a floor covering are durability and ease of cleaning. And depending on your decor-the color choices are numerous to create a complimentary ambience. What’s wonderful about tile flooring is the option to create beautiful patterns by varying the layout and color of the tiles and choosing accent tiles for emphasis.

Popular tiles for the bath, emphasis the clean and natural feeling you want in a bath, colors such as aqua, pale greens and turquoise are very popular.

Tile flooring for the kitchen might be more earthy colors- browns for example. For an entry-way that’s stunning the colors really depend on the mood of the home.

In the Portland and Vancouver areas, tiles also come in so many varieties to fit your taste and budget. And entry can look stunning with a circular tile pattern of contrasting colors for example. But a knowledgeable dealer is best to see if your ideas will work well in practice.

Cost

Marble tile and limestone flooring tend to be the more expensive materials. But other flooring options include porcelain, vinyl and ceramic tiles. If you are tiling a small space, perhaps choosing the best most luxurious tile is an option as it will have big impact without breaking the bank. If cost is a very important factor or you are looking for flooring for a large space then vinyl is durable and affordable and can look like more expensive materials such as wood, even marble.

Care

Tile is easy to care for vacuuming or sweeping will remove most dirt from interior tile floors. If deeper cleaning is needed a gentle mopping can remove most residue. Choose a flooring dealer in Portland or Vancouver who is knowledgeable and professional can answer all your questions about keeping your new flooring looking great.

Find out more about flooring Vancouver WA. Get more information on tile flooring Vancouver WA and flooring Portland.