Custom Tile, No Job Too Small!
Marble tile with black accents and basket weave center.
Becky recently completed a tile half bath at her home which is absolutely gorgeous. She designed the floor and wall tiles using Casa Bianca Marble (mostly white with gray veining) accented with polished Negro Margina Marble. Using different sizes and some design creativity, she produced a completley custom tile installation, complete with “basket weave rug” effect in the center.
Wall tile with design and black "pencil" accent.
Becky teamed her husband Joey for this design and execution (Joey is an outstanding tile installer). In Becky’s words, “I wanted a classic design that would be appreciated for years to come. Black and white bathrooms have been a standard since the early 1900′s. I also wanted to challenge Joey to tweak the design to show off his talents as a craftsman…of course, he had to work it in between “paying” jobs!”
As of this posting, no marital discord or counseling has been reported!!!
Come see Becky, Jenny, Chris, Letha, Sondra, Danny or Barbara with any of your design or flooring ideas.
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Keeping Tile Tidy. The Easiest of All to Maintain.
An Expert Guide to Care and Maintenance of Tile…
Care and Maintenance
Fortunately, caring for your tile floor is as easy as sweeping or vacuuming (no beater bar) and mopping with a cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. And, of course, avoid harsh abrasive powders of any types which can scratch the finish of your tile. When properly cared for, your floor can last a lifetime.
More to consider . . . Neither the tile product nor the installation is likely to be protected by a warranty. Sometimes you may have a warranty only on fade- or stain-resistance, for 10 to 25 years.
Walk off mats help remove grit and dirt from the outside before they get to your floors and are always a good idea for any flooring surface.
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Designing with Tile. Imagine the Possibilities.
An Expert Guide to Designing with Tile…
Design
Size and shape let you stretch your imagination in design. While, most tiles come in 12″, 13″ or 18″ squares, there are abundant alternatives. Ceramic tiles, for instance, can range from one inch square to two feet square. They can be square, round, octagonal or something more creative. With tile, you can combine patterns to make decorative borders and insets and create mosaics with different colors. And, when you consider that tile can be cut into nearly any shape and size, you again have a world of possibilities available in creating your unique tile design.
Your choices of both grout color and tile size can give you added flexibility in creating the look you want. Matching the grout to the tile color will result in a floor that looks seamless, and therefore larger. Backing off just a shade or two will create the illusion of depth without the contrast of bold outlines. A contrasting grout color, on the other hand, will add emphasis to the pattern of the tile.
Also keep in mind that using larger tiles in a small area makes the room seem larger, and fewer grout lines make it look more tailored and formal. But keep in mind that in a small area, it may be necessary to cut and piece the tiles to fit, so you may end up with partial tiles that don’t give you the clean look you can achieve with the larger tiles.
Grout is the filler material used between tiles to complete an installation. It is available in many colors to complement your design. In addition to color, consider the type of grout you plan to use. Traditionally, grout has come in powdered form and mixed with water when ready to use. Because water amounts can vary as well as the mineral content in the water used to mix with the grout, slight color variations may occur between grout batches. This type of grout also requires sealing every year or two to help manage staining. Newer acrylic grouts, while a little more expensive, come premixed ready for use. They are very consistent in color and do not require sealing.
More to consider . . . When choosing a tile for your home, consult the ratings from the Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) to be sure you get the right product for your application:
Group I – for residential use when you won’t be walking in hard-soled shoes, such as in bathrooms
Group II – for residential use except in high-traffic areas, like kitchens, baths or foyers
Group III – for all residential and light commercial applications
Group IV – for high-traffic residential and commercial use
Group V – for high-traffic, typically commercial use
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The Craft and Artistry of Tile Installation.
An Expert Guide to Tile Installation…
Installation
Installation accounts for about 75% of the cost of a tile floor.
There are a number of steps required to properly install a tile floor, so it’s important that you hire an installer who knows how to do the job properly. So, while you may find an abundant supply of installers who say they can “do the job for less,” they may not have the know-how to do the job, or they may cut corners. And once tile is installed, corrective measures can be very expensive, even to the point of requiring a complete re-installation to ensure that lot colors will match.
Preparing the sub-floor
As with any flooring option, creating the proper foundation for the flooring product is crucial and will either ensure – or compromise – the life of your floor. With tile, in particular, the sub-floor surface must be flat and structurally sound. Rigid tile is literally rigid – and improperly prepared subfloors can be unforgiving when you walk on the tile resulting in cracks!
Concrete – Most tile is installed over concrete slab. Older slabs typically have stress cracks and are uneven, so leveling compound will have to be applied. If the floor can’t be made uniform – at one level – you shouldn’t install tile. An additional consideration is the use of a “crack suppressing” membrane installed over the concrete slab before the tile is installed.
Wood – When tile is installed over wood, a cement backer board is placed on the sub-floor before installing tile. Never install ceramic tile directly over a wood sub-floor. Because hardwood expands and contracts, it will fracture the tile and grout.
More to consider . . .
Don’t let an installer tell you he can substitute plywood or particle backer board on your wood sub-floor. Those materials can’t stand up to moisture!
Cutting the Tile
Every tile job will require cuts to fit the tile to the space. Fortunately, tile can easily be cut straight with a power wet saw or by scoring and snapping. Curved cuts require tile nippers, a tile saw or a carbide rod saw.
Setting and Grouting
As it is applied to the floor, the tile must be set in mortar. The mortar is spread on the backer board or concrete floor a section at the time. Next, tile is laid onto the mortar and leveled. Spacers may be used to leave space for uniform grout lines. After the mortar has set, the spacers are removed, and grout is spread over the surface, taking care to work the grout fully into the spaces between each tile. Next, the excess grout is removed from the surface of the tiles so that it remains only in the spaces in between.
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 typical grout colors |
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More to consider:
Mortar must be spread evenly; if there are gaps, the tiles can break when you walk on them. Make sure your installer doesn’t use mortar that’s stiff because it will be difficult to spread evenly resulting in “voids” in the mortar which can lead to cracks when you walk on the tile. Also make sure your installer is using a trowel that’s the right size for the job. Proper adhesion is the key to proper installation, and if the trowel is smaller than that specified by the tile manufacturer, then the installer will use less mortar over a larger area, and adhesion will be inferior.
Sealing Tile and Grout
Finally, a sealant is applied as required, depending on the tile choice involved. Natural stone tile, for instance, must be sealed to protect against stains. There’s no need to seal ceramic and porcelain tiles, but all their grout lines should be sealed. Grout can’t be sealed until it’s been cured, and that can take up to seven days.
Molding and Bullnose
For the finishing touch, quarter round or other molding or a bullnose tile is installed around the perimeter of the baseboards to cover cut edges of the floor tiles.
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Tile and Stone Styles and Choices. Endless Possibilities.
An Expert Guide to Tile and Stone Styles…
Style
The design options with tile are numerous. And the grout, or filler material applied between the tiles, comes in a wide range of color choices. Making the possibilities almost endless!
In making your choice, consider first which of the two styles of tile will be most suitable for your flooring application.
Natural Stone
Natural stone tile is . . . simply . . . beautiful. It can be cut from slate, granite, marble or travertine, and its natural imperfections and shading contribute to its distinctive look.
Keep in mind that there are some drawbacks with natural stone tile. It’s porous, so it can stain when used in high-traffic areas that may see spills. It can be very fragile, so it may break if you drop something heavy or hard on it, such as a jar from the refrigerator. And, because it’s a natural product, it’s usually more expensive than other tile options.
Ceramic Tile
While natural stone tile options have only been available for a couple of decades, ceramic tile has been in use for 25 centuries! Its first application was as a replacement for dirt as a flooring material.
Ceramic tile is a mixture of clay, shale, and other mined materials that are pressed as a fine powder and then fired at high temperatures. Some tiles are coated with a color glaze made from glass that is fused to the surface in firing, making the tile essentially impermeable. Traditionally, glazing was the last of a two-step process, but today, some tiles are baked and glazed in the same process.
There are four types of ceramic tiles, determined by the composition of the tile itself and the firing process.
- Glazed Ceramic – a glazed tile coated with a durable, stain-resistant glass derivative that can provide a matte or glossy finish. High-sheen finishes can be slippery, and they show dirt more readily than matte finishes. Matte surfaces minimize the appearance of scratches. There is a wide variety of color choices; light-colored glazes are usually stronger than darker ones, so you can’t consider color only.
- Quarry – unglazed tiles that are extremely durable; they stand up to wear better than glazed ceramic. Color choice is more limited than with glazed ceramic tile; it’s either natural or the result of added pigments. The natural surface of quarry tile tends to be more slip-resistant than glazed ceramic.
- Porcelain – glazed or unglazed tiles that are fired at temperatures so high they can be used outdoors or indoors. Porcelain is stronger and more durable than regular ceramic tile. Because it’s non-porous, it offers better stain- and moisture-resistance. It may be colored throughout, so that color can’t fade or wear off. Superior-grade porcelain won’t scratch, and it never has to be sealed. Despite all its advantages, it’s actually more affordable than natural stone, and it can reproduce a natural stone look faithfully.
- Terracotta – fragile, unglazed tile that requires surface sealers, often thought of as “clay” tiles.
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