Archive for the 'Tile Posts' Category

Limestone and Granite Fireplace

One of the first questions that our designers will ask you when you come into our showroom is what type of tile you would like to use in your home. While porcelain tile can be used on floors and walls, in kitchens and bathrooms, indoor and outdoor, stone tiles do have some characteristics that you should keep in mind when selecting tile for your project.

Stone, as a natural product, has a greater degree of variation from piece to piece than manufactured products. We believe that this natural variation adds to the beauty of the final installation, but it’s important to keep in mind. Even the most consistent stone will range.

All natural stones must be sealed in order to prevent stains. For harder stones like granite, you only need to seal it upon installation and very rarely afterward. Softer or more porous stones like soapstone or sandstone need to be sealed more frequently. Sealing is especially important for installations in areas like kitchen backsplashes and bathroom shower surrounds in which soap, oils, food spills and other potential stains are in contact with the stone surface frequently.

If you are considering using stone for an exterior project, it is important to consider whether the stone you choose will stand up to the elements. In the Pacific Northwest, we have all types of climate–from freezing winter to boiling summers and everything in between. As a result we encourage our customers to choose a stone that can withstand severe temperature swings even after being exposed to wind and rain. Be sure to let your designer know where you intend to install the tile so that they can help select a material that will last as long as your home (or longer!).

These are just a few of the considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to use natural stone in your home. For more detailed information, check out the free resources available to you on the consumer page of the Marble Institute of America. MIA is also a great resource for advice on how to clean and maintain your stone tile installation once your project is complete.

Redoing your countertops? You love the look of slab but want the price tag of tile? What to do?

How about using larger scale tiles? Statements carries a wide range of large scale tiles in various stone and color choices. Not just your basic granite and marble, instead large scale tiles come in everything from sandstone and limestone to antiqued granite.

Each tile is about ?” thick, which is great for a countertop–thicker than tile, but not quite as thick as slab. Most countertops have a depth of 25″, which is perfect because all of these large scale tiles have at least one 25″ side (in depth); some even have a polished edge on the 24″ side so your installer doesn’t have to polish an edge. The tiles also come in sizes like 12.75×25.5, 25.5×36 and 16×32

 So, no more countertop dilemmas.  Now you can enjoy the tile price with a slab look. Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions send them my way britt@statementstile.com (I will feature it on Ciao and will send you a Statements long-sleeved tee).  Thanks for reading.

A few words of wisdom about hiring professionals versus amateurs as discussed in ”remodeling reminders“ two weeks ago. 

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” -Red Adair (blowout/oil firefighter pioneer)

Recently I helped my friend at LiT tile her bathroom vanity and 6″ backsplash, using the Bianco Carrara ½”x½” polished mosaic.  It looked great until I got to the end of the vanity, and thought to myself, ‘what do I finish this with?’ The Bianco Carrara moulding was too big and the cornice didn’t look right. I asked one of our trusted installers and he suggested using Schluter.

 For those of you unfamiliar with tile lingo, Schluter is a metal strip most commonly used in a brushed aluminum finish, but does come in other colors as well. Schluter is usually installed as a little strip in-between floors to ease the transition from one material to another, but can also be found on seams where the floor meets the wall.  Most recently, Schluter is emerging as a more contemporary finish piece for tile. It is great because it is inexpensive, easy to cut, easy to install and gives installations a clean, modern look. And when I say easy to cut, I’m not kidding.  Armed with much needed advice from an installer, I used metal shears and, with a little back-and-forth movement, it came apart. I finished off the corners with a little sand paper and, VOILA, perfect fit.

 Schluter can be found wherever tile installation products are sold. It comes in different lengths and thicknesses and is fairly inexpensive. Next time you are in a bind to finish off a tile and you want something modern, don’t fret–just Schluter it.

Out of all the questions we get asked, I would say the one we hear most often is how to care for stone, not only slate, but everything from granite counter tops to travertine entry floors. Well don’t fret: here is a little tip for natural stone care.

When installing natural stone we strongly recommend a non-sanded grout when using narrow grout joints (? inch or smaller), however, with larger grout joints sanded grout is recommended. Due to grout being made of fine particles of cement, polymers, and color pigments, the grout will penetrate the microscopic pores of stone surfaces. When this happens the color stays in the whole and becomes trapped. Therefore, before grouting we recommend all travertine, slate, tumbled stone and honed/flamed/unpolished granites, marble and limestone to be sealed to protect them from possible grout staining. The application of a good quality sealer should be used and left to dry for at least 24 hours. The same sealing process should be repeated at least two more times after grouting and again left to dry for at least 24 hours between each seal. Stay tuned to ciaotile.com for more helpful stone care tips. .