The defining trend in ceramic tile and stone today is not the wood-look. It’s not high definition porcelain. It’s certainly not a particular color palette. And it’s not mixed format mosaics. All of those trends are important, but there is a much broader trend that is shaping the design of ceramic, stone, glass, and metal tiles today. It’s so simple that it’s easy to overlook.
Elongated Rectangles
Sound 2x20 Ceramic Tile
Status Ceramics 2x6 Square Edge Tile
Stone quarries and wood-look porcelain manufacturers are producing tiles in plank sizes, ranging from 6×18 inch broad planks to 4×36 narrow planks. Our most popular glass mosaics are offset sfalsatto pattern mixed color mosaics. Nearly all of our porcelains now come in a 12×24 field size. Wall tiles, once famous for the ubiquitous 8×10 sizing, are now stretched out to 6×19 sizes which are laid horizontally rather than vertically. Art Tile studios are moving away from the 4×4 and 6×6 sizing and introducing 2×8s and 2×12s.
Travertino 12x24 Glazed Porcelain Tile
Beige Stack Mosaic Glass Tile
We welcome trend toward elongated rectangles, as tile manufacturers have clung to the square for too long. Rectangles allow for new patterns that squares simply won’t accommodate. In our showroom we feature the herringbone pattern, the pinwheel pattern, the running bond pattern, and the straight set pattern. As you can see in the photos, the new elongated rectangles add elegance and distinction to your project.
Beautiful!
Blech.
I often get to work in our showroom with designers and their clients, and in the process I learn about more of the project than just the tile part. On occasion, I’ll hear a client talk about using vinyl in the project. You never hear anyone say, “Oh it looks so good!” or “I love the way plastic feels under my feet!” or even, “The fake grout joints are so much easier to clean.” Instead, the sole reason anyone ever chooses vinyl? It’s cheap.
Here are five reasons why the additional investment in ceramic tile is a better choice than the lower upfront costs of vinyl:
- Ceramic Tile is time-tested. The durability of tile as a flooring material is unparalleled. Thousand year old installations of ceramic tile can be found in churches and residences around Europe. And the look of ceramic tile endures, as well.
- Ceramic Tile does not offgas. In other words, there are no harmful fumes that diminish indoor air quality. At a time when we are just learning about some of the dangers of petroleum based products, having a clean, safe product in your home provides peace of mind.
- Ceramic Tile costs less over time. Although ceramic tile may be a bit more expensive to install, the savings over the lifetime of the floor are significant. In fact, one study compared the costs of carpet, tile, hardwood, vinyl and other installations over the average lifespan of the product and found that ceramic tile was the least expensive per square foot. Just think: you never have to strip down and reseal ceramic tile, you don’t have to tear up and replace ceramic tile every 6-10 years, and cleaning only requires warm water and a mild detergent.
- Ceramic Tile improves the value of your home. Why is it that real estate listings never say, “Vinyl floors!”? Well, because everyone knows that vinyl is what the builders put into their cheapest homes. Ceramic tile is the upgrade–and when you sell your home, you will get that investment back, whether it’s two years or ten years since you installed the tile.
- Ceramic Tile looks better. I feel bad even mentioning this, because it’s the most obvious point. I attend trade shows all the time where I see these products installed side by side. No matter how fancy the screenprinting on the vinyl tile, it just never looks like the real thing.
So, with those tips in mind, go ahead and leave the vinyl to the hospitals and the fast food restaurant bathrooms. For your home, go with ceramic tile.
Everyone from do-it-yourselfers to architects to commercial tile installers is considering whether buying tile online is the right way to go. After exploring the subject in our own business and talking with others who have experimented with buying and selling tile online, here are five tips for a successful tile purchase online.
- Check the return and refund policy. There are many fly-by-night companies that will sell you tile at incredible prices, but what happens if there’s a problem? If the website doesn’t say how you can return it, then you probably can’t. And remember, most companies won’t provide a full refund on returns; you’ll be required to pay a restock fee. And in most cases, you’ll be required to pay shipping to get the material back.
- Find out where the company is located. I always check the website for a physical address. If the company doesn’t provide one, go somewhere else. Why? Chances are, you’re dealing with a middle man who is simply brokering a sale, or worse, a fraudster. Legitimate businesses have no reason to hide. If the website does provide an address, look it up on google maps. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve discovered that an e-commerce business is really just someone’s basement.
- Request a sample. One of the best ways to cut through risk is to request a sample before you make a purchase. If you are buying tile for a kitchen backsplash, a bathroom floor, or even just an entryway, you want to make sure you are ordering the right stuff before you ship hundreds of pounds of tile (remember, tile weighs about 4-6 pounds a square foot, so the freight costs add up fast). Requesting a tile sample is also a good litmus test of the business. If they refuse to send you a sample, that’s a red flag. In our case, we’ll happily send a free sample, though we may ask the customer to cover the cost of shipping. And finally, the obvious: although you can learn a lot about a tile online, you really can’t make a final judgment about color and quality until you have a piece in your hands.
- Check third party referrals and reviews. Many e-commerce sites have built in reviews and customer testimonials. Read them! You can learn a lot about the company and the pitfalls to avoid. But don’t stop there. You should take it one step further and search (with google, bing, etc.) for additional customer comments outside of their website. Remember, they can clean up the comments reviewers leave on their own site, but they don’t control what people say about them on Yelp or the Better Business Bureau. If they don’t show up on any of these sites, caveat emptor!
- Compare pricing (with shipping) to local sources. Tile purchases are never impulse buys. You don’t just decide one day to remodel your kitchen and the next day go out and spend a few hundred or a thousand dollars on tile. This means that you have the time to comparison shop. Many online tile sellers lure you in with remarkable prices that hide the eventual costs. For instance, you can find porcelain tile for 99 cents a square foot all over the internet. However, after shipping and handling, in many instances you’ll find the price has doubled or even tripled. With a local store, the shipping and handling is already included in the price, and you can also verify that what you are buying is actually what they claim (Does it really qualify as porcelain, or is it a lower grade ceramic? Can it be used outside safely?) Even if the online price is 15-20% lower, it may still be worth it to buy local to insure that you have some recourse if anything goes wrong.
Buying tile online is sure to become more common over the coming years. Savvy consumers will keep these 5 tips in mind to avoid the headache of figuring out what to do with a palletful of junk.
Master bathrooms are increasing in size in new and remodeled homes, as more homeowners value spa-like surroundings in the most intimate room in the house. Because the master bath isn’t intended as a showpiece for guests (like an entrance or a dining room), the decor can be simple and subtle. New lines of ceramic tile reflect the new emphasis with muted colors and refined accent pieces. Bloom II, shown in the photo, is an excellent example. The key is to animate the space with objects and people, rather than the surface finishes.
