Posted
July 16, 2010 by
deb under
DIY This just in…. ducks are HOT!
I know what you’re thinking.
REALLY?
Yes. They are. Go out and transition your bathroom tiles right away!
Okay, not really. Though I love ducks, I don’t know that I would ever want them staring me down in the shower every morning. Our friend, Amy sent over this picture above and needs help masking her tiles.
Enter stage left: 2Jane
They have some wonderfully designed tile tattoos that you can install yourself. Aren’t they just beautiful?
And they are flexible too. You can decide you’re own pattern and way of displaying them. There’s nothing we like more than a little DIY around here.
Have you ever had to transform tiles in your home? If so, what did you do?
Tags: cover up, DIY, masking, tattoos, tile
Posted
November 18, 2009 by
erin under
DIY Yesterday we talked about ceramic tile. Today we’re going to cover porcelain tile. Porcelain tile is actually very similar to ceramic tile! So much so that it’s ceramic tile with a water absorption rate of less than .5%. Due to the fact that porcelain is fired at temperatures of more than 2400 degrees, it’s usually more dense which results in the smaller absorption rate. Because it’s more dense, it also results in a tile that doesn’t stain nearly as easily!
The pricing for porcelain is very similar to that of ceramic tile as well. When you tile with either ceramic or porcelain tile you need to keep in mind that the floor will feel cooler than it normally would. So if you’re in a colder climate think about using radiant heat underneath your floor. There are many countries that make porcelain tile but some of the bigger ones include the U.S., Spain, and Italy. They can also be found in through-body color, which I would recommend. Here are some of my favorite porcelain tiles:
1. Dechirer by Stone Source
2. Orange Mod Dots from Mod Walls
3. Chartreuse Mosaic Tiles from Etsy Seller ChristinaRoot
4. Lappato from Clad Tile
Tags: porcelain, tile
Posted
November 17, 2009 by
erin under
DIY You’ve seen all the DIY shows that have home owners laying and installing their own tile floors. Would you like to do the same? (It’s actually not too difficult. I’ve done a few tile projects myself. I would give it a rating of medium difficulty!) One of the biggest challenges you’ll have is choosing out which tile you’d like! There are many millions of different tiles out there so how do you decide which one is best for your space? They’ll all be classified with terms such as ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, through-body color, recycled glass, terrazzo, etc… Let me see if I can help you! Over the next week I’ll provide a quick run-down of the different types and the pros and cons of each.
First on the list is ceramic tile. Most residential applications (as opposed to commercial buildings) will use ceramic tile. Ceramic tile is made from, well, ceramic. It has been heat treated to make it extremely durable and usually has a glazed finish on top. If you ever see what’s called through-body color ceramic tiles, it just means that the color you see on top of the tile actually goes all the way through the tile. Why is this important? Because if you chip it the glaze might chip off, but the tile underneath will be the same color and therefore, much harder to tell if it’s been damaged.
You can find ceramic tile at prices ranging from $1.50 a square foot up to $10 a square foot (and sometimes more). The maintenance is great! Just sweep and mop occasionally, there’s no special treatments that ceramic will need. It will stand up to virtually all traffic in and out of your home. Some ceramic tile is made to be decorative and will only be recommended for wall use. The tile display board that the samples are on will tell you whether it’s recommended for your floor, walls, or both.
Here are some great ceramic tiles I like:
1. Angela Adams Manfred Deco from Ann Sacks Tile. This would make a great accent tile for a back splash in your kitchen or on the walls in your bathroom. This one would not work well on floors.
2 . Fayette Tile from Dal Tile. This would work great on a large entry way or kitchen, either on the floors or walls.
3. Mizu Tile from Walker-Zanger. This would work well on the walls, but too glossy for the floor.
4. Dual Chains from Stone Impressions. This would work well on walls. Then you can choose a solid field tile for your floor.
I hope that this series will help you! Next up tomorrow is Porcelain Tile. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions you’d like answered or included in the next post!
Tags: DIY, tile
Posted
October 6, 2009 by
erin under
How to I get asked quite a bit how I pick a grout color for tile projects. There are many factors to consider and when a tile is mottled or includes multiple colors it makes it a little more difficult. So how do I pick which color of grout to go with my tile? Hopefully this little post will help you make your own decisions when it comes time for your own tile project!
Before you even look at grout colors decide this: Do you want your tile to appear seamless or to look more like a checkerboard? Either have a place in your design and are fine but the aesthetics of it are up to you.
I’m going to use the Fidenza Porcelain Tile from Daltile to show you.
The lighter grout gives it a checkerboard effect, which is perfectly fine if that’s what you’d like, although keep in mind that white grout should only be used with white tile. Any other tile color and the white will be too stark. White grout should be used sparingly as it is extremely difficult to keep clean for long periods, and is also more prone to yellowing over time. (Take a look at some of the public restrooms you use. You’ll notice that if they have white tile they may have used white grout on the walls, but the floors are almost always a grey grout with the white tile. Designers figure that it’s going to turn grey anyway so we’ll go ahead and specify it grey.)
Remember that not too much of your grout will show and that you want to highlight the tile, not the grout! Grout also dries a little darker than when you apply it. I hope with these simple tips you’ll be able to make your own decisions on grout color!
Tags: grout, tile
