Blog : Do It Yourself | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 5Flooring Supplies

Myths you Should Stop Believing in Concerning Tile

Are you coming up to a Home Improvement project soon where you will be replacing your flooring but are weary of choosing tile? Maybe it’s because you have heard some things about it that sound horrifying, you are now against the very idea of even considering it. Maybe you don’t hate tile that much, but today we will go through the 6 most common myths about tile and show you the truth. This way you can make an educated, well thought out decision. Here are the myths, and why they aren’t true.

Myth: Tile is boring

Reality: Nowadays with the multitude of different flooring options available tile seems boring and difficult to customize. Hardwood is available in so many different grains, styles, & colors. Carpet has been expanding to include a wider variety of texture than ever before and vinyl now can be created to mimic any natural material out there. What many don’t realize is that in the last decade imaging technology has greatly improved, now tile can be customized to mimic hardwood, natural stone, or a completely custom pattern. Today you have more opportunity for tile customization than even your choice of hardwood.

Myth: Tile flooring is cold

Reality: This myth is true in some sense but not entirely. It is portrayed much worse than it is in reality. Tile is a conductor of temperature and holds a certain temperature for a very long time (kind of like stone). Taking this into account, during the winter if you live in a cold area tile that is exposed to the cold will retain the temperature and remain cool for long periods of time without warming up. Not always though, there is such a thing as radiant heat mats that can be installed directly underneath the tile. These can be controlled by a thermostat and will often actually help you save money on your heating bill (although they are pricey to install in the beginning). Another factor to pay attention to: the location where the tile is being installed and the material underneath. Above a well insulated area that is not directly perpendicular to the outdoors the tile will not have as a great a source of cold temperature as tile installed directly over concrete.

Myth: Wood alike tile looks fake

Reality: Maybe at first, but today wood look alike tile often times looks better than the real thing. With advanced imaging technology wood textures are printed directly onto the travertine creating not only a beautiful look but an authentic feel. If you are worried about the grout lines that will give it away, don’t. You can purchase tile that is finely cut to match the surrounding pieces requiring little grout and almost no transition.

Myth: Tile flooring is expensive

Reality: Every valuable investment is made with hope that it was worth it. Although tile is significantly more expensive to purchase and install than vinyl or carpet it can last for much longer. The most durable vinyl won’t last longer than 20 years. Carpet, you’ll be lucky if it lasts 10-15 years. Tile on the other hand will last a lifetime, if not longer. There’s a reason it has been the go to flooring material for thousands of years. Spending double what you would spend on carpet or vinyl will pay off in the long run. Even if you aren’t planning on selling your house in the short term: if done right, tile will increase the monetary and visual value of your home.

Myth: Tile breaks easily

Reality: Tile; porcelain, ceramic, & travertine are much more durable than you imagined. Yes it is possible to chip or crack tile, but much less so than majority of other flooring materials. Tile is the only material that water will not damage, as well as the only material that you can be sure will not face scratching or denting from a pets claws. If one tile is damaged it can easily be taken out and replaced by a new one. Vinyl on the other hand requires repairing the whole section.

Myth: Tile requires little or no maintenance or care

Reality: Although tile is plenty more durable than most other flooring materials, it still requires upkeep and maintenance. A properly sealed tile floor requires much less maintenance as it will not be affected as much by daily wear and tear. You must periodically reseal the floor to ensure that it is protected as well as picking up stains and moisture as soon as it happens. Although ceramic and porcelain are considered strong materials the grout in between them will give way to acid and erosion, thus should be avoided.

Credit Visit our company blog at www.divinehns.com/news for more flooring industry news.

Tile tips for your kitchen design

From ceramic to marble, slate to stone, with so many tiles to choose from, tiling your kitchen can be daunting. If you’re completely redesigning your kitchen, it’s tempting to focus more on choosing appliances than the small details like tiles, but they can be the key to your kitchen’s new look and if chosen correctly, will enhance your kitchen beautifully. Here are some things to consider when shopping for kitchen tiles.

Different materials have different qualities

Ceramic tiles
One of the reasons ceramic tiles are so popular in kitchens is their durability. Dropping plates or cutlery, for example, won’t leave a mark. Ceramic tiles withstand lots of traffic and don’t soak up moisture. They can even be slip-resistant with the right finish. Another huge benefit of ceramic tiles is that they are fireproof, which is particularly important in the kitchen.

Porcelain tiles
Similarly to ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles have low water absorption which means they are less likely to be stained. Typically a popular choice for bathroom floors, porcelain is a popular choice for bathroom tiling, although the fact that porcelain tiles are easy to maintain with no polishing or sealing means they are great for kitchens.

Natural stone tiles
Natural stone tiles are popular choices for kitchens due to their wild variations in color and quality. Each tile is completely unique and can look really beautiful as a surface, but it’s important to do your homework when looking for colors. Granite is a popular choice for kitchens, the hardest natural stone and a good natural water repeller.

Color

Create a color scheme
When choosing a colour scheme for your kitchen, a good rule of thumb is to aim for two dominant colors and one accent color, which will enable the room to become whole with separate pieces of color and adds depth to the composition. You may also consider painting your kitchen cabinets or furniture, such as a wooden table and chairs, to match your tile choices.

Choose countertop first
Before choosing your floor or wall tiles, you should first pick out a material and color for your countertops, since they are usually what people notice first when walking into your kitchen. When you come to choosing your flooring, take a sample of your countertop with you to ensure colors are coordinated.

Create contrast
The best kitchen designs have a balance of tones and materials. For example, white is a popular color for cabinets and tile backsplash, but by also using white tiles on your kitchen floor, the room will go from feeling light and fresh to institutional. Try to use a combination of light, medium and dark tones, for example, by matching floors and countertops and having cabinets as a secondary color, or vice versa.

Style

Retro
Retro style kitchens are quickly coming back into fashion and can be the key to making your kitchen pop. Classic and sophisticated, black and white floor tiles are a must-have in retro decorating and also have a timeless appeal that can be paired with more contemporary and traditional style accessories. You can also add a hint of colour by choosing a contrasting tile backsplash.

Modern
If your preference is a modern kitchen, emphasizing grey, black and white in your tile choices will keep your kitchen looking sleek. Pairing granite or marble countertops with stainless steel appliances creates an elegant feel. If you want to design a modern kitchen with a little more color, add a bright mosaic tile backsplash or pick out a vibrant floor finish.

Traditional
The traditional kitchen design is warm and classic and can be interpreted according to your taste. Shades of chocolate brown are a popular choice for floors and countertops, while deep blues and rich reds give a hint of colour on cabinets or accent areas. You might see marble, brick, stone and even wood on the backsplash.

Upscale Bathroom Accessories Idea

The bathroom is more than a place to have a bath. Besides its basics usages, it is a place of solace where one can spend time alone and peacefully. Many of us utilize it for relaxing and quiet contemplation, others for generating business ideas.

Other than the major bathroom products like the shower enclosure, bathtub or wash-basin, the petite bathroom accessories augment the décor of the bathroom and make it the perfect place to unwind. let us look at how you can rightly co-ordinate your bathroom with bathroom accessories.

Bathroom accessories should always match the interior and theme of the bathroom. If the setting of the bathroom is urbane and contemporary, it is best to opt for modern bathroom accessories. Bathroom fittings available in chrome finish provide suave and smart look to a bathroom. In contrast, if a bathroom theme is country-style, ceramic-based bathroom accessories would work well.

Before, purchasing any accessories it is important to make a list of items that are necessary accordingly to individual style. Practical decisions always result in improved functionality and better utilization of space. To begin with, few basic accompaniments like towel rings, soap dish, toilet paper holder, and robe hооks are a necessity. In addition, luxury item like mats, vanity sinks, tumbler holder and special cabinets for storing toiletries should be purchased only if the space in the bathroom permits and they satisfy individual lifestyle needs. Bathrooms that are overloaded with accessories not only look cramped but also do not allow optimum utilization of this item

Keeping in mind the space constraint, shape, size and color play important role in coordinating your bathroom with bathroom accessories. It increases functionality and space utilization. For small size bathroom, a soap basket would be idle instead of multiple soap dishes. Similarly, size of cabinets, towel bars and robe hooks should be decided upon necessity and size. Several of these bathroom items are available in various shapes that use less space and fit snugly onto the walls or in some corner of a bathroom.

Lastly, color is another important aspect to consider while coordinating bathroom with bathroom accessories. It is important to choose mute or subtle colors for accessories. If the color of the walls and fittings is bright. This will make it look pleasing than busy and loud. If color of the walls and fitting is vivid, various vibrant shades of similar or contrast color accessories will enhance the appearance of the bathroom.

Decorate your bathroom to reflect your personality. If you are a fun-loving, colorful individual, you can decorate your bathroom with a lively, bright chrome towel rack, colorful laundry basket, or shower curtain. If you are a more calm or soothing person you might prefer softer colored accessories. Whatever color scheme you choose, make sure that it reflects your personality so that you feel at ease whenever you visit your bathroom.

Finding upscale bathroom accessories

Decorating your bathroom does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. You can find inexpensive high end bath accessories to decorate your bath quite easily if you look around and have an open mind.

Your bathroom accessories can be extravagant yet inexpensive to create the perfect look and feel for your bathroom. Be creative when choosing bathroom accessories; with a bit of imagination you can design a stunning bathroom.

By A2Z Home & Bath

Eco Friendly Stone Polishing – Are you getting these kind of results

We have seen some great work lately being shared by our wonderful customers and wanted to pass along some of the latest results of our products…

Are you getting these kind of results…?

Stone Restoration Pads for Marble, Travertine, Limestone & Terrazzo

Check out this floor of the Historic Fox Theater in downtown Detroit, MI across from Tiger Stadium…

This b beautiful full restoration that was done by Gregg Laviolette’s team at Stone Restoration Service’s Detroit location.

This multi-stone installation had years of wax buildup and significant lippage. Gregg’s team used metal diamonds to grind it perfectly flat. Then they proceeded to use our Cheetah System Step 1-4.

There was a variety of equipment and configurations used on this job. They ran a planetary machine with 6″ heads and centered our 5″ Cheetah Pads (flat’s) on each head with great success, as well as using traditional 175 RPM swing machines with our 5″ Cheetah Pucks and weighted drive plates

5″ Cheetah Pucks – 17 mm thick and you can use 4-6 of each step spaced evenly on our riser or directly on weighted drive plate. Our most aggressive pad!

5″ Cheetah Pads (Flat) – Available in 8″ and can be centered on 9″ planetary head and work great for vertical surfaces, counter tops, stairs, and edge work.

By performing this mechanical polishing process this building is going to have significantly easier and reduced on-going maintenance work and costs and a superb looking floor for longer!

Nice job SRS Team and thanks for sharing!

Let’s take a look at this next floor…
How about this newly poured terrazzo…

This was a newly installed resin based terrazzo that was finished up to an 800 grit traditional diamond by the installation company. The maintenance supervisor did not want to put coatings or wax finishes on this new floor.

The in-house staff (with no restoration experience) completed the job with our weighted drive plates, our step 3 and 4 Cheetah Pucks, 11,000 grit Monkey Pads, and Nano Guard. They created a beautiful finish and a much easier and cost effective ongoing maintenance program.

You can achieve amazing results while saving over 50% in labor/steps over traditional restoration methods… and time is money! Are you using our system yet…?

Overview

Diamond Pads That Perform Stone Restoration in Half The Time

Using traditional diamond pads, stone restoration takes hours. The operator is constantly changing the buffer pads to achieve the correct honing, resurfacing and polishing. Using Cheetah Pads stone restoration of Terrazzo, Marble, Travertine, and Limestone is very fast. The pads allow the operator to combine three and sometimes four steps into just one saving hours of labor. Cheetah Pads on average achieve up a 70% reduction in labor hours.

Marble, Terrazzo, Travertine Floor Repair without Harsh Chemicals or Special Equipment

Cheetah Pads repair high quality stone floors such as Marble, Terrazzo and Travertine using only water. There is no need for powders or harsh chemicals at all. In addition, Cheetah Pads work on standard floor buffers, orbital or planetary machines. There is no special equipment required.

Stone Restoration without 20 Years of Experience

In addition to being fast at stone restoration, Cheetah Pads do not need operators with years of experience to use them. In just a short time regular staff members with minimal training can complete phenomenal resurfacing projects using Cheetah Pads. This includes previously difficult techniques such as lippage removal, honing and polishing.

More Profitable Stone Restoration Projects

advanced technology. The advanced patent pending technology in Cheetah Pads makes this possible.

The Fastest Stone Restoration System On The Planet!!!

Some more before and after pictures from other projects by different contractors

Saving hours on labor, chemicals and job time gives your business the competitive edge to win more bids and to earn more profits from this advanced technology. The advanced patent pending technology in Cheetah Pads makes this possible

Diamond Pads That Perform Stone Restoration in Half The Time

Very easy To Use
Up to 70% reduction in labor
As much as 75% lower cost
Work well on any floor buffer, orbital or planetary machine
No heavy duty equipment required
Extremely fast cutting
No chemicals used, only water
No acidic components
Extreme concentration of micro abrasives
Works incredibly well on ALL Marbles, Travertine, Limestone, Terrazzo and Polished Concrete
Chemical free Diamond pads are an Eco Friendly way to achieve a dull hone on Travertine, Marble, or Limestone Floors, countertops or walls.
Use on floors walls or countertops with little to no lippage (uneven tiles).
Pads remove wear and provide a variety of appearance levels from dull hone (no shine) to highly polished.
Safe on all stones and tile, will not damage any stone
Professional strength formula.

Environmentally Friendly

Made in the U.S.A

Buy now

Eco Friendly Stone Polishing Pads Video’s

To check out our great range of flooring, visit our website.

Upgrade the look of your homes deteriorating Concrete Surface.

Concrete Countertop

Decorative Concrete Resurfacing

Many homeowners believe that there is no other solution for the discolored or cracked old concrete flooring except removing and replacing it with a new flooring. However, this is not true, concrete resurfacing is an easy and affordable option available for aging concrete driveway, patio, or other concrete flooring. Resurfacing gives a brand new look to the old flooring and it seems as if a new flooring has been installed. It is a cost-saving and effective way of renovating a deteriorating concrete floor, but it cannot create miracle; hence do not expect it to solve severe buckling, underlying soil issues or other major problems.

Before you plan to opt for resurfacing, you need to assess whether or not the concrete flooring can actually be resurfaced. It is not such a daunting task, and you can do it without any need for professional guidance. You just need to inspect the floor and ensure that there are no deep or large cracks, warp or damages, and also that the soil has not yet begun to settle. In case any of these conditions do exist, resurfacing may not be the ideal solution to overcome such problems. You can even consult a concrete professional who can tell you whether resurfacing the concrete floor is a feasible option.

Restaurant – Concrete floors

There are different types of concrete resurfacing options available, which you can choose to give the floor a whole new look. Overlays are one of the popular options owing to the different patterns that can be achieved by them. You can choose amongst the stampable overlays that look like brick or natural stone, the self-leveling overlays for smooth finish, or the micro-toppings for textured finish or troweled smooth. Most homeowners opt for the spray down overlays that are not only durable but also provide a skid-resistant surface.

Apart from overlays, you can also go for staining, where you can add an appealing solid color to a concrete floor. Moreover, staining produces rich semi-transparent color effects that can look like polished marble or stained wood because the stains seep deep into the concrete. Since the properties of the concrete surfaces vary from one another, hence the effect of staining also varies, and it is this distinctiveness that makes this option interesting.

Exterior – Concrete floors

Another option that you may choose is the stenciled concrete patterns that are available in an array of appealing patterns. A stencil is placed over the concrete surface and a thin decorative coating is applied over it in different ways. There are different ways of applying the coating, such as spray down or trowelling down. You can even use adhesive stencils to create desired patterns on the concrete surface. For creating grids, geometric shapes or more intricate designs, you can select saw cutting option; the concrete is saw cut, after being hardened. You can even create a contrast with the adjacent concrete by staining the pattern in different colors afterward.

Concrete Countertop

Engraving or etching is also a popular choice where attractive designs are etched on the concrete surface, with the help of special tools. Unlike overlays, it is a permanent surface treatment and hence, it is advisable to select patterns only after due consideration. For enhancing the appearance of the resurfaced floor, you can follow it by staining. Apart from these, there are many other resurfacing options available, with the help of which you can upgrade the look of your home’s deteriorating concrete surface.

Buy now at Flooring Supply Shop

To check out our great range of flooring, visit our website.

Category: Do It Yourself

Myths you Should Stop Believing in Concerning Tile

Myths you Should Stop Believing in Concerning Tile

Myth: Tile is boring

Myth: Tile flooring is cold

Myth: Wood alike tile looks fake

Myth: Tile flooring is expensive

Myth: Tile breaks easily

Myth: Tile requires little or no maintenance or care

Tile tips for your kitchen design

Different materials have different qualities

Color

Style

Upscale Bathroom Accessories Idea

Eco Friendly Stone Polishing – Are you getting these kind of results

Are you getting these kind of results…?

Overview

Stone Restoration without 20 Years of Experience

Some more before and after pictures from other projects by different contractors

Upgrade the look of your homes deteriorating Concrete Surface.

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