Surfaces USA Blog

Slate Floor Tiles: Durability with style

2009-02-17T04:26:00.000-08:00

Slate is a fine-grained, non-porous, metamorphic rock. Slate is highly resistant towards general wear and tear and corrosion of all kinds. Well polished slate is resistant to staining and physical damage as well, thus providing a flooring solution that lasts for years at a stretch. The non-porous nature of slate tiles helps prevent bacteria build-up on the floor, thus making these tiles safe for use in kitchens and in rooms where any kind of cooking or food processing is done.

Slate tiles come in various sizes and shapes, and can suit your preferred flooring style. Slate tiles are available in various colors as well, such as, black, grey, bluish white, coral red, matted black, brown and many others. Thus these can successfully complement the furnishings and wall colors in a room. Even a kaleidoscopic pattern can be created on the floor using slate tiles of various colors.

Slate tiles are damage and bacteria resistant, but do tend to collect a lot of greasy matter on the surface. If this grease is allowed to stay, it will attract a lot of dirt and dust. To prevent this, slate tiles should be cleaned periodically with a mild soap solution. The tiles can then be washed with plain water, followed by a dry wipe. This will keep the tiles clean and shiny for a long time.

The huge choice of colors, the durability and the resistance towards bacteria build up keep slate floors the perfect choice for modern homeowners and interior designers.

Backsplash Mosaics: For aesthetics, durability and safety

2009-02-17T04:21:00.000-08:00

Backsplash mosaic tiles have taken the homebuilding market by storm. These tiles get their name from their usage in backsplash areas, such as in the wall behind kitchen sinks, on the shower bases, and on the rims of swimming pools. These tiles, created by gluing together pebbles over a 12” mesh base, impart a natural look to the surface on which these are placed. These tiles are specially prepared and glazed to make them heat, moisture and acid resistant, thus ensuring long life.

Backsplash mosaics are available in various colors, such as, from pearly white to matted black and from coral red to bluish white. Thus these tiles can match almost any kind of surroundings. Anybody with an artistic bent of mind could create a kaleidoscope style artwork on the floor with these tiles. The large tiles, available in 12” x 12” size, can create an illusion of a space being larger than it actually is. For this quality, backsplash mosaic tiles have found application in building shower bases and other places that are typically of a confined nature.

These tiles are meant to be splashed with water repeatedly. So, walking on these tiles should be safe at all times. Thankfully, the tiles score big in the safety ranking as well. The numerous grouting lines present on the tiles provide sufficient traction to the feet of any person walking over them, even when the tiles are wet.

Thus, backsplash mosaics provide a homeowner with the perfect combination of safety, durability and aesthetics.

Glass Wall Tiles: Unique Style, Popular Design

2009-02-17T04:18:00.000-08:00

Glass wall tiles are increasingly becoming popular nowadays. They can create an ethereal mix of modern glossiness embedded with remembrances of history in a way few other interior decorations can! If you are considering a remake for your walls, glass wall tiles are one of the best available options. These wall tiles can totally transform the way your walls look and add a hint of sparkle to the comprehensive look and feel of your home or office.

Scientists and doctors have long known that the design of the interiors, especially the overall look and feel of a place, contribute greatly to the well being, peace of mind, and mental health of a person. Glass wall tiles can play a great role in this regard. You can fit these kinds of tiles at almost any place. Be it your bedroom, bathroom, living room or kitchen, glass wall tiles would look attractive anywhere. Some people might find the idea of placing glass wall tiles in the bedroom a bit odd, but many are now opting for the choice. It adds a unique touch… although these are still much more common in the other places like the bathrooms and kitchens.

Glass wall tiles come in a variety of attractive colors. The colored and themed glass wall tiles are the most popular among the modern buyers. For the exact correct feel that you are looking for, you have to be very careful about the shades and textures so that you get them just right, making your walls energetic and vibrant instead of garish.

Travertine Tiles: Timelessly Yours

2009-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Travertine is a sedimentary rock, porous in nature. It is formed when water seeps through limestone rock formations. When it is formed, many impurities such as mineral salts, tiny grains of sand, and even remains of algae and fungi often get trapped inside blocks of Travertine. Pure Travertine is white in color, while Travertine loaded with impurities may be yellowish white, yellow, coral red, deep gray or other colors. The stone has been used widely in architecture back in historic times, in construction of monuments such as, the Colosseum in Rome and the Sacre Coeur in Paris. Nowadays, Travertine is a popular choice among homeowners as a flooring material.

Travertine is popular for its subtle color and texture variations, and can be used in conjunction with many different kinds of furniture set ups. The most well known usage is perhaps in bathrooms. Smooth, shiny Travertine tiles in shades of white and black, when placed around a white master bath, can make a bathroom resemble an exotic getaway. Glazed Travertine is resistant to acidic substances, such as, lemon juice and vinegar, and resists growth of bacteria as well. Hence, these tiles may be used as excellent flooring material in kitchens.

Travertine is an exotic stone, which needs some basic maintenance in order to remain in good condition. Regular washing with mild detergent solutions, followed by washing with plain water and wiping the tiles dry will help keep them in good condition for quite a few years.

Marble Tile Flooring: For Timeless Beauty

2009-01-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

Marble tile flooring can be a great option for you if you are looking to remodel your kitchen or bathroom floor. These tiles are durable and resistant to physical damage. If you install marble tiles on your floor, you can rest easy knowing that your kids won’t actually put scratch marks on the floor while playing with toys. Your pet puppy or kitten will not leave claw marks on the floor either.

Besides being scratch proof, marble flooring tiles also have several other advantages. Polished marble tiles can resist heat, moisture, and also acidic products, such as, orange juice or lemon juice, to some extent. This ensures that marble floors will look new for years to come. It also makes marble the ideal constituent material for bathroom floors, kitchen floors, shower bases, and so on.

There are some drawbacks to installing marble tiles though. For one thing, they are expensive. In fact, you may be able to tile up two rooms with the money you will need to spend on a marble tiled shower base. You may opt for synthetic marble tiles to reduce the cost, but don’t expect these to last even half as long as genuine marble. Besides, marble tiles come in shades of white and lighter shades of beige only, so not many choices available in color. You have to make sure that your room décor matches the color of your floor. It’s usually the other way around with other types of tiles.

In spite of these drawbacks, if you can afford marble tile flooring and have the room décor to match it, look no further. This will be a one stop solution for most of your flooring problems, for a long time to come.

Stone Mosaic: An Affordable, Stylish Flooring Material

2009-01-21T05:56:00.000-08:00

Stone mosaic can be used to economically remodel the floor of a room. Stone mosaic tiles are produced by gluing together pebbles obtained from sea beaches over a mesh base. The pebbles are naturally smooth because of the abrasive nature of the saline sea water and sand over the years. For this reason, the tiles created by gluing these pebbles are also pretty smooth. The only apparent drawback is the number of grouting lines present all over the tiles, crisscrossing each other. These lines give stone mosaics its characteristic ‘broken’ appearance, but provide more traction to the feet of the people walking over them, even when the tiles are wet. Hence, these tiles are safe for use as flooring materials in houses where toddlers or senior citizens live.

Stone mosaic tiles are available in a variety of colors and textures. Hence, these can be used to match the general décor of any room. The tiles come in a host of colors; from milky white to matted black and from coral red to bluish white. These are available in various sizes; from ½” x ½” sized small ones to 12” x 12” sized large ones. These tiles can be found in large sizes, about 12” x 12” dimensions. The larger tiles, when used, will have fewer grouting lines between them and consequently, make the room look more spacious than it actually is.

These designer tiles are also simple to install, even for a layman. This versatility and ease of installation, added to the cost-effectiveness make stone mosaics ideal choices for homeowners.

Glass Tiles: Delicate and Beautiful

2008-12-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

Glass tiles can add a ‘wow’ effect to almost any room. Do you have a fireplace in your room? Why not put a layer of glass tiles on the wall around it? When the fireplace is lit, your entire room will look divine in the glow. Or, if you have a surround sound system in your room, put a few rows of metallic glass tiles on the wall behind the speaker and amplifiers. This will make the entire set up look majestic.

Glass tiles are delicate in nature, and are thus far more susceptible to getting chipped, cracked or nipped than any other kind of tiles. Walls, ceiling, or less traveled locations on the floor are the best places to put glass tiles on.

Glass tiles can be installed on a layer of ceramic or stone tiles, or even directly on bare concrete. This makes them pretty versatile in usage. Glass tiles are often subjected to special treatments to make them heat resistant. Metallic glass tiles are available in various colors, imparted by the metal used in them. These are also available in various sizes, from the small ½” x ½” tiles to the large 12” x 12” sized ones. People with artistic bent of mind can use metallic glass tiles to create artworks like many small flowers on the ceiling, or even an entire portrait on the wall.

Glass tiles can be a tad more expensive than regular tiles. But the stunning effect they add to the décor of a room is worth every penny spent on them.