December 2017 - Page 4 of 7 - Natural Stone Tile Company & Shop

Christmas is on its way so you might be planning to treat yourself with brand new tiles for your bathroom or kitchen and have your home looking great in preparation for the big day.

If you find yourself in the market for some new tiles or feel you might struggle with the wide variety of textures, styles, themes and materials on offer, here’s a few handy tips to consider before investing in your festive stone tiles.

1. Consider the location of your tiles

Firstly, consider where the tiles are going to be placed and how their texture, colour and style will affect the look of the space. For example, lighter tiles would be ideal for a space that needs to look bigger due to its size and you might need a specific texture if your style preferences are particularly detailed.

Slate provides an excellent natural texture that works wonders for your bathroom, whilst the dark, sleek design of marble tiling can really work in a more contemporary kitchen space.

2. Consider the durability needed

It’s also important to consider the durability of your tiles. Are they capable of lasting a considerably long time without getting damaged? Can they withstand cleaning products for the foreseeable future?

Ultimately, the life of a tile can be daunting depending on where it’s situated but it’s worth considering this important factor when purchasing nonetheless.

3. Think about the long-term

Finally, try and have a long term bathroom plan in mind when buying your tiles. How are your style preferences going to change in the next few years? What sort of bathroom appliances will you be investing in? It’s a good idea to look at some kitchen and bathroom design ideas beforehand so that you can see where your new tiles are likely to lead you.

Don’t forgot to visit the Stone Tile Emporium for an introduction into the wide range of tiling ideas we have to offer!

Our tiling FAQ continues into week 2, where we focus on some of the more basic aspects of tiling for those who are carrying out their first ever stone tile project. Sometimes the most obvious questions bring about the most useful results!

Q. How do I work out exactly how many tiles I need?

A. To work out the exact number of tiles you need for your designated tiling space, multiply the height by the width of your wall space to get a measurement in square metres. Then find out the measurement of your chosen individual tiles and divide the surface area of your tiling space by that of your chosen tile.

Q. How can I get a neat and organised row of tiles?

A. It’s important to have tiles of equal size to have a perfectly symmetrical set of wall tiles. Place cut tiles of equal size at both ends of your row, using a spirit level to make sure you have them in line. After marking out the positions on the wall, use a batten to trial your row of tiles, putting spaces in between each one. Mark out the tile positions and gaps along the batten and use this as a gauge.

Q. How can I make sure the spaces between the tiles are even?

A. You can make the space between each tile even by putting plastic tile spacers between each one. Try to make sure that each spacer is pushed as far in as possible so they can also be grouted over. Try not to leave any marks on the tiling in the process.

Original Style Earthworks Burnt Sienna Slate Floor Tiles In Living Room

If you’re eager to decorate your home with some stunning natural stone tiling, you should probably start by considering which rooms will benefit most from limestone, slate, travertine or possibly even marble.

Natural stone tiles are great if you want to bring an abundance of character to your home, whether its a contemporary layout or something grade-listed and antique.

Here are three less obvious rooms in any household that can benefit from stone tiling:

1. Conservatory

If you’re tired of a concrete conservatory floor or having trouble with rotting wood, natural stone tiles are a great flooring alternative. Natural stone tiles bring a certain warmth to any room, though it works brilliantly from the comfort of a conservatory armchair whilst you enjoy the outdoor scenery.

2. Entrance Hall/ Hallway

The hallway is often overlooked when it comes to interior decor, with people happy to lay down some carpet or natural wooden flooring without worrying too much. On the other hand, a beautifully decorated entrance hall with limestone flooring can really set the tone of any successful interior design atmosphere.

3. Laundry Room

If you’re lucky enough to have a designated laundry room, you might consider decorating the walls and floors with natural stone tiling that reflects the general atmosphere of the room. If it’s near the kitchen, stone tiles that mirror the design aspects of next door can really enhance the continuity of your home.

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We’re set for some great weather in the coming days, so there’s never been a better time to carry out some outdoor DIY. If you’ve always dreamt of relaxing outdoors during the summer whilst reading the paper or enjoying a cold drink, you might benefit from a new patio area. Natural stone tiles are ideal for any new patio, with all kinds of designs available to suit your preferences. Here are a few tips from us at the Stone Tile Emporium on how to create the perfect garden patio.

Remember that not all tiles are the perfect fit for a garden patio, so it’s important to make sure you choose the right natural stone that’s capable of coping with harsh weather and rainwater. You also need to be aware of how some outdoor patio tiles can easily absorb water and cause cracks during the winter. Therefore, a good choice of material would be porcelain, as it does not absorb water particularly fast.

For strength, granite tiles are a great choice as they are particularly sturdy and won’t get damaged in stormy weather. Naturals tone to avoid would be something like slate, which is softer than granite and may not be able to cope with mixed weather conditions over a long period of time.

When it comes to decorating your new patio, you should try and incorporate as much of the natural beauty of your garden as possible, whether its potted plants or accessories like rocks and shells. You could also create a canopy of foliage to cover an outdoor dining area.

Depending on how big a part you want your new patio to play, you can introduce a whole host of great features, including an outdoor fireplace or perhaps some artificial lighting. Just remember that design trends don’t stick around for long, so keeping to your own preferences is always the best way to go.

Original Style Artworks Baroque Blue Bathroom Wall Tiles

It’s about time we looked at some of the outstanding bathroom interior design ideas that are currently doing the rounds, especially as a lot of the natural stone tiles that we supply contribute significantly to the style of a bathroom, whether it’s something contemporary or a classic period design. Here are three wonderful bathroom interior design ideas that make the most of natural stone, from marble to mosaics.

The Subway Tile Design

I bet you never thought you’d take a subway-style tiling method and place it in your bathroom? It seems to work really well in this case however, with glistening rectangular, uniquely regimented tiles providing the backdrop to a beautiful marble bathtub, alongside wooden storage compartments and antique-style tabletops.

The Bathroom Fireplace

A bathroom fireplace doesn’t only provide you with added warmth; it also acts as a wonderful interior design feature. This classic element works wonderfully with hexagonal mosaic tiles on the floor, alongside a classic bathtub with period features and lighting effects throughout.

The Contemporary/Vintage Crossover

Laminate wooden flooring, sleek windows and a rectangular shape consistent throughout the room are all associated with contemporary bathrooms; yet throwing in a stunning Romanesque marble bathtub and vintage appliances seems to work wonders. Natural lighting is supplied by large windowed balcony doors.

HERO Original-Style_Artworks_Royal-Blue-G9002-&-G9901_landscape

There are a number of things you can add to your bathroom once you’ve installed your natural stone tiles for the first time and some of them really help to enhance the natural atmosphere.

On the other hand, you might be interested in decorating your tiled walls with something a little more comical or flamboyant. Either way, here are some great bathroom wall decorations we think work well with natural stone.

Slate tiling is quite a dark, bland form of stone that offers its own unique natural design. However, spicing it up with some attractive decorations can improve the atmosphere of your bathroom with ease.

Jet Black Porcelanosa Wall Tile In Bathroom With Contrasting White Bath Tub

A contemporary mirror would really stand out in such a modernised bathroom style; whilst you could possible even incorporate a few canvas portraits that resemble the surroundings. So if slate is your chosen tile, think modern and contemporary with your decorations.

Another popular choice of stone in bathrooms is limestone tiling, which can be used to create both a contemporary and period-style bathroom space.

If you’ve gone for something a little more classic, why not decorate the walls with a wonderfully Romanesque towel handle, or possible a beautifully designed candle holder? Either way, limestone looks great when you’ve gone wild with bathroom decorations, so designate a style choice and start decorating!

Natural slate flooring in bathroom

Tiling a shower can be quite a challenging procedure if you’ve never done it before, though it shouldn’t stop you from integrating your own specifically chosen natural stone tiles into your bathroom. Here are some of the tools and materials that you’ll need to start the job:

Grout
Rubber Float
Tile Spacer
Sponge
Haze Remover
Silicone Caulk
Trowel
Tiles
Mortar

With all of these products equipped, you can start focusing on the job itself. Here are some useful tips to follow during the tiling process that will help you get started.

Tip 1 – Strip Shower Area Before Starting

Make sure you’ve stripped the entire space down to just the floor plan, so that’s the ceiling hardware and the walls. It can be challenging to do this and you might be worried about the whole demolition process, so seek professional advice if needs be.

Tip 2 – Marking Out the First Row & Mortar

Use a pencil to mark out where your first row of tiles will be going. Make sure the bottom edge of the tiles isn’t directly touching the surface of the cement board. Try and leave a couple of centimetres between the two. The best mortar to purchase is definitely the premixed option, as the powdered option can be quite difficult to mix yourself.

Tip 3 – Leave Some Time Before Tiling the Rest

Leave around 8-12 hours before continuing with the tiling after the first row. This is so that you’ve got a solidified platform of tiles for the rest to sit on. Al the other rows going upwards from this point will rely on the bottom row, so we advise you not to take any chances here!

If you’ve recently installed a new patio in time for the summer, you might have to soon put up with weeds attempting to surface through the small gaps often created between stone tiling. In fact, weeds are actually a year-round issue that can gradually get worse if you don’t deal with them.

If you don’t fancy the idea of taking up your natural stone tiling again to cope with the problem, here are a few tips for using standard weed killers to get the maximum effect!

Timing

The best time to apply any weed killing solution that you purchase is in the spring, which is when the vast majority of weeds are already at the largest and there are little to no seeds on the surface. If you’re in the middle of summer already, you can still apply weed killing solutions to get rid of weeds, but it may not prevent them from coming back.

Weather

Rain is great for helping plants grow and weeds rely on them as much as any other species. However, rain is also capable of washing away any weed killing solution you’ve applied within a few hours, so choose a dry, warm day to use weed killers.

Leave Them Alone!

Weed killers attack the top half of growth, so digging around might actually stop the process from working effectively. Whilst you might feel like tearing weeds out of the ground every time they appear, it’s much better to let weed killers do their thing.

Follow these guidelines and you’re certain to have weed-free natural stone patio ready for the summer in no time!

Archerfield Limestone Tile Floor In Cosy Seating Area

We thought it would be a good idea to remind you of some of the benefits of having natural stone tiles as part of your interior design plan, especially as the summer holidays often go hand in hand with various household construction projects. If you’ve considered making the most of our vast natural stone range here at the Stone Tile Emporium for parts of your property, here are some of the reasons why it’s such a popular alternative to other forms of flooring.

Appearance

Artisans - Kit Stone Clifton

Stone Tiles offer a wide variety of different styles and finishes and promote a unique elegance and luxury which can’t be replicated by any other type of tiling or flooring. Stone tiling is different every time, so you also know that no one else in the world has the style you’ve gone for! It is a classy, high quality alternative to carpets and wooden flooring, whilst it also has a historic demeanour with various fossils shaped over millions of years often still visible in the stone.

Maintenance

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Stone Tiles need to be sealed before and after their installation. Once you do this, you don’t have to treat them again for up to two years. They are extremely easy to look after and the sealing procedure isn’t as difficult as it sounds either.

Atmospheric

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Stone Tiles are great all year round as they can help cope with both the hotter and colder seasons. However, Stone Tiles create a sense of warmth wherever they are used, so during the winter with the addition of a warm, cosy fire, you’ll certainly feel a lot more comfortable surrounded by some beautiful stone tiles.

Marble Tiles Gallery Image - Original Style Earthworks Viano White polished marble and Nero Polished Marble

We’ve all experienced the ups and downs of carrying out DIY work and installing new stone flooring or wall tiling is probably one of the most common DIY jobs that you’ll come across. There are always questions that need answering when tiling, so we’ve decided to put together a few FAQ’s for those of you who are seeking out some helpful tiling advice or information. Three questions will be answered each week, so keep an eye on our blog over the coming weeks!

Q. Is it safe to drill through my bathroom tile installation?

A. Yes. However, it all comes down to what your tiles are made from. If they are thin and ceramic, a cheap drill bit is all you need to carry out the job. Porcelain tiles on the other hand require small diamond drill bits and can be much more difficult to start.

Q. Can tiles stick to plywood?

A. Plywood is quite a common bathroom material, though it must be thick enough to not be affected by regular changes in temperature. You will need a latex based bonding solution rather than standard PVA solutions to get tiles to stick to Plywood.

Q. Do I have to seal my natural stone tiling?

A. Yes. Natural stone isn’t porous so you’ll have to carry out a grouting procedure. Once the grout has been left to dry, it should become waterproof. Grouting doesn’t have a significant effect on the look of your natural stone tiles, so don’t worry too much about this.