Limestone Archives - Natural Stone Tile Company & Shop

If you’re someone who loves to get involved in arts & crafts activities, you’ve probably got an interest in creating wonderful mosaic or tiling designs with the help of some spare tiles that often go unused. It’s always recommended that you look to get hold of a few spare tiles before a tiling job, as you may require replacements due to damage or you might be unaware of the exact measurements. So if you do have some left over, here are three other uses of natural stone tiles that we’ve come across in the past that are great for those with a creative mind!

Tabletops

If you’re looking to put a smart tabletop somewhere in your home, such as in the hallway or possibly even the front room, you can improve its interior design potential by decorating the surface with coloured stone tiles. Simply apply your preferred paint to the stone tiles, whether they’re still intact or not, and decorate your tabletop with them!

Necklaces

You can create a stunning piece of jewellery with the help of some spare stone tiles as well. Start by cutting your preferred shape from the tile you have left over and proceed to decorate however way you like! Once you’ve got hold of the finished article, place a hole in the top centre area of the tile so it can be sued with a chain.

Coaster

Are you having trouble with tea or drink stains as a result of having no coasters? Stone tiles are perfect for placing drinks on, especially hot drinks such as tea or coffee. Place a thin, fabric material underneath the tile to act as the surface of your coaster and proceed to decorate the top as you see fit.

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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!

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.

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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.

Accidentally damaging a stone tile can be frustrating to say the least, especially if it interferes with the natural stone tiling effect you’ve worked so hard to achieve. A lot of the time, we ignore damaged tiles and accept the fact that there’s little you can do to repair them. Well in fact, there is something you can do. Here’s how to replace a damaged tile…

– Loosen the grout around the edges of the damaged tile using a grout remover. Once you’ve done this you can start to rake out the rest of the grout.

– Drilling holes into the central areas of the tile helps to weaken the surface, so use a small ceramic drill bit and drill four holes in a square shape into the tile. You can increase the size of the ceramic drill bit if necessary.

– Equip yourself with a hammer and chisel and gradually chip away at the central space between the holes you’ve made. This gets rid of the central part of the tile, although you should be careful not to scratch the wall beneath it.

– From here, use the chisel to get underneath the rest of the tile, moving towards the edges until you’ve removed it entirely. This is where you need to be careful not to damage the surrounding tiles. Try and get rid of much of the adhesive as possible as well.

– Check that your replacement tile fits neatly into the new gap and that the adhesive isn’t pushing the tile further out in comparison to the others. Put new adhesive on the replacement tile and position it in the space.

– Use a flat piece of wood with that is larger in length to the tile to push it into place. Fit new tiles spaces so you can fill in the edges with grout. It’s important to wait for the adhesive to dry before doing this.

If you’ve enjoyed a beautiful natural stone finish throughout your home for some time, whether it be marble stone flooring, slate cladding or limestone wall tiling, there comes a time for many where painting over walls helps to promote a newly introduced interior design scheme.

If you’ve got a similar predicament to deal with, you might be interested to learn about how you could paint over your currently installed stone tiles. There are plenty of natural stone tiles that can be painted over when given the correct treatment, so here’s a quick guide to painting your stone tiles.

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The first thing to do is to sand over your tiling as this creates a rough surface that can be easily painted on.

Step 2

Once you’ve achieved a rough finish, you need to clean the wall with a thick scrub brush before making sure the wall is dry.

Step 3

Apply two separate coats of primer before sanding over the tiling so that you get rid of any imperfections. Apply the second coat only after the first has dried completely.

Step 4

Paint over the tiles with two separate layers using a foam roller. Continue to search for imperfections and sand over them if necessary.

Step 5

Your tiling should now be ready for paintwork, so pick your chosen colour preference and start decorating!

Mosaics are a wonderful alternative to standard tiling, especially if you’re looking to enhance the character of your property. Mosaics are commonly found in bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and even some reception rooms, so you won’t struggle to find somewhere where you can have them.

You can purchase some of the wonderful glass mosaics we have to offer here at the Stone Tile Emporium but if you’re keen to make your own, here’s how to prepare.

If you’ve managed to keep some natural stone tiles such as limestone spare after a separate job, now’s the time to use them. You can sue all kinds of different materials when creating your own mosaics, from natural stone and glass to broken china and even seashells. Once you’ve collected your materials, you’re ready to begin!

Depending on the surface you have in mind for your mosaic, you need to choose a foundation. If you’re creating a mosaic for a tabletop, you need to ensure that the top is sturdy enough. It’s a good idea to give any foundation you choose a thorough clean beforehand as you’ll be using grout and mortar when piecing together your materials.

Try and draw your preferred pattern on the surface first so that you’ve got a plan beforehand. This will make your end product much neater and you can come up with some really detailed ideas using this method.

The final step of your preparation phase is to get hold of some mortar. Mortar is used throughout construction to hold concrete bricks together and it works just as well with mosaics. You can purchase mortar in many retail stores and mix it using manufacturer recommendations if you’re confused.

The vast majority of patios take a beating throughout the winter months, so it’s important to make sure your limestone or other mosaic stone patio is restored to its finest condition before the summer. It’s easy to neglect patios as they are often covered in various plants and other garden accessories.

It turns out that cleaning your garden patio isn’t as hard as you probably thought, with plenty of products available online to get the job done effectively. Alternatively, you can have a go at other straightforward cleaning techniques that will have your patio looking in great shape for the summer.

It’s good to start by getting rid of pointless clutter as this can affect the room you have to start cleaning. If you’ve had various plants on your patio throughout the year, you’ll probably need to do a thorough sweep of the patio.

Depending on the type of natural stone your patio is, you can mix a cleaning solution like bleach with water and scrub with a tough outdoor brush to get rid of other stains. It’s also a good idea to get rid of the weeds growing between the stone beforehand if there are any.

Finish the cleaning process with a garden hose, getting rid of the bleach solution that’s remaining and leave it to dry overnight.

When we anticipate putting up a new range of tiles in the bathroom or kitchen, we don’t usually make grout a huge priority. However, grout can have more of an effect on the appearance of your tiles than you’d probably think, so here are some of the best grouting methods you can use when assembling your natural stone tile designs.

If you’re looking for something reasonably neat and simplistic, you’re probably better off going for matching grout. This can really improve the overall finish, so it’s ideal if you don’t want the tiles to look ragged or stand out too much. The grout colour doesn’t have to be identical, though it shouldn’t stand out as much as the primary colour of your tiles.

If you’re thinking of doing the opposite to matching grout, you’ll probably favour contrasting grout. You’ll need to find a grout colour that suits your chosen tiles, whilst it may not be overly necessary if you’ve already got an attractive, natural finish. However, coloured grout works well if you want to hide dirt accumulation.

If you want something a bit more advanced for your porcelain tiles, such as accent grout for instance, you might want to choose a colour that fits the overall style and theme of the entire room. Once you’ve chosen a specific colour scheme it can be difficult to change it, especially when you use accent grout, so keep this in mind when choosing this option.

With the Easter holidays in full flow, you might be feeling a little inspired when it comes to decorating your home and garden space in preparation for the warmer climate. The beautiful spring weather we’ve seen over the last few days might have been enough to give you some new ideas for beautifully decorated mosaics in the garden, or possibly even some natural stone tiles for the kitchen and bathroom.

Here at the Stone Tile Emporium we have some stunning stone tiles available that are ideal for creating the perfect kitchen and bathroom space. Whether you prefer something naturally elegant and blossoming with traditional elements or a modern space that creates a wonderfully soothing atmosphere, we have the stone tiles to get your dream kitchen or bathroom up and running.

We’ve also got some great mosaics available that make the most of stunning natural designs and beautifully shaped stone. We have a pebble mosaic option that creates a beautifully natural atmosphere thanks to its natural finish, and it works both outside and indoors. Or if you’d prefer, you can put your Easter inspiration to good use and get hold of our colourful glass mosaics, each providing their own unique benefits from shimmering colour to dazzling pearls.

With just a week to go until the Easter Weekend, see what inspirational tiling ideas you can come up with and make the most of our unrivalled range of tiles and mosaics here at the Stone Tile Emporium!

Some of us would love to come home on a cold evening and sit in front of a warm stone fireplace. The typical roaring fire can really enhance the interior design aspects of your home, so it’s vital that you make the most of what’s on offer with regards to natural stone opportunities.

Fireplaces are a great alternative to standard heating and give you a brand new element of character that is capable of improving the atmosphere of any home, be it modern or antique.

Stone fireplaces have always been something of a luxury for property buyers and their popularity in countryside homes has lead to their introduction into more contemporary households.

If you can’t purchase your own stone fireplace from scratch, you can build your own with the help of some beautiful stone tiles. The tiles can decorate the surrounding area of the fireplace or possibly even make up the mantelpiece.

Travertine is one of many natural stone tile options that work really well with fireplaces, whilst slate gives you an entirely different style yet still retains the stunning appeal of any countryside fireplace.

If you’re designing your own fireplace and require a few examples of some highly desirable stone tiles, the Stone Tile Emporium have a wide range of natural stone tiles available for any interior design project, so get in touch today!

Category: Limestone

3 Ways To Make The Most Of Spare Tiles!

Tabletops

Necklaces

Coaster

Decorating Tiled Bathroom Walls

3 Reasons Why You Should Switch to Stone Tiles This Summer

Appearance

Maintenance

Atmospheric

Replacing Damaged Stone Tiles

Need New Interior Design Inspiration? – How to Paint on Stone Tiling

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Preparations For Making Your Own Mosaics

Cleaning Your Patio in Time For The Summer

Choosing Grout For Your Next Tile Job

Easter Inspiration from the Stone Tile Emporium

Building Your Very Own Fireplace Feature With Natural Stone Tiles

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