Category: News

Could Robots Help Us With Tiling In The Next Few Years?

Posted on by Stone Tile Emporium

Once you’ve got hold of your natural stone tiles from our broad selection here at the Stone Tile Emporium, you might either be looking forward to or dreading the prospect of having to actually install them. Whatever your views are on this type of DIY, the National Development Minister in Singapore believes that robots could make tiling floors “four times as efficient”.

In a blog post back in May, Khaw Boon Wan stated that he felt tiling was “one of the most labour-intensive processes in construction” and it could be enhanced and improved with the inclusion of robotics. With many companies based in East Asia looking into the prospect of incorporating robots into their industrial work, tiling could be the next on the list.

So how would robots actually carry out the tiling job? Mr Wan went on to explain that robots could carry out the labour-intensive aspects of the job, whilst we as humans could contribute by carrying out higher-precision tasks such as grouting or cutting odd-sized tiles. Researchers at the Singapore-Eth Centre Future Cities Laboratory believe that robots could potentially lay tiles two or three times faster than humans.

The questions is, should these robots become commercially available, could they benefit anything other than open plan living spaces with large surface areas? We are interested to get your feedback on this interesting story, so have your say in the comments section below.

Welcome To Our New Website

Posted on by Stone Tile Emporium

The Stone Tile Emporium Shop Front

The Tile Emporium are proud to be launching our first showroom on Reigate high street as well as our brand new website.

Our Showroom is located on Bell Street, Reigate making it easily accessible with Morrisons car park just across the road.

We have been an established company for over 10 years and have built a large and varied client base including many local building firms, contractors and interior/exterior designers.

We operate from Guildford to Sevenoaks with Reigate being our base. We also work in London and further away depending on the project. Email us with details abut your project and any queries you may have.

Our new blog will be frequently updated with information about our latest products, offers and services as well as advice about looking after and caring for your tiles. Make sure to keep track regularly of our blog for updates. We welcome any feedback and should you have any questions regarding our services you can contact us on 01737 210125 or by filling in our contact to the right.

Cleaning Your Patio in Time For The Summer

Posted on by Stone Tile Emporium

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.

Choosing Grout For Your Next Tile Job

Posted on by Stone Tile Emporium

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.

Easter Inspiration from the Stone Tile Emporium

Posted on by Stone Tile Emporium

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!

Cleaning Slate Throughout The Household

Posted on by Stone Tile Emporium

Slate floors provide plenty of natural attractiveness, especially as they work among various different styles and environments. However, you’ll almost certainly need to go through a regular maintenance program to keep your slate stone tiles look their best throughout the year, whether you have them as a decorative backdrop to your front room TV or as stone cladding on the outside of your property. Here are a few ways you can get rid of troublesome stains and other dirt marks to refresh your slate tiles.

If you haven’t already acquired one, a dust mop can be a really useful tool regardless of the type of natural stone tiles you have in your home. Start by sweeping your tiles with a broom to ensure any loose dirt is collected and disposed of.

Once the floors are free from loose dirt, take the dust mop and move consistently around the room without sweeping back and forth. Dust mops collect the dust that they encounter but can also throw it around if you don’t sweep correctly. The smooth surface of the dust mop should prevent any marks or scratches to the slate.

Finally, fill a bucket with an all-purpose cleaning solution and warm water and use a separate mop to wipe down the slate flooring. If you’re cleaning stone cladding or wall tiles, use some mild detergent mixed with water to clean the slate.

That concludes our guide to cleaning slate tiles. It’s reasonably straightforward and should be carried out every now and then or just before you decide to organise a gathering or house party. If you’re struggling with a cleaning product or don’t have one handy, try mixing warm water with baking soda instead to get rid of specific stains.

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