Tile Flooring: How to prevent Chips and Scratches

The ideal bathroom is one that is immaculately clean and has stain free walls and floor tiles. You want your bathrooms to be stained free clean, as much as possible you need to keep grime from building up on you shower tiles and grout. Grime accumulates of grout faster than on the surface of tiles, and only after a few months they can appear as if it hasn’t been cleaned in years. There are many ways to remove bathroom grime stains off your shower tile grout using different kinds of cleaning materials like bleach, muriatic acid and detergents. But what is the best way to clean off grime? The most effective way to remove bathroom grime stains off your shower tile grout is by the use of oxygenated bleach, also known as Oxiclean. What Is Oxygenated Bleach? Oxygenated bleach is a cleaning agent that is non toxic and environmentally friendly, that is why this is the most preferred by people who are concerned with the environment, nature and removing grime from their shower tile grout. It does not contain chlorine, unlike the bleach that most people always have around the house. Bleach with chlorine effectively removes almost any kind of stain, however, the harsh effects also discolor clothes and grout. Oxygenated bleach, on the other hand, does not discolor clothes while effectively removing stains from clothes, and it’s also effective in removing tile grout grime. How To Remove Bathroom Grime Stains Off Your Shower Tile Grout Using Oxygenated Bleach? Oxygenated bleach is easy to apply and is very effective in cleaning off tile grout grime. Mixture – Mix 1 cup of oxygenated bleach powder into a half gallon of water. Next, mix it thoroughly so that no grains or powder in the water can be seen. Then, pour or splash some oxygenated bleach solution onto tiles and grout. Application – Next, wipe, rub or brush using a sponge, clothe or toothbrush (use a grout brush if available) thoroughly until the stains are removed. Then, leave it for about 5 to 20 minutes to let the oxygenated bleach break the bonds between the grout surface and grime. Cleaning – After 5 to 20 minutes, you can finally pour and wash off with water. Is there a better way to deal with cleaning tile grout? Cleaning tile grout is a tiring process, especially if the grout lines are wide. If you are planning a home renovation project such as installing a new shower, then your choice of tiles and the spacing between then can make cleaning grout much easier in the future. To see what options of tiles you can choose for your next bathroom renovation, visit or contact Stone and Tile Centre in Mornington, Victoria. They have been providing excellent stones and tiles products for over 30 years. For more information visit: www.stoneandtile.com.au

If you have been considering a floor or wall project that will include a stone tile design then you have come to the right place. Stone & Tile Centre offers tiles from all over the globe featuring everything from Natural Porcelain Tiles, sandstone, Glazed Ceramic, limestone, Border tiles, marble, slate, polished tiles, onyx, Tozzettos, Glass tiles to mosaics just to name some. There are indoor and outdoor options and a wealth of services available. You can even get matching bullnoses to finish off the project both beautifully and professionally. With all of the accessories and the professional services available you simply cannot go wrong with the amazing options available at Stone Tile Centre. With more than 30 years servicing the area, you can expect nothing less than the best from start to finish. The great news is that you do not have to go into Melbourne to get these amazing products and services, but you still have access to the latest stone tile trends. Customising your stone tile design has never been easier with the help of this professional and highly reputable company. The results will be nothing short of stunning. You really can’t truly grasp the perfection and beauty offered by Stone & Tile Centre’s professional craftsmen and products until you see the display in their showroom. You can also view the gallery to get the general idea of what you can expect. These are design options that bring life and value to your home. You are also adding your own unique style to your home. Personalising your home will only make you love it more, and you also get the privilege of knowing yours is one of a kind. The professional services are not limited to providing top notch products and exceptional customer service. Stone & Tile Centre will also advise you on what options may be best fitting to your project and lifestyle. You will get the scoop on the best care for the options you have chosen. Tile cutting is available and plenty of accessories are on hand for you to choose from. If that is not enough there are also prompt delivery services that are available. To get an idea of the amazing products available or inspiration for your next project please view the Stone & Tile Centre gallery . You can also come in and visit the showroom at the address below.

This year’s biggest remodeling trend has to be outdoor stone tile. Some of the more popular trends include natural earth tones and light mosaic accents. Additionally, the increasing interest of stone tile is due to the wide variety of options, colors and style. Stone tile adds practicality and elegance to your outdoor living space. Additionally, there are many ways you can utilize stone tiles for a patio, fireplace, walkway, outdoor pool and garden area. What is more, stone tile is extremely impressive and help pulls everything together for a well-balanced touch. What to Look For When remodeling any outdoor living space you need to choose tile that is weather resistant, durable and appealing. Additionally, stone tile used for walkways and heavy trafficked areas need to be slip resistant. Never use highly polished stone outdoors because they are extremely slippery when wet. Even rough-hewn tile should have a sealant for added protection. Generally, stone tile that has a rough finish is the best for walkways. Not only does this type of tile prevent falls but it adds a rich depth and texture to the landscape. Stone tile also helps protect your outdoor furniture from bugs and other creatures. Stone Tiles for the Patio If you want to have a visual connection with your indoor/outdoor living space, then match your indoor stone tile with the outdoor. You will be amazed at how much it extends your home into a beautiful living area. As well, double your available space by adding a patio enclosure and a sliding glass door. The best way to choose the right material is to imagine the overall look that appeals to you. Even stone tile comes in various styles that are sure to meet your needs. Some of the selections include Travertine that is mainly cream, tan or white sometimes with delicate golden or blue – grey tones; the sensual stone of limestone that is generally a subtle pastel but also comes in grey, black and blue – grey and Bluestone/Basalt with color ranges from dark grey to a light grey – blue. Stone Tiles for Walkways Walkways are one of the most important areas that need a slip-resistant surface. Rough stones are the ultimate choice for both aesthetics and a safe walkway. Good choices include cobblestones, flagstone and any stone that has a rough texture. For landscape ideas you can create paths with stepping stones, intersecting stones, symmetrical designs, circular stepping stones and a checkerboard look. Stone Tiles for the Pool Limestone is one of the best stone tiles to use for the pool. It is naturally fissured and pitted, offering a slip resistant surface and aesthetic charm. One thing amazing about limestone is that it barely gets hot compared to many other stones. As well, there are a wide variety of colors making it easy to integrate your personal style. In addition, many pool designers use a combination of different colored limestone that is quite stunning.

When it comes to home design having your own unique style incorporated into the master scheme of things is essential to really personalising your space. You are also adding value to the home. A great place to start is Stone & Tile centre. The options are endless, customer service is remarkable, all of the products are of the highest quality and the prices are always competitive. Whether you are looking for sandstone, travertine, limestone, blue-stone, quartz, slate, onyx, Quantum Quartz, Caesar-stone, marble or granite Stone & Tile centre has you covered. That is just to name some of the amazing selections they have to offer. There are indoor and outdoor options available, and you can count on the best of the best when dealing with this highly reputable company. Bluestone is also known as Basalt. There are several shades of grey or blue hues to choose from all of which are a sturdy selection. This is also a great option for anyone seeking a stain resistant stone tile option. Granite is another very durable stain resistant stone tile option. With all of the finishes and design options to choose from you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for on almost any budget. The marble selections at Stone & Tile centre are outstanding. This offers a feel of elegance, and they can be purchased in several different grain options. This is a less durable option more prone to acid attacks and surface scratches. If the area is not high traffic this will be a beautiful addition to any space. There are professionals on stand by to assist you in finding the perfect stone tile to meet your needs and fit the space functionally. For instance, limestone is a beautiful option that is more resistant to attacks from salt. This is a great addition to the pool area where as sandstone will be perfect on those outdoor surfaces that would normally grow very hot like a sidewalk. This is perfect for any entertaining space, and the professionals at Stone & Tile centre are specifically trained to be able to help you find that perfect stone tile to meet your needs. This amazing company also specialises in stone benches and waterfall ends. They offer various other selections like bar tops, fire hearths, vanity tops and BBQ tops just to name a few. You can also find beautifully crafted stonewall panels in various colours and sizes to beautifully blend with any decor. With more than 30 years of doing business in the Mornington area Stone & Tile centre just makes sense. Staff is highly knowledgeable on the items they offer, customer service is impeccable and the prices simply cant be beat. You cant find anything better even if you travel to Melbourne.

The flat planes and tired angles of a room can quickly render the most pleasing space two-dimensional and boring. Pull the curtain back on depth and drama by outfitting the blank space of the area in stylistic stone wall cladding, appealing designs that instantly catch the eye and deliver unparalleled texture. The organic and natural feel of stone cladding provides a short cut to cultured artistry, and it’s all because of our natural bias toward nature. Stylistic wall cladding with a stony accent pulls the theme of your home together, cancelling out the artificial influences of technology and modern living. In fact, the stone cladding combines with wood furniture and the exotic fabrics used in high-end furnishings to deliver a warmth that’s hard to match with other, less natural options. Paint a wall a soft hue and mount artistic prints, if you will, but this style of decor likely can’t rival the human brain’s resonance with purely textural and organic surfaces. Let’s illustrate this approach with the case study of a home newly decorated in a stylized choice of organically installed stone cladding. The conventional choice is perhaps to use a brick and mortar approach, to lace large granite bricks with simple mortar, but this is where a stylized installation ethic comes to the fore. Swap out boring granite for smaller bricks and alternate unique colour variations to emphasize your personality. Go further, taking the accent beyond your own personality, embracing fantastical stones and textures that echo a time when the renaissance age was still in full flow. The only limit to this wall cladding architectural strategy, as they say, is your own imagination. Here are a few more reasons for adopting a stylistic stone wall cladding installation approach The stone textures add depth to the room Enjoy the twofold sensory input of touchable textures and exotic visuals Practical features. Believe it or not, stone cladding can dramatically cut your energy bills Looks good and feels great, these are the obvious features you’ll enjoy when you revamp your walls, but that third bullet point also stands out. Why does stone cladding save energy? The stylized format may offer abstract benefits that relate to visual appeal, but it also absorbs and reflects energy. In short, your new stone cladding insulates the area, adding substance and thickness to the wall. Perhaps it’s a predictable action, but you can’t help returning to the less practical aspects of the design. Stylistic stone wall cladding is the gift to the blank wall, a source of never-ending delight that looks sophisticated and even adds to the acoustics of your home, absorbing echoes, softening voices, and emphasizing the crackle of a log fire.

In understanding the available materials used to form the vast variety of patio pavers, you realize the formative step in creating your backyard getaway. Partner this knowledge with your vision and let’s get down to transforming you paver design ideas into a real garden oasis. What You Have in Common with Da Vinci Any painting begins with a blank canvas and every sculpture starts with a chunk of rough-hewn rock. Adopt this same approach when picking the spot for your patio. That way you’ll have a central workspace to pile your paving material. Consider placing it close to the kitchen, a short walk from a cool glass of lemonade on your kitchen table. Give the area a little natural elevation, perhaps positioning the patio close to a cooling water feature. What’s Your Texture? As we alluded to at the start of the article, there are numerous choices regarding texture. A non-slip rubber or concrete material is highly functional if you’re close to water and the texture will feel cool underfoot, but are you more interested in function or aesthetics? Of course, there’s no reason the two factors can’t be combined. Cogitate on the natural striations that run through limestone or granite to infuse the paver with organic appeal, and structure the patio with empathized gaps to allow a fringe of long grass to delineate the edges of each stony paver. Check out this concise sampling of alternate paver materials: Red clay Builders bricks Decomposed granite Recycled materials for that unique look Concrete Smoothed beach rocks and pebbles Flagstones of quarried slate Architectural Design Elements The pebbles and rocks selection frees the designer to create fascinating patterns with alluring appeal but what of the lines and angles used in specialized skinny bricks, antique cobbles, and smooth tiles? Try laying out a pattern beforehand, perhaps making a hard copy design with pencil and paper. Some patterns that have established a big following include the popular diagonal herringbone, the half basket weave, and the classic running bond as used in wall construction. Patio paving is a subject that’s dear to the heart of most landscape designers because it’s as close to an art form as you can come in a garden. As such, the options for patio pavers are nearly limitless. Evaluate your own ideas and see just how practical they are when paired with your own craftsman abilities. If you are a master craftsman or have access to a reliable contractor, you can truly bring your ideas to radiant life. But please note, the patio should be a safe haven as well as a beautiful one. Incorporate safety-focused features, non-slip pavers and stiff textures to avoid a nasty tumble.

The stone is hard to the touch, yet there’s a subtle sense of give beneath your fingertips. The organic visuals sealed in the rocky bench top hold polished textures that radiate geological marvels, with each subtle hue and tangled striation reflecting the light of the room to deliver natural beauty to the eye of the viewer. But enough of the flowery prose, you should let the stone design speak for itself. First of all, the term ‘stone’ feels a little generic and vague. What exactly are you buying when you purchase a stone bench top? Well, peruse this list for a small sample of attractive options: Granite Basalt Limestone Marble Quantum Quartz The fitting of a bench top made from one of these natural stones adds up to superb aesthetic value, a cost that may come attached to a higher number of dollars for purchase and installation. Having read that last statement, never shy from stone as a bench top solution, not when you look at the big picture. The bench top will last forever, far beyond a comparable wooden top or synthetic option, thus paying for itself many times over in the years to come. Also, the installation of such a classy surface shows how much you care for appearances, which is a big deal when you eventually sell your residence. Prospective buyers will see the marble of the vanity table, the granite on your kitchen work surface, and fall in love, thus upping the value of the property. It’s a little like adding a room to your property because you’re making a statement as a homeowner, a promise that you’ve cared for the home and put money into it while you occupied the residence. The next advantage of the material goes out to where the stone was cut from the earth. That’s right, take your stone bench top outdoors, installing granite and limestone surfaces next to your BBQ pit. The stone will never scratch or age, for the material is as much at home under the sun and rain as it is under your cool indoor fluorescent lighting. It won’t warp, won’t fade, and the intrinsically gorgeous veins that run through the polished material will always be on hand to impress a visiting guest. We’re all creatures of habit and people open to the influences of surface beauty. Opting for a stone bench top is a natural move for all of us, even those on a budget when you consider the aforementioned attributes of the material. Look at the purchase as an investment. You’ll never regret the choice, not when contemplating the quality and aesthetic value of the buy.

There’s a well-known method of gaining a child’s view of the home. The parent simply gets down on his or her knees and takes to crawling the home to see where potential hazards lurk. This way, drooping cables can be spotted and tempting targets for tiny fingers are easy to scope out. Of course, this low-angle adventure should also include flooring. Tile flooring is a popular fixture in many family dwellings, meaning parents are asking, perhaps while engaged on that awkward crawl, if the surface is safe for juvenile wanderings. The answer to the question is a resounding yes, but there are provisos that all guardians must be aware of before starting a childproofing strategy. Material selection is a natural starting point in investigating these reservations. Vinyl floor tiles, for example, are fabricated from synthetic substances. Higher quality vinyl tiles are designed to be safe for kids, but the homeowner will need to do a quality check to ensure that a particular brand is kiddie safe, meaning the material is free of lead and other hazardous chemical compounds. Phthalate content, for instance, is exuded by substandard tiles. It’s a chemical that aids in making the tile flexible, but it can affect a child’s development. Fortunately, natural stone tiles, the porcelain and ceramic large-format tiles that grace high-end flooring outlets, are chemically neutral. There are no artificial components to worry about and the large-format outline reduces intersecting lines of grout to create a safe plane of movement for young feet. Undeveloped little knees can easily traverse these tile floors without bruising. It’s worth adding at this point that porcelain and ceramic flooring does require cleaning, but the chore is made safe by purchasing a biodegradable cleaning product that won’t affect kids or pets. Inject a modicum of common sense into the home to deal with any lingering worries and any other provisos. Tile flooring can get slippery if there’s a spill. Clean up that liquid mess with the eco-friendly cleaner before the youngster comes tearing through the room. For the very young, these little ones love to feel a warm surface under their feet and legs when playing. Purchase a few temporary play mats to act as a recreational area until the child gets older, then remove the mats to restore the full glory of the tile flooring. Finally, many of these mats are designed to interlock, thus providing a soft and safe space should the child climb and have a little spill. The solution here is simply to ramp up the childproofing strategy to curtail those little climbing adventures.