Tile: Ancient Material In Modern Day Designs

Throughout history tile has been utilized in interior and exterior spaces for both its beauty as well as its durability. The use of terracotta tile hand shaped from mud and clay of river banks and baked by the heat of the sun have been found in Mesopotamian architecture, and decorative tile has been found to date to 4000 B.C. in Egypt. Later, the Egyptians discovered that firing clay tile in kilns at high temperatures made the material more water resistant and stronger. The art of developing and manufacturing tile continued in Roman, Greek, and Asian architecture. China and the Middle East developed unique styles from a product made with white kaolin clay known as porcelain. The Persians revived the ancient Egyptian technique of ground quartz formulated with a mixture of white clay and glaze which most influenced the production of ceramic tile. Asia perfected the quality of detail by the use of glazes which later influenced the production and use of tile in the Dutch, Spanish, Italian, as well as other European Countries. As European colonists settled in North and South America, tile production rapidly evolved in these colonies also. Only the wealthy were able to import tile for their homes in the 1800's primarily for fireplace surrounds. By the turn of the century, tile was no longer a material for the elite. Tile application exploded in the utilization of foyer floors, bathrooms, and kitchens for sanitary purposes. Tile murals were applied for designing public spaces as well as "subway tile". The affordability and use of tile continued to spread world wide and by the 1980's, North America became an important market for tile manufacturers. Within the past several years, the tile industry has revolutionized. Computers, robotics, and machinery produce most porcelain tiles today in a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles; however, there are manufacturers that are partial to the ancient art of the handmade tile.  

Today tile plays a significant role in designing interior spaces of a home as well as commercial spaces. Tile is the longest lasting flooring product on the market. With proper installation and care, tile can last a lifetime. Tile has evolved from simply a sanitary surface to a pivotal element of design in a space. Due to innovative production, tile is available in a large range of sizes from small penny rounds to four foot by eight foot pieces. In addition to size, technology has allowed the industry to produce tile with unique textures as well as color. With this new technology comes experimentation of alternate materials such as glass, metal, wood, and leather being crafted into tile shapes which are integrated into tile designs. Machinery, such as the water jet, has allowed tile to be cut into intricate shapes that were once thought to be impossible or incredibly time consuming to produce. This new product provides a vast range of design applications in any space. Along with aggressive innovation in tile production and design, manufacturers of materials such as adhesives and grouts, as well as sealers and cleaners are working just as hart in making tiled surfaces the easiest surface to maintain in a home. Combined with no volatile organic compounds (VOC's), its antimicrobial surface, and insect resistance, tile is the most sensible design option for quality floors and walls.

Reviewing and researching new developments in setting materials, tile production, tile installation, and trends allows the team at BARRON Tile and Stone to provide its customers with the most current products available. Team members attend the annual International Coverings Tile Show to remain a step ahead in what is to come in the tile industry. Participating in workshops for the latest developments in installation materials and techniques allows us to provide quality results for our customers. Observing and conversing with manufacturers around the globe enables the team to see where the future direction of tile design is heading. The BATTON Tile and Stone team works hard to provide a unique showroom experience to its customers. The vast selection available provides design opportunities for any application and space. Visit us in person to experience Moore Counties largest, most innovative showroom, or visit us online at www.barrontile.net.                   

Outdoor Tiled Areas

We live in an area of the country that is awesome.  We still have all 4 seasons, (the leaves by the way are just starting to turn and they are going to be beautiful), and the winter summer extremes are not to harsh.  This makes having an outdoor living space very popular for a lot of our residents.  We get asked to do tile work in quite a few different areas.  We tile covered porches, non-covered porches, raised decks, BBQ counters, patio table tops, sidewalks and even a driveway or two.  Due to the outdoor exposure of these areas, there are extra precautions to take when making tile selections and picking an installation method.

First of all we want to make sure that we pick a tile that is a porcelain.  These tiles have a near zero absorption rate.  This is important as moisture can seep into a ceramic tile, and then if we get weather below freezing the expansion of the water can pop the glaze off the tile, or if the moisture is under the tile it can compromise the bond to the substrate.  Next we want to make sure that the tile has a slip resistant finish on it.  We get pine pollen that falls a couple times a year and leaves a light dusting of very fine powder on everything.  This can make a smooth surface very slippery.  We also want to consider color. A dark tile will absorb heat all day long and then radiate it onto the house and the occupants of the deck making a once cool evening feel to hot to be outside.

Second we want to consider the surface, or substrate that we will be adhering the tile too.  Some people think that the hardest thing a tile guy does are tile showers.  And we do see a lot of failures due to improper install techniques in tile showers.  But I think that I have seen more deck failures relative in numbers then shower failures.  Most of the failures we see have to do with water seeping in and getting the deck material wood wet, which then makes the wood expand letting in even more water, and then the tile bond starts to loosen as a result.  We see better results on concrete areas, but we have seen a good deal of failures there as well.   Did the concrete have enough time to cure, was it sound to start with, was it level, etc?  One of the products that we just love here is called Ti ProBoard.  We have been using it here as a replacement for the traditional treated plywood with cement board on top and then either a waterproof roll-on membrane or a sheet good membrane.  We actually are so happy with the product that we wont tile an exterior deck without it.

Third we want to consider how the color and style of the tile match or compliment the exterior design of the home.  We come out to the clients home and spend some time talking about the different ways the light will reflect off the tile, the tone of the color, the slip resistance, the way that it will be edged, how it ties into the other adjoining surfaces, etc...

And finally we want to make sure that we pick the right grout for the area.  Color, durability and density are all factors that we consider for use in an area that gets beat on by the sun, rained on, snow sits on it at times for weeks, pine pollen falls on it, mold wants to grow on it, etc.. Grout gets treated fairly harshly in an outdoor environment and bad grout can ruin the prettiest of  tile jobs.

If you would like a free in home consultation to pick our brains on what you could do in an outside area, please call our office to set up an appointment.  (910) 673-3884

Information on Ti-ProBoard can be found here
http://www.finpan.com/products/ti-proboard/ti-proboard/

Cleaning your tile floors

Ok, we have a question from a customer.  Mrs Wimmer asks us "What is the best way to take care of my tile"?  Well lets start by letting our readers know that we have just completed a full master bath remodel for this client in a wonderful white/gray porcelain 12"x24" tile.  We also installed a honed natural stone fireplace accent wall, as well as a polished natural stone back splash in her kitchen, and a full surround in her guest bath in ceramic tile.  What a pleasure it was to work on her job, and she does have almost all of the different types of materials we sell, all in one house.  

The easiest, quickest and most efficient step to taking care of your tile floors is to regularly sweep, vacuum and damp mop them. Lets start with the porcelain tile. The biggest difference between between porcelain and all the other tile options for a floor is that porcelain as part of its make-up is a almost zero porosity material.  This means that it does not absorb something spilled on it like a natural stone or even a ceramic would.  These tiles are very durable and can be cleaned with almost any household cleaner without any worries about damaging the surface.  What we have to be a little more cautious about is the grout joints.  This is the same for all tiled areas.  Grout tends to be the maintenance area of concern with most tile installs.  We do not recommend using vinegar on your grout.  I know a lot of people always have, but we also get a lot of calls from people that have failing grout that comes out just by running a car key down the joints.  Vinegar is a mild acid and over many years of use will break down the strength of the grout.  We also do not recommend any cleaners with detergents in them as they can leave a soapy residue behind in the pores of the grout that actually will attract more dirt.  We also do not recommend any cleaners with color additives in them (lemon, orange, pine etc...), this color can stain the grout over time.  We have a selection of daily cleaners in the showroom that will provide a strong enough cleaning power but are formulated to work with your grout.  The other solution that we suggest is a mix of ammonia and water.  This will cut the grease and grime and not leave a soapy residue behind. We usually mix it 5 parts water to one part ammonia, and remember we don't want the sudsing or the scented kind.  

When we talk about ceramic we have the same suggestions.  Remember that ceramic is more porous then porcelain and so the absence of color in the cleaner is even more important.  Using a good quality steam mop on any of your tile floors is a great way to remove daily grime, and being that it is just a water vapor it doesn't leave any unwanted colors or suds behind.  

Natural stone is the more delicate flooring that we install.  It has a wonderful look to it that is very rich and natural and not easily reproduced in a man made tile form.  Dust mop interior floors frequently using a clean non-treated dry dust mop. Sand, dirt and grit do the most damage to natural stone surfaces due to their abrasiveness. Mats or area rugs inside and outside an entrance will help to minimize the sand, dirt and grit that will scratch the stone floor. Be sure that the underside of the mat or rug is a non-slip surface. Normally, it will take a person about eight steps on a floor surface to remove sand or dirt from the bottom of their shoes. Do not use vacuum cleaners that are worn. The metal or plastic attachments or the wheels may scratch the surface.Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral PH stone cleaner available at retail stores or at your local tile and stone dealer, or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Use a clean rag mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks. Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently. Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface.

We also suggest that you have your grout sealed if you are concerned about it being stained.  We also offer an upgraded grout that is less pores and helps to repel stains better then a standard grout does.

How Schluter helps us eliminate shower problems

A great feature of the Schluter drain system is that it has no weep holes to get plugged.   The water proofing membrane is on top of the cement board and the floor slab, so water getting into the slab is completely eliminated.  As for the showers that still have the vinyl liner system (usually a round drain cover), there is still hope.  We have spent many years looking at these problems and devising ways to fix them.  We have a service we offer where we come to your home, power wash the entire shower system, we manually scrape out the build up from the inside of the pipe, clean the grout from between the walls and floor and any damaged grout joints.  We then use a test ball to plug the 2" drain pipe and back fill the drain with CLR to eat up the calcium deposits in the weep holes.  After we have let the shower sit for a day or two to completely drain and dry out we replace the grout as required, put the drain cover back on and then seal the grout.  It's not a money maker for us as we only charge between $250.00 and $350.00 depending on the shower size and how bad the calcium build up is.  But as a tile guy I want everyone to be happy with the tile showers they have, and I want them to last for many years, as they should.