Atlas Concorde

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

For a tile that is both long-lasting and beautiful, you will want to review the style choices of Atlas Concorde. Not only are these tiles durable, but they are low-maintenance and always en vogue. There are a set of Atlas Concorde tiles out there with your name on it – whether your style tends to run towards the luxurious, the trendy, the chic, the classic or the contemporary look, there is a design to suit any flooring need. Atlas Concorde have surpassed their fame in their homeland, Italy and are now well-known worldwide for their skill in producing ceramic, porcelain, and mosaic tiles. Atlas Concorde hi-definition tiles are great to use on all outdoors projects where you need your unique sense of style to shine. Atlas Concorde will only get more magnificent as time goes by. And Atlas will never stop researching their processes in order to make a better tile. Atlas Concorde meet all international quality and environmental standards, meaning this is a flooring product you can trust.

Atlas Concorde is synonymous with reliability. These tiles set the standard for the entire ceramic tile industry and are one of the most well-known tiles worldwide. The company was founded back in 1969, and is the parent company of the Gruppo Concorde, which is the second-largest Italian ceramic tile group.

Atlas Concorde believes in providing interior designers, architects, and all of their treasured customers with exciting ceramic solutions that can be used for every destination of use. Atlas Concorde strives for an aesthetic appeal with every product they produce, and are very well aware of the market needs, combined with strength and durability.

Nowadays, you can find the company worldwide, and it exports its products to all major markets – along with subsidiaries in the most sensible geographic areas: Atlas Concorde USA INC, Hollywood (FL); OOO “Atlas Concorde Russia”, Stupino; Atlas Concorde China Representative Office, Beijing.

When you purchase Atlas Concorde tiles, they know that you want perfection and excellence with every application. That’s why the strength of Atlas Concorde lies in its broad, complete, differentiated, and constantly updated catalog of products. Specific employees pay attention to market demands, making sure that Atlas Concorde conform to new fashion standards – ensuring that you get access to only the latest and greatest styles.

For a unique look that’s all your own, check out Atlas Concorde.

To learn more about Atlas Concorde, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Teragren Bamboo Flooring

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

One of North America’s largest manufacturers of eco-friendly bamboo flooring, panels, veneer, and parquet butcher block, Teragren is a company that is bent on providing excellent customer service and beautiful products at an affordable price.

Teragren Bamboo Flooring is a wonderful alternative to traditional hardwood flooring for your home or office. In addition to getting great flooring, you can have confidence in the fact that you have purchased a product that leaves no adverse affects on the environment. Teragren is a company that is both environmentally and socially responsible when lining up their manufacturing and business practices.

Starting out with just solid-strip, traditional bamboo flooring, Teregren has expanded their lineup to include wide-plank and floating floors, natural, caramelized and stained flooring; flooring stair parts and trim; panels and veneers.

Teragren Bamboo Flooring is a purchase that you can feel good about; each floor is FloorScore-certified, which tests the quality of indoor air. When a product is certified, it means that it meets the high standards for 78 volatile organic compounds.

In addition to being one of the largest manufacturers in the world for eco-friendly bamboo flooring, Teragren is leading the way with research and development for these exotic wood floors. The researchers at Teragren have discovered Optimum 5.5 Moso bamboo.

Moso bamboo is just one of over 1,500 bamboo species grown throughout the world. Moso, grown in the Zhejiang province of China, is one of the hardest bamboo species; this particular plant has dense fibers which make for a stronger timber and more reliable hardwood product.

As far as compressive strength goes, it is stronger than concrete and has about the same strength-to-weight ratio as steel in tension. This bamboo is harvested between 5-1/2 and 6 years in order to achieve optimum strength and durability. Bamboo harvested at this particular stage in the shoot’s life ensures that it is strong from the inside out.

Teragren Bamboo Flooring ranges anywhere from 1921 (for the Teragren Signature Naturals flooring) to 3271 (for the Teragren Synergy and Portfolio strand bamboo flooring with Xcora technology) on the Janka scale. To compare, white oak registers at 1360 and North American maple registers at 1450.

To learn more about Teragren Bamboo Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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How to Plan and Design a Kitchen Backsplash

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

Looking to remodel your kitchen? A kitchen backsplash may be the most fun you’ll have during your remodeling project. It brings together the counters, cabinets and flooring, allowing for great creativity, and it offers an avenue of personal expression.

1. Measure carefully
Measure the backsplash area carefully. Measure it twice and order some extra. Once you have chosen your tiles, you need to calculate how many will fit. If you have a pattern of differing tiles or a mosaic, look for a way to fit them together to fit the space.

2. Draw on the wall
Yes, draw on the wall by transferring your math.  There’s no substitute for a life-size sketch to visually represent what you are about to do. Spaces! Don’t forget to include the space between tiles in your little drawing.

PRO TIP!
Make sure the space between tiles is consistent. Plastic spacers are available in the tile section in your local home improvement store. The pros use them to get those perfect gaps for their grout, so why shouldn’t you!

3. Cut the tiles
Watch your fingers and cover your eyes for this task. A good idea instead of purchasing a tile saw is to rent one for smaller projects. It is the most cost-effective way to get what you need. If you plan on tiling an entire house, you may consider buying a tile saw. As an option, you can always resell the saw when you’re finished. Make sure to get all your cutting done before you start your adhesives. You’ll thank me for that tip!

4. Apply adhesive
Apply a layer of thinset adhesive using a 3/16″ square notched trowel and comb the thinset at a 45-degree angle. Don’t apply more thinset than you can apply in a 5 minute time-span. When setting the tile, don’t press so hard that you have thinset squish out between the tiles. Press it in lightly and wiggle it back and forth to get out any air bubbles.

5. Set tiles
Wipe each tile clean and do some back buttering (apply a thin layer of thinset to the back of each tile). Start at the center and work your way out to the edges. Have an odd size at one end? For symmetry’s sake, you’ll need to install the tiles from the center of the wall so you can split that odd size between the left and the right. Looking good!

6. Grout
Grout between the tiles. It’s not hard, just wait until after the tile is set and adhesive is dry.

7. Seal
Apply a sealer about 48 hours after the grout is set to protect against water. Good news if you purchased a glazed ceramic tile,  they only need to have the grout sealed. If you use decided to go with slate, terra cotta or marble…yup, you guessed it… you need to seal the tile too, in order to prevent stains.

To learn more about what tiles or stone you can use for your next kitchen backsplash project, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Ellen Blakeley Tile Review

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

After being inspired by broken glass on the sidewalk in her neighborhood, Ellen Blakeley took this unhappy occasion and turned it into a moment of creativity. She has created four different collections out of handcrafted, tempered glass, pigment, and light.

Out of refuse comes each glorious Ellen Blakeley Tile, repurposed into an elegant surface material. Each collection of Ellen Blakeley Tile consists of 45 original palettes; tiles can be customized to your specifications.

Within the Ellen Blakeley Studio, you’ll find a collection of twelve tiles that spans four categories: Shimmer, which is a study in the subtly of shine; Pop, a study of delicious colors that sparkle and dance; Organic, which are real leaves that punctuate the seasonal skies; Metallic, the refracted glint in a natural terrain. Once you grout these extraordinary tiles together, you will be amplifying the finished effect: putting back together what was once broken.

When you peruse the different collections from Ellen Blakeley Tile, you might stop on the Winter Whites Collection. This collection consists of Rapunzel, Snow Pearl, and Stoli. In the Elements Collection, you will find an array of dazzling color: After Dark (AIR), Amazon (WATER), Gold Coast (METAL), Moss (EARTH), and Pompeii (FIRE).

The Core Collection consists of the following: Amber Jewel, Anna’s Gold, Bamboo, Black Lace, Blossom, Blue Jewel, Champagne, Deep Silver, Dirt, Dot Calm Gold, Garden, Glinda’s Dress, Grecian Spa – Gold, Grecian Spa – Silver, Meadow, Mixed Metals, N Pink, New Dirt, New Yorker, Pearl, Platinum Blonde, Royal Violet, Smokey Charcoal, Toga Party, Turquoise Lace, True Blood, Sweet Young Thing, and Vineyard.

When you purchase Ellen Blakeley Tile, you are getting a recycled material that is resistant to fading, durable, and sustainable. The tempered glass that she uses is recycled from commercial glass companies in Northern California. Ellen Blakeley Tile is created using sanded water-based grout and low VOC paints. Truly a green product at its most magnificent.

To learn more about Ellen Blakeley Studio, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Bisazza Mosaico Tile Flooring Review

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

Bisazza Mosaico produce only the most luxurious glass mosaic tiles, ensuring that your home project is one of unique beauty. This well-established company was created in 1956, and is headquartered in northern Italy. Bisazza tiles are known worldwide for their design, innovation, and its skill in creating custom designs.

You can also purchase these tiles for architectural, hospitality, contractor communities, and interior design applications as well. Bisazza is an icon among tile producers. You can find the entire gamut of styles with this intriguing company, from simplistic to wildly artesian. All styles and tastes are serviced at Bisazza, and if they don’t have a style that doesn’t shake you to your very core, they can create a custom design that does.

The company knows that there are many glass tiles available on the market today. You can find a variety of look-alike products, but only Bisazza monitors their quality control process from beginning to end, paying attention to each detail – no matter how small. Therefore, before you purchase a “real bargain” determine if it is really worth it to replace a floor again and again, when your could have saved yourself the hassle and headache, and gone with Bisazza tiles in the first place.

They also set themselves apart from other industry manufacturers by providing the grout and grouting tools with most of their products. No more searching for just the right tools for the job. Once you receive your tile shipment, you are ready to go. The grout is also made from their own Bisazza brand, a high-quality, epoxy type of grout that will stand the test of time.

Additionally, knock-off products and their companies crop up and die again so quickly, what were to happen if you needed additional tile to finish your product? You’d be forced to go with a different, mismatched tile or to re-tile your floor entirely. Is it worth it to take such a chance? Bisazza Tiles have been around for over 50 years, and they aren’t going anywhere.

Check out Bisazza’s wide variety of styles. You owe it to yourself to look at only the best.

To learn more about Bisazza Mosaico, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Versini Hardwood Floors

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

If you want a flooring product that comes from a strong dedication to design and to environmental conservation, take a hard look at Versini Hardwood Floors. Versini Hardwood Floors is a subsidiary of Fine Furniture Ltd., and carries the same focus on quality design as its parent company is known for.

Veteran artisans carefully select and design their expansive collection of wood flooring styles. Versini Hardwood Floors are crafted through only the highest precision in wood milling and fine Italian finishing.

If you are eco-minded and concerned about the environment, you share the same mindset as Versini Hardwood Floors. This forward-thinking company is at the forefront of the “Green Movement” and produces more flooring from rapidly renewable and recycled material sources than any other hardwood flooring manufacturer.

When selecting your hardwood flooring style, you can choose from either a domestic or exotic species, and your options include the traditional strip and wide plank. You can also choose such unique options as hand-inlaid borders, decorative patterns, and their newest commercial-grade acrylic infused hardwood floors.

In addition to getting a good, quality product from a company that is environmentally conscious, you can also rest assured that you will only be getting the finest in customer service. Only the best flooring distributors are chosen to sell Versini products, as the company realizes that these retailers are an extension of the brand itself and therefore, be ones that are trustworthy.

Engineered hardwood flooring yield up to three times more square feet of floor covering per tree harvested when compared to traditional hardwood flooring. When you buy a hardwood floor from Versini Hardwood Floors, you are purchasing a floor that is guaranteed to last a lifetime. This means that several generations of old-growth forests will mature in the time that it takes to replace a Versini Hardwood Floor.

Versini Hardwood Floors’ forest footprint is up to 10 times less than other manufacturers of engineered wood flooring; they use 83 – 100% recycled hardwood or rapidly renewable hardwood, and this translates into far fewer old-growth trees harvested per square foot of flooring produced. Eco-minded consumers, take note.

To learn more about Versini Hardwood Floors, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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Scandian Wood Floors

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Catalfamo Gallery

If it’s a reliable company that you’re looking to purchase your new wood floors from, Scandian has been around since the 1970s, producing high-quality, beautiful floors for consumers everywhere. Today, you can find Scandian Wood Flooring in retail stores around the world.

Scandian Wood Flooring is manufactured in three different Brazilian states, and the company is very eco-conscious, committed to sustainability of the environment. No matter what your taste, you will find a Scandian style that matches your design. Scandian also produces wood products such as plywood plywood for the furniture industry, veneer core platform, and core stock wood veneer.

You can purchase Scandian Wood Flooring in planks that are 3/4″ thick and produced in random lengths up to 84″. Note that Brazilian Chestnut and Brazilian Teak are only available in a 3 1/4″ width, but if you’re seeking a wider plank, the Brazilian Cherry, the Tigerwood, the Royal Brazilian Cherry, and the Imperial Brazilian Cherry finishes all come in 5″. Choose your flooring from the Scandian Bonita Collection (which is available in Silver, Gold, and Platinum variations), the Scandian Bacana Collection of Engineered Hardwood Flooring, the Scandian Bacana Clic Collection, or the Scandian Hand-Scraped Engineered Hardwood to give your room a timeless look.

You can be sure that a purchase of Scandian Wood Flooring is a good one; all flooring products carry a limited lifetime warranty that covers milling and grading defects. All Scandian Wood Flooring products also carry a 25-year high end finish warranty (the Scandian Bonita Collection, Bacana Collection, Bacana Clic, and Hand-Scraped Engineered Hardwood Flooring all carry a limited lifetime structural warranty and a 25-year limited finish warranty).

Scandian products were first introduced to the world in the 1970s; back then, wood products were created by sawing raw wood into railroad ties. Later, Scandian turned its attention to high-end furniture veneer and prefinished hardwood flooring. By the 1980s, a manufacturing plant was built for the sole purpose to produce laminate and plywood, and in the 1990s, another plant was built to concentrate on engineered hardwood. This outstanding company has received the Reference Award and the Proex Award. During 2005 to 2007, Scandian also received the Exportation Award. Currently, you can find the company headquartered in Curitiba Parana, with a North American sale distribution center in Houston, Texas.

To learn more about Scandian Wood Flooring, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

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