Flooring shown from Atlas Concorde

When choosing the flooring for your brand new home (or updating an older home undergoing renovation) you will have many luxurious choices to pick from. Bamboo, hardwood, cork, vinyl, laminate, ceramic tile, stone tile, leather, rubber…it’s enough to make you dizzy, just thinking of all the available beautiful options.

Just 15 – 20 years ago, there were fewer options, and homeowners had to be content with having a floor that looked just like their neighbor’s floor. There were “expected” places to put certain types of flooring, and it was difficult for homeowners to personalize their floors. Floors were, for the most part, predictable.

Fast forward to today. Rather than just having access to carpet and vinyl options, you’ve got many more luxurious flooring options – including a few that are even eco-friendly. Recent discoveries have found that vinyl flooring can contain noxious chemicals that can continue to be emitted long after installation. Additionally, carpet and rugs have been found to harbor incredible amounts of allergens. These traditional flooring options are not environmentally friendly, and the trend in luxury flooring has been to lean towards greener flooring options. These include bamboo, cork, ceramic tiles, stone tiles, porcelain tiles, and palm woods – with bamboo and cork topping the list.

Bamboo is a great alternative to your typical hardwood flooring. Its beauty is just now catching on, and it is still very mysterious and alluring to those who see it. Many people will not believe that your beautiful, durable, and brilliant hardwood floor is actually made from bamboo, a natural resource. Bamboo flooring is made from the bamboo plant. When pressed, bamboo flooring’s durability is increased. You will also get that desirable smooth, glossy appearance, and you can stain a bamboo flooring as well.

Cork is made from the bark of the cork tree; the harvesting does not harm the tree in any way. Cork is a brilliant flooring option for areas where you want to muffle sound – like in a basement or on stair treads. It is hypo-allergenic and anti-microbial.

So, if you want a floor on the cutting edge of luxury, you needn’t look further than what Mother Nature has to offer.

To speak with one of our design consultants, please call us at 1-800-764-1633.

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.

Carina Works creates beautiful environments with wall tile, metal floor tile, and metal flooring. Most notably, they use these materials as an accent with any granite, stone, marble, or ceramic tile field; however, some of Carina Works clients have opted to use their work as an impact site for home or commercial presentation. Carina Works talented artists can customize the colors in their existing designs, or they can use your ideas, color palette, and/or artwork to create something that is uniquely yours. Custom color or design can range anywhere from $50 to $150.

Carina Works will allow you to sample their product in your home first, in order to help you choose the right colors. They want you to be happy with the colors that you choose for metal tiles in your home.

It’s even possible to request special samples from Carina Works, by working with Catalfamo Gallery. You’ll need to know the number of tiles you’ll need, and then request your sample. When you receive your total order, your sample will be part of the count.

Carina Works tiles are a great way to customize your home and to show off its beauty. Whether you want one of their selected lines, or want a custom tile, you can talk to a Catalfamo Gallery representative, and we can help you.

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

CR Studio 4, a family owned and operated business from Southern California, is a place where integrity and dedication to craftsmanship prevail. In this day and age, machine-made products and assembly-line mentality have become commonplace, but with this shift, the spiritual and truly individual beauty of the products for our homes and offices is often lost. But not with CR Studio 4. If you want a touch of artistry for your new project, then look no further.

The company offers basically two different styles of tile: stone and metal. Within those categories lie ceramics, granite, marble, bronze, and pewter. All of CR Studio 4’s tiles are handmade and crafted. And they do all of their own designing, mold-making, casting, bench and foundry work. When you have a CR Studio 4 product, you know you have something unique. The different styles and materials can be used in pretty much any combination, depending on your vision.

Studio 4’s various products can bring a unique flare to your wall or accent your floor. Their products are used as kitchen countertops, backsplashes, showers, or even office walls. The only place Studio 4’s products are limited are in your imagination. They not only have the basic tile pieces, but they also provide stunning trim, moldings, rail caps, and deco accent tiles and murals that add that finishing touch of class. They even have an amazing decorative threshold piece in pewter that stylishly connects one type of flooring to another.

Color selection at Studio 4 is just as varied and eclectic as its styles. From their metal line, Pewter is a gorgeous metal that has depth of color with varying shades of gray and black, adding texture and old-world charm. Though color varies in the metal, the Bronze line has a copper-type look, and depending on wear and exposure can darken over time. If you like that look, great, but you can also restore the brighter color and shine by buffing with some soap and water and a ScotchBrite pad.

You can also choose stone tiles in colors like Lemon Pesto or Rusty Matte or Silver Snow, just to name a few. Basically take the rainbow, soften the colors, and you have the palette that Studio 4 provides.

So to make your everyday living spaces glow by installing the luxury and artistry of CR Studio 4’s amazing products.

To learn more about CR Studio 4, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.

Dynamic. That’s the word for Solistone’s amazing lines of stone, glass, and metal wall and floor coverings. This Los Angeles-based company is one of the largest importers/distributors of fine decorative stone that can be used as wall covering and flooring, indoors and out. Their mission, “to provide the highest quality and most exquisite materials the trade has to offer,” is fully realized in their galleries, and you can bring that same quality your home or office.

Solistone’s products are organized into three main categories: Pebbles, Natural Stone, and Distinctive Tiles, and within each of these categories are three to seven collections, each with a unique style.

Within the Distinctive Tile category, you’ll find products such as Glass, Metal, and Mission tiles, to name a few. Also you’ll find the Seychelles collection, which is mosaic made from natural shell material, a product that would look stunning on a bathroom floor, walls, and showers.

In the Natural Stone collection no two products are exactly alike. The splendor of earthiness of the Haisa marble and sandstone will add a unique, rustic feel to any location…from the stacked look of the Portico collection to the nonlinear Versailles Slate collection, there’s certainly a style that would add just the right touch to the space you’re designing. You can use most of these products as mosaic or tile flooring or wall covering for any room, and most can be used for interior or exteriors.

The most distinctive collection, Pebbles, is truly an inspiration. Solistone uses real stones and pebbles and mounts them onto mesh backing for ease of installation. There are natural creek rock colors, blacks, grays, whites, and earth tones. But they also take this Pebble idea and apply it to their glass and metal collections as well. So basically you can have the look of pebble rocks of varying sizes and shapes but in metal, and even colored metal. It’s a truly unique look that will have people amazed as they view your home or office.

So if distinguished, unique, and dazzling are the words you want others to use when describing your new space, then Solistone is your destination. They provide detailed installation suggestions and instructions as well as specific care and maintenance guidelines for their superior and distinctive products. Your look is at your fingertips with Solistone.

Stile’s products are in used decorative products, medallions, borders, floor and wall tiles, table tops, sinks and architectural elements such as fireplaces, statues and much more. Imagine a silky smooth white marble tile that is inlaid with pewter in swirling or geometric designs of varying widths and thicknesses. They even combine wood flooring with metal inlays, like something you would see in a palace hall.

Stile also merges hardwood flooring tiles with actual stone, the stone weaved into a floral or vining pattern or more modern, angular designs. They offer several of their products in round “tiles” in varying diameters a well as in square and border shapes that can be 36″ x 36″ for tiles or down to 3″ x 12″ narrow borders. There’s a border to match with every design and color scheme, floral patterns, designs that look like rectangular chain links, starbursts, and flourishes, just to name a few.

Stile has a huge array of styles and designs, but they can also create a custom design that fits your precise needs. Their mosaic creations are amazing, combining different shapes, materials, and colors in stunning designs that end in a unique and dazzling look that puts your home or office on an elite list of customers with Stile’s tremendous style.

So whether you need a kitchen backsplash, a new floor for a foyer, a marble bathroom floor or wall, or even a facing for a fireplace, Stile has the upper echelon of specialized tile that will set your room apart from any other. You can bring a little bit of the rustic Italian beauty right into your home or office or church, and you’ll certainly have a look to be admired.

To learn more about Stile Artistic Design, please contact one of our design consultants at 1-800-764-1633.