Ann’s blog

August 7, 2009

Working for the future

As frustrating as it is to work harder for less, many of us knew that the unprecedented wave of construction was not going to go on forever. What we want now is to figure out the best way to remain optimistic while using our extra time but fewer resources in innovative ways.

For designers these new realities are an especially big let down as the extravagant products created in the heyday end up in the dust heap of material goods that seem unrelated to today’s realities. But in many ways, the unraveling of the excess in products can mean the beginning of your own creativity as you look at ways to make simple things work better than before.

Take basic wall tile, for example.

Who wanted to use a standard glass mosaic ($2.25 per square foot) when you could specify a dazzling handcrafted pattern in the colors of your choice?

Well, I for one see many benefits in the former rather than the latter, and I think that even the customers visiting these projects understand that timelessness right now is a higher value than “latest and greatest”.

Similarly plain ceramic tile.

Does this have to scream “locker room/ lowest budget”?

At $2.50 per square foot, great sizes grouted in chic and easy to maintain cool grays can feel clean and new and modern rather than cold and impersonal. Look for “crafted” tiles in that price range (yes, you can!) and demand well edited products that while not custom are aesthetic and sophisticated.

I for one feel that although it is very sad to see people struggling personally, design will not be ill-served by the market bending to today’s realities and if you demand that your vendors provide great design for less you will get it.

February 16, 2009

Marble Care

Filed under: Stone — Tags: , , , — Mvpz Cubebon-Cyber @ 8:07 pm

Our last blog discussed the unsexy but absolutely crucial issue of sealing your tile and stone.

Based on my ” lab” tests of  Quality Marble Care from Bellevue Washington I could not stop praising this effective and simple group of products.

Just this week I put Quality Marble Care to the test in the hope of “waking” up the floors throughout my own apartment.

While still gorgeous, the combination of four pets and a grueling winter in the Pacific Northwest had really taken the subtle shine off my floors with the kitchen looking particularly worn and gray.

Using a very small and manageable electric scrubber and the easy to apply penetrating sealer ( Stone Sealer from Quality Marble Care) I was able to clean and renew the entire floor within a few hours.

Two dinner parties later I can attest that this penetrating sealer, with it’s a matte finish, has provided great protection for the floors which now look as clear and clean as the day that I installed them.

After years of seeing installations of unglazed tile and natural stone in settings from homes to high traffic malls, I had given up on discovering a system that allows organic materials to look natural without looking dull.

The recession may preclude a brand new tile or stone floor at this time, but you can surely afford a bit of sealer and some elbow grease.

I highly recommend it!

October 14, 2008

Saved By Sealers

Filed under: Stone — Tags: , , , — Mvpz Cubebon-Cyber @ 10:35 pm


Not long ago a healthy fear of Terra cotta and limestone was perfectly justified. Oils and acids could ruin a beautiful installation and commercial specifiers were reluctant to consider these subtle products for restaurants or hotels. The net affect was often  a more institutional look than the designer desired in exchange for the security of a stain resistant floor.

All that has changed over the past 15 years as sealers have become a remarkable asset to tile installers and property owners. Sealers that protect and enhance or protect with no discernible change in color or sheen have opened up incredible new creative opportunities.

Recently I had an opportunity to use the best advancement in this category that I have ever seen. In a perfect “apples to apples” comparison of sealers with the following result:

Seven years ago I installed my own working kitchen (and it really IS a working kitchen) counters and a kitchen sink fabricated out of Burgundy Grey Limestone from France.

While I loved my counters and never complained of some “etching” and sensitivity to acids, I was aware that the surface (even sealed) had some drawbacks typically associated with limestone.

Six months ago we chose the same stone for our new office kitchen (also a working kitchen with many chefs!) and this time I used a sealer that was sent to me by David Simone of Quality Marble Care, a family business with a stellar reputation in tile and stone contracting.

After six months of intensive use and differing approaches to clean up, the counter still looks lustrous and is free of etching. We will probably do a simple “updating” of sealer at the end of the year (which takes just a few minutes), but I would say that this sealer is a big hit.

Being able to appreciate your tile and stone forever requires partnerships like this one. If you are interested in learning more you can contact David Simone at 800.495.1966.

October 1, 2008

Is Porcelain too Popular?

Filed under: Ann's Advice — Tags: , , , — Mvpz Cubebon-Cyber @ 2:09 am

Glazed Porcelain in multiple formats and applications.

Glazed Porcelain in multiple formats and applications.

The Fiction:

  • Unglazed porcelain is low in porosity and therefore does not stain.
  • Unglazed porcelain is easy to clean.
  • There is always an advantage to using porcelain bodied tile over ceramic, glass or stone even on walls and moderate traffic floors.

he Facts:

  • Porcelain is very dense, resistant to moisture, and therefore frost proof.
  • When porcelain is UNGLAZED (which is less and less the case these days) the body and the surface are the same color and therefore chips are not unsightly.
  • Unglazed porcelain, while not porous, does require a sealer.
  • Unglazed porcelain can stain even when it is sealed.

The tile industry is moving beyond the world of unglazed porcelains for a number of reasons:

  • First, unglazed porcelains are rather dull in appearance and are not impervious to unsightly stains.
  • Second, the range of breathtaking finishes, patterns, and colors in economical glazed porcelains is the exciting story in tile today.
  • >And third, technical advances in glazed porcelain makes it just as reliable in performance as unglazed, even more so when one considers ease of maintenance and complete stain resistance.

So next time you are searching for a great tile, you do not have to limit your search to porcelain. Consider the wonderful look of 4”x4” hexagons on a talc body for both walls and floors of hospitality baths. Do not concern yourself about 3”x6” subway tiles in a large commercial spa environment. When properly installed they will be there forever.

While we all know and love the little hexes from the house in which we grew up, let’s not forget that the same tile glazed might look even better after all these years.

September 24, 2008

God is in the grout joints

Filed under: Ann's Advice — Tags: , , , , — Mvpz Cubebon-Cyber @ 8:18 pm

Floor is example of jointless install with slurry and on site edge grinding.

Floor is example of joint less install with slurry and on site edge grinding.

After the hard work of selecting just the right tile, the grout joint (both size and shade) is often left to the contractor. Since grout joints are just as permanent as tile, I think they deserve more attention then they typically receive. Perhaps the following tips will be helpful for future projects.

Natural stone and grout:

Rule #1: The less the better

Rule #2: Planning is always best

First, specify the edge condition without a bevel. If you do not, your project is more likely to look like a aging mall than a European hotel. And that is a shame because it does not cost an extra dime to turn out more like the latter than the former.

Without a bevel you can achieve an almost joint less installation. And you can now proceed with what is called”slurry” or a very thin and watery grout that can seep into the tiny spaces between your tiles, barely to be seen after wards.

Choose a color slightly darker than the stone as it will darken in any event and this will prevent “uneven” appearance as it does so.

One additional note:

The contractor is likely to say that unless every piece of stone is identical in size you may have ”potato chipping or high edges” and also lines that are not perfectly straight. Here you have to make a decision because he is absolutely correct.

There are two choices: Live with the slightly high edges (not tripping dangerous but perhaps chippable) and slightly crooked lines or spread it out to avoid high spots and curves. In my book the look of an authentic European installation is worth it!

Finally, if you have the luxury of good craftsmen in your area and you are in an unfinished space where water and dirt will do minimal damage, look into “grinding in place”.  It does not take long to bring in a grinder and smooth out the rough edges associated with a slurry installation.

For more information of this contact us. info@designanddirectsource.com

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