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ANN SACKS® EXPANDS EXCLUSIVE FLOOR AND WALL TILE OPTIONS
THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH CONCRETE ARTISAN ANDY FLEISHMAN
PORTLAND, Ore. (May 10 2005)

Ann Sacks, in collaboration with leading concrete artisan, Andy Fleishman, presented four completely unique floor and wall tiles at the 2005 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas.

Fleishman’s designs for Ann Sacks offer a visually striking alternative to complement the diverse Ann Sacks tile and stone collections. Fleishman, who started his career as a wood sculptor and cabinet maker in the 1970s, gravitated toward concrete as his primary medium. His designs for Ann Sacks include Diamond and Petal, two large-scale, geometric designs; and, Maximus and Tendril, two more intricate designs using floral themes.

A sophisticated color palette was chosen for the textural designs in Gray, Crème, Chocolate and Camel. The tile can be Ann Sacks Andy Fleishman, customized by applying contrasting grout colors on the tile face, then, once set, wiping the grout away from the tile surface to expose the tile’s dramatic, etched patterns.

Andy Fleishman concrete flooring designs for Ann Sacks® provide a smooth surface and creative durable solution for residential and commercial flooring projects. Fleishman’s designs can be used vertically on surfaces that accommodate a 3/4-inch thickness. The tile can be applied to outdoor projects dependant upon climate and installation method. Sold exclusively by Ann Sacks, Maximus and Tendril are available as hexagons, and Petal and Diamond designs are produced on squares – both shapes measuring 12×12 inches.

Founded in 1981, Ann Sacks offers consumers and design professionals a wide range of luxury tile, stone, plumbing, lighting and accessories for the kitchen and bath. Along with Baker Knapp & Tubbs, Inc., which includes Baker furniture, Baker Knapp & Tubbs Showrooms, and Baker Stores, and the McGuire Furniture Company, it is a part of the Kohler Interiors Group and a wholly owned subsidiary of Kohler Co., a global leader in kitchen and bath designs.

Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wis., Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products, engines and power generation systems, home interiors, and hospitality services.

Bamboo is a currently a very popular choice for flooring, but did you know it can be used for other things? One company, Bamboo Outfitters offers eco friendly items from clothing, to linens, to soap and bath products made of bamboo. Bamboo is useful in making these products because bamboo fiber is soft and strong and produces products that are durable, soft and breathable. Unlike other natural products, bamboo can be safely dyed in bright and bold colors.

Benefits of bamboo as clothing:

• It absorbs sweat quickly and evaporates quickly.
• Bamboo keeps you warmer in the winter and up to 2 degrees cooler in the summer
• Bamboo is antibacterial so it stays fresher and odor free longer.
• During the manufacturing process, no harsh chemicals are used so this product is ideal for people with allergies or sensitive skin
• Bamboo fiber is smooth and round so it does not irritate skin. It contains a naturally occurring antibacterial called bamboo-kun that resists the spread of bacteria on the skin without any adverse affects.
• Bamboo grows quickly and therefore has high water absorbency which aids in this process. This helps the fabric retain absorbency, in fact, 3-4 more than cotton. It keeps you drier because it wicks away moisture from the body, but doesn’t have the high prices that comes with sports attire with these same properties.
  
• Bamboo is antibacterial, anti fungal and anti static even after is has been washed.
• It’s better for the environment. For more information on bamboo, click here.
• No special care is required to maintain the clothing.

Not sure if bamboo fabric is for you or all that is advertised, Bamboo Outfitters will send you a sample!

Other products made from bamboo are found in the kitchen and bath. Some examples of products for the home made from bamboo are: cutting boards, soap, dish towels, bed linens, body washes, crib linens and bath towels.

Clothing for babies, kids, men and women:

Products for the home:

Do your part by choosing clothing and home accessories that are not only comfortable, better for your skin, anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti static but good for the world we live in!

With all of the focus on natural products and “green” floors, it’s no surprise that floors are being made from peach pits/pips. Talk about recycling!

According to Inhabitat, the floor consists of peach pips that are packed by hand onto a glued surface and filled with a silica sand and resin mixture, then sealed. The sharp edges of the pips are sanded off to expose the red hue of the pips and give the floor a natural wood feeling – making it warm, therapeutic and comfortable to walk on with bare feet. The floors are uniquely South African, natural and the design and color can be customized.

The house in Paarl is currently run as an art gallery (The Orange Mill) by Allah le Roux with his partner. After numerous requests and compliments regarding the floor, he decided to take it a step further and enter production of peach pip tiles as a business concept in the First National Bank Enablis Business Plan Competition, in which he was a finalist. In February 2007 the tile design and concept was registered. Today the endeavor is in progress as Stone Fruit Floors, creating job opportunities in the production of flooring rooted in sustainable materials and a traditional aesthetic.

Inhabitat.com is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

Terra Mai reclaimed hardwoods has just moved into a new location that is helping contribute to making NYC a greener place. TerraMai shares the space with two other progressive green companies, YRG Consultants and Deep Green Living. Sharing space with two of the top sustainability consulting firms in the country helps keep them connected to the latest and greatest in sustainable design and building. Setting up shop in Manhattan also allows them to better serve their growing group of New York and other East Coast clients.

You can give them a call at 800.220.9062 to schedule a presentation at your firm or to visit their new office. (more…)

These shower walls can be found at the breathtaking Kuleto Estate Winery in Napa, California. The detail in this shower is simply amazing. Notice the lighting in the upper rear corner and the unique shower fixtures. Notice, too how well the tile rolls over the front of the shower seat and how gracefully it curves along the walls. The designer of this shower did a fantastic job of designing a shower that looks and feels like the rest of the property. Nothing about the home looks new – it looks like it has evolved over hundreds of years of careful gathering and procurement.

In 1992, this winery was created overlooking Lake Hennessey, Pritchard Hill, Rutherford and St. Helena. This shower sits in the Tuscan Style home named Villa Cucina designed by Pat Kuleto who is also famous for designing some of North America’s most celebrated restaurants. There are so many amazing sites to see at this winery, when you take the winery tour they make you feel like you are part of the Kuleto family and this was all built just for your soul to absorb all of the amazing views.

Bamboo Flooring

• Another environmentally sound choice for flooring is bamboo. Bamboo is manufactured from processed strips of cane and compressed to be as hard and durable as a regular hardwood floor.

• Some bamboo is supplied in North America if the environmental impact of transportation is a concern.

Considerations:

• Bamboo floors that are less expensive may not have the highest quality UV protective finish as other floors.

• Radiant flooring can be used under bamboo flooring.

• Bamboo is technically a grass and not a hardwood tree. Don’t let this discourage you from purchasing because the manufacturing techniques make bamboo a strong, hard, durable and dimensionally stable surface.

• To give you an idea of the strength of bamboo, it has been rated to be almost as hard as red oak to slightly harder than red oak. The darker bamboo floors are reported to be softer than the lighter shades because of the heating process that darkens the color. (more…)

History

• Cork is not a new fad, it can be traced back to ancient Egypt. In the 18th century, Dom Perignon used cork for champagne making it a significant discovery that would lead to many other uses of cork.

• A law in the 1930’s called “The 9 Year Law” was passed to keep cork from being harvested any sooner than every 9 years. The tree has to reach 60 cm in circumference before it can be harvested. The first harvest from a cork tree can only occur at age 25.

• Portugal is the largest producer of cork today.

Harvesting

• Cork is harvested by hand from the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus Suber) that grows primarily around the Mediterranean Basin no less than every 9 years.

• After the cork is stripped, the planks are sorted and stacked for 6 months in the forest. The exposure to air, sun, rain and wind during this time trigger chemical transformations that improve the quality of the cork. Then the bark of the mature cork trees are ground up, mixed with resin, processed into blocks, baked, compressed and cut into tiles or planks.

• Burning the cork before it is compressed in combination with varying granule sizes creates the different colors and patterns that make cork such a unique product.

• The tree is not destroyed or damaged when harvesting cork.

• The average life span of a cork tree is 150-200 years. The older the tree, the better quality of the cork.

• To complete the environmentally sound process, water based finishes and adhesives should be used.

Good for the environment:

• An environmentally sound choice for flooring.

• Better than a renewable resource because it is a harvested resource (only the bark is harvested from the tree)

• A recycled product because cork floors are made from the waste cork that makes wine stoppers.

Properties/Benefits:

• Cork is very lightweight and low in density.

• There are many different shapes, designs and colors available.

• It is very durable. It is often used in public buildings because of its durability.

• Cork is often used in libraries and churches because of its sound absorption qualities.

• Cork is more forgiving on your joints than hard surface floors because of the millions of air filled cells. This is what makes cork a great choice for kids playrooms, retail or other places where people are on their feet for hours at a time.

• If damaged, cork can be repaired.

• Cork is also a great insulator because it reduces the transmission of sound, vibration and heat. Air is sealed in each of the cells insulating from the adjacent cells with a moisture resistant, waxy like substance. A cubic cm of the honeycombed shaped cork cell contains about 40 million hexagonal cells. The cells are composed of almost 90% of an air like gas. This makes cork flooring a great choice for recording studios and other places where sound needs to be kept to a minimum.

• Cork also reduces heat loss in rooms because of the encapsulated air cells. Unlike ceramic tile, it never gets cold on your feet. It maintains an even temperature that is not too warm or too cold.

• A substance called Suberin that naturally occurs in cork makes it resistant to bugs, mold, mites and termites. Because of this substance, cork also will not rot. Also because of this substance, cork is naturally a fire inhibitor. Upon combustion, cork does not release any toxic gasses.

• People with allergies are big fans of cork floors because of their hypoallergenic properties. Cork floors do not absorb dust and are very useful for people with asthma and respiratory diseases.

• Cork is also very resilient. Because of those same air cells that help with heat loss, sound absorption and softness cork can return to its original shape even when exposed to heavy weight and pressure. This is an advantage over hardwood flooring.

Installation types:

• Cork comes unfinished and pre-finished. There are many different types of finishes that are both harmful and safe for the environment.

• In wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens, most manufacturers recommend a water based polyurethane sealant.

• Cork comes in tile shapes as well as plank shapes.

• These floors can be glueless and clicked together for installation, pre-glued or glued as long as the subfloor is dry and level.

• These floors can also be floated because of their tongue and groove

• Some floors have beveled edges that allow the floor to naturally expand and contract without buckling.

Care and Maintenance

• Cork is very easy to maintain especially with polyurethane coatings.

• Cork will fade if exposed to direct sunlight. Furniture and flooring should be moved periodically to even out the fading from sun and UV exposure.

• It will also react to humidity and moisture. Humidity should be maintained at 50-60%.

• Cork floors should be swept and vacuumed often to avoid the build up of dirt. Dirt can scratch the finish.

• Do not use abrasive cleaners or solvents, especially those that contain glycerin. These products can harm the finish making it impossible to refinish.

• A neutral PH detergent (PH of 6-8) should be used to clean cork floors either with a wrung out sponge or misted over the floor and damp mopped.

• Spills should be wiped up immediately.

• Chairs with casters should have minimum 2” casters.

• Mats should be used under chairs with casters to protect the finish from becoming dull.

• Furniture or chair feet should sit on wide coasters to prevent excessive indentation.

In a way, Mother Nature has taken care of your natural stone flooring for millions of years. Now it’s your turn. Here’s what you need to know about caring for your beautiful natural stone today and maintaining its timeless look for many tomorrows. Plus, knowing what’s expected of you regarding upkeep can be a determining factor in which type of natural flooring you choose to buy. Get to know exactly how to take care of your natural stone investment and it will reward you and your home for many years to come. Time spent caring for your stone floors will help maintain its classic beauty and unique personality for years to come.

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RESPECT FOR NATURE AND PASSION FOR WOOD
MAKE FOR BEAUTIFUL FLOORS

I’m Lindsay Barczuk with the Denver Office of Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. I have to be honest and tell you that when I started with Carlisle, I didn’t know the difference between oak and birch, a strip hardwood floor or a wide plank floor. Now after more than three years, I’ve learned so much about how trees grow, how to selectively harvest timber, and what goes into making a long-lasting and beautiful floor.

Stable Boards Come From Responsible Harvesters

I’d like to take this opportunity to write a little about custom crafted wide plank floors and, more importantly, what you need to know when you are looking to find a responsible provider of wide plank wood floors. Many consumers view wood as a commodity, and while some companies treat it as such, others recognize that this natural resource is much more than that. When you find a company that understands the value and beauty of wood, you will most likely find that their procurement, manufacturing, and finishing techniques differ from the mass producers. (more…)

This beautiful tile work adorns the floor at The Cloister Spa and Resort at Sea Island, Georgia. The linear detail you see to the left is actually water running through the lobby that flows into a fountain at the back of the room. This fountain flows through the wall into the adjacent room. The calming sound of water prepares your mind for the experience ahead in their world class spa. This venues floors change in nearly every room displaying some of the most beautiful patterns and natural stone you will find under one roof.