FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Submitted by Annette M. Callari, A.S.I.D.; CMG

October 14, 2009 marked the date for the American Society of Interior Designers annual tradeshow here in Southern California.  Attending that show as a professional designer is always reenergizing–discovering innovative products that can (and do) stop you in your tracks!  The show is open only to ASID designers and student chapter members, but I can certainly share some of the highlights with you.  

When you think of quartz countertop materials, you most likely envision something quietly elegant, with the Silestone®, Cambria®, Caesarstone® or Zodiaq® name on it.  All of these are well-known brands that create surfaces from quartz aggregates and polyester binders.  They are beautiful, functional, and timeless. Did you know that natural quartz happens to be one of the hardest, most abundant minerals found in nature?  Only diamonds, sapphires, and topaz are harder!  This accounts for quartz products being highly scratch resistant, but still, be sure to use cutting boards when slicing on quartz surfaces.  Another strongpoint of quartz counters would be the consistency of color.  Manufacturers offer a well-rounded palette of colors that showcase the light-reflective brilliance of natural quartz.  And–these surfaces are non-porous and resist staining, so no sealing is required.

So what can I possibly tell you that would be news in the world of quartz?  I can tell you that one manufacturer featured at this tradeshow—Compac® Quartz USA— has teamed up with a world-renowned artist, Karim Rashid, to create a signature line of quartz countertop products that are—without exaggeration– a work of art.  Karim Rashid is well known for his creative product designs, as well as his designs in fashion, furniture and contributions to the world of art.  He has designed for Shiseido, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Armani, Carolina Herrera, and now Compac!  So, what sets his collection apart?  COLOR!  Expect the unexpected.  Rashid’s brilliant contemporary color line features a stunning fuscia red, a glitterati silver (sparkling with shards of quartz); two refreshing water-toned blues; Lila–a deep violet; Musaka–a port wine color; Absolute Blanc—a creamy neutral, and (hold on to your hats) flamingo pink and lime green!  Not exactly what you would expect for countertop choices, and all the more reason designers were captivated. Strong, bold, breathtaking and unexpected–all of those adjectives readily apply to this artisan-inspired collection.  If your personality matches that description, here’s the countertop for you.  Find out more about these focal point quartz products at compacmqusa.com  Click on Quartz Compac/Color Palette/Karim to view the color line.

(Note of interest—most of these new colors are reflective of the 2010 home interiors color trends forecast published at wfca.org “Designer’s Corner” 8/18/09. Be sure to check it out.)

Submitted by Annette Callari, ASID; CMG

Porcelanosa USA is a well-known name when it comes to innovative tile design and sleek, contemporary cabinetry for kitchens and baths.  The European flavor is pervasive, building artistic focus around line, shape and form in every one of their high-design collections.  Gama Decor (www.gama-decor.com) provides the inspiration for these Uber-contemporary

K & B collections, and touring their website is like visiting a fine art museum.

Now, here’s a surprise for you:   Porcelanosa Group is taking interiors one step further by offering “Living Colours” by Wood Tec Porcelain/Hardwoods (www.discoverwoodtec.com).  This is a remarkable collection of engineered hardwood floors that captures the essence of true European styling.   Extra-wide planks in rich wood veneers are being offered as a floating floor system!  Although it is a “place and click” floor, this is not a do-it-yourself project.  These planks, averaging 7 feet in length with widths up to 7 inches, are designed for rooms of grand proportions, and are best laid by a professional.  Slightly beveled edges create a magnificent profile for floors and for walls.  And, this luxury collection of hardwoods offers two choices of finishes.  Approved for commercial use (floors can be glued down for commercial), high traffic applications would require a durable UV-urethane finish. That finish comes with a 25 year Wear Warranty.   Residentially, you can have your choice of the urethane finish OR a hand-rubbed carnuba wax finish.  The hand rubbed finish produces an opulent glow that definitely speaks “luxury”.  “Living Colours” is the real deal–manufactured in Europe– nine of the fifteen wood lines are stocked by Porcelanosa here in the United States.  These woods are all formaldehyde free, and a powerful selling feature is that they are FSC Certified.  The Forest Stewardship Council oversees this program to be sure that for every tree harvested in the manufacturing process, three are planted in its place.

Viewing “Living Colours” hardwoods in person was a real treat for the 300 designers who were invited to a private showing in Anaheim, CA. The floors exuded class and charm on a grand scale, and the Porcelanosa kitchens and baths designed to showcase these woods made an elegant statement.  I am always interested in how well floors function in real life, and another huge buyer benefit is that place-and-click flooring systems allow for damaged planks to be easily replaced over time, if the need should arise.  Even if the damage occurs in the middle of a room, the affected board(s) can be routed out and replaced. 

I have probably given you just enough information to whet your design appetite, and if that’s the case, then good, I’ve done my job!  You will want to see these floors for yourself, no doubt.  If you are enamored of fine things steeped in European quality, these beautiful floors will definitely suit your tastes.   A little bit of Spain awaits you at your local Porcelanosa location.  Go forth and explore.

Kitchens.com – one of my favorite websites, has launched a new sister site called iBaths.com. Kitchens.com is a place where you can find information and inspiration for your ideal kitchen.

Whether you are halfway through a kitchen remodel or thinking of fixing up your bath, Kitchens.com wants you to know about their new sister site. With lush photos, informative articles and interactive features, iBaths.com is a comprehensive online destination for anyone interested in bathroom remodeling and design.

Tools you will find on kitchens.com and iBaths.com include: blogs, forums, find a pro, product spotlights, design, planning, products, photos, videos, kitchen tours and other resources.

Check these sites out today and get inspired! There are hundreds of gorgeous pictures in the photos section of Contemporary, Country, Old World, Rustic, Traditional and Transitional room scenes where you can see fabulous floor, wall, countertop and cabinet combinations to inspire you.

Another favorite part of the site is the quizzes and questionnaires much like the ones found on the WFCA site. These interactive tools help you gain a sense of what your style is and how to apply it to the kitchen of your dreams.

Also, check out the color ideas section on iBaths.com to learn about color palettes, where to start with color, color type, describing color and color combinations.

Ok – enough telling you what to check out that I think is cool, check out the site for yourself and be sure to give yourself some time – you’re going to want to stay on the site for a while!

WarmlyYours Intros Radiant Heating for Showers

Shapes

It seemed like almost everyone had tiles that were linear in shape. Shapes ranged from 1×6 to 18×24 and every size in between. Installation examples were shown of these linear tiles used as a stand alone product as well as accents to standard shaped tiles. Some installation patterns used these linear tiles to create stripe effects. They are stunning! Crossville also introduced a wonderful geometric pattern that really widens the opportunity for design. There were also many tiles that were irregular in shape because they were hand molded.

Sheen

There were introductions of tiles with higher sheen levels than the past couple of years. Mirrored finishes, crystal tiles and polished metals were prevalent. These higher sheens were shown in mosaics and even large format floor tiles. Some of the mosaics were mixed with high polished tiles and unpolished tiles. Finishes like rust and bronze verde took the stage for the patinas.

Shades

There will always be beige/neutral tiles out there because there is a place for them, but this year there were many offerings of gorgeous tiles with high ranges of color. The color shades were rich and warm. The shades were mixed between the field tiles and the listellos and decorative tiles so neutral tiles could be used with bolder accents and vice-versa.

Sizes

Tile sizes ranged from micro mosaics 5/8″x5/8″ to 24″x24″. The interesting thing was to see the mixes of the different sizes. Larger format tiles were mixed with micro and mini sized tiles where in the past we have seen more standard size tiles mixed with smaller sizes that were closer in size to the standard size tiles. The picture to the left is a tile size that doesn’t fit into any size category, but certainly is gorgeous! Emser tile reported that their stacked stone product in 6″x24″ was a popular choice among buyers.

Style

Like hardwood styles, there was something offered for everyone. From rustic natural stone to high polished crystal tiles no design group was left out this year. Look for tiles that are irregularly shaped and formed, bright colors to bold colors to dull, rich and muted colors – something for every style. With the variation in sizes, shapes and colors more design options are possible. Emser tile also reported that the chiseled edge tiles are regaining popularity and are offered at excellent price points and mosaic tiles ares still popular.

For those of you out there that don’t find floor covering fascinating and spend your weekends on Google to learn all you can about floors, here’s a run down of the basics. This information may help you understand about your options and what you need to know when you decide you want new floors.

1. The main categories of flooring are:

Carpet

Vinyl or Resilient Flooring

Hardwood

Laminate

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile

Natural Stone

To learn more about these categories and to see different styles see the information outlined on our parent site or just click on the link above.

2. Technology and design styles have had significant influence on flooring. Other than the basics flooring types listed above, there are also styles of cork flooring, bamboo flooring, glass tiles, stainless and other metal tiles, rubber tiles, natural fibers like seagrass and sisal and many others – even paper!

3. Not all floors are acceptable on all foundation types.  For example, most solid hardwood floors cannot be installed on concrete slabs. Be sure to know your foundation type before you start shopping.

4. Flooring is measured and sold either by the square foot or the square yard. Be careful when comparing prices that you are comparing apples to apples. If a hardwood tag says “$4 per SF” and a carpet tag says “$18 per SY” and you don’t see the one letter than distinguishes the two, you might think the hardwood is less expensive than the carpet.

5. Allow a retailer give you an estimate on your room size to determine how much flooring you will need rather than building your budget from your own measurements. For example, if you have a room that is 13′ x 13′ you will need different quantities for different flooring materials. Some items are sold by the box and carpet and vinyl are sold from a roll that could be 12′, 13′6″ or 15′ wide. Since you have to buy items that are sold by the box by the full box (and take the waste factor, pattern match and pattern repeat into consideration) and items sold on a roll by their given width you could need anywhere from 190 SF over 300 SF for a room that actually measures 169 SF.

6. Different floors are made for different lifestyles. For example: You may love hardwood, but if you have large dogs hardwood may not be the best choice for you. If you have dark hair, white bathroom floor tiles might not be the best choice for you.  If you have small children and pets, white carpet may not be the best choice for you.

7.  Keep transitions to other rooms in mind when choosing flooring. Floors have different finish heights and those heights can vary depending on your subfloor. Floors with different finish heights will need to be treated with a transition strip. Transitioning from a (low) vinyl/resilient floor to a 3/4″ solid hardwood floor can be significant. Transition strips are no big deal, if you know in advance to expect them.

8.  Keep resale in mind. Because floors like hardwood, ceramic tile and natural stone are costly and rarely need replacing due to wear, consider how long you are going to live in your home before choosing your floors.  Your favorite color may be blue, but a house full of blue floors may be a turn off to a potential buyer. If you do choose to express your style with a house full of blue floors, be sure that you won’t tire of looking at the same color after a while. However, I am definitely not suggesting choosing all beige floors for resale purposes!

9. It is important to consider maintenance. If you don’t like to clean, there are flooring options with very little maintenance that also stand up to heavy traffic and pets.

10. Floors come in a variety of different styles and that means that they also come with different budgets. Be careful when shopping that you don’t rule out a particular flooring type because of the first priced sample you see. There are some vinyl floors that are as expensive as a hardwood floor and there are prices ranges within each type of flooring that can be as much as $20 per square foot.

The floors in your home are a big decision. They take more wear and tear than most any other item in your home. Other than your walls, your floors consume the majority of the square footage in your home. Choose a floor type based on the fact that you will probably live with it for a very long time!

How much does it really cost to add decorative tiles to create a custom shower, tub surround or tub  backsplash? You may look at the beautiful examples in magazines or in the tile showrooms and think there’s no way you can afford a shower like that, so you settle for plain tile. All the while, you are wondering in the back of your mind just how much it would cost. Or, you see a tile that you like and see the price tag that each tile is $20 or so per piece and just assume that the total cost will be outrageous. Take a look at the math below and you will see that a custom shower is not so far out of reach!

For example, without looking at installation costs because they vary so much from area to area, let’s look at material only:

• If you have a shower that is 5′x5′ with a shower door on the 4th wall, you will need 15-20 lineal feet or so of a decorative tile to create a decorative band. If the tiles cost $10 each, the total cost is only $150-$200 for the material. If the tiles cost $20 each, the total cost is only $300-$400 for the material.
• If you have a tub surround that is 5′ wide, you will need around the same amount as above.
• You could also buy decorative dots and place them in the intersections of tile installed on the diagonal for around the same price.

Another option: Say you want to use glass tile and you only need 15 lineal feet for an eye level band and your retailer tells you that you have to buy the whole box of glass tiles or glass mosaic tiles. Because glass mosaics come on a mesh backing, different shapes can be cut out of each sheet to create the size you need.

Here are some things you can do with the extra tile in order not to be wasteful:

• Add “dots” or squares in the intersections of the wall tile with the decorative band
• Add “dots” in the intersections of the floor tile
• Frame the bathroom mirror
• Use the extra tiles for a sink splash
• Instead of one decorative band, install more than one to create a stripe effect
• Glue the extra tiles to pictures frames
• Put a cork backing on a square of tiles and make coasters

Before deciding that you cannot afford a custom look in a shower or bath area, have your local retailer price some options for you in a budget that you are comfortable with.

If you are ready to get started and are looking for a local retailer – click here:

Bathroom Blogfest ‘08

As part of Bathroom Blogfest ‘08, today’s post is quick tips for cleaning bathroom floors. It might not sound glamorous, but it is very important to clean your floors properly. Not doing so can cause permanent damage or cause your warranty to be voided!

Today’s selection: Tile

• It’s important to sweep a tile floor regularly. Dirt can adhere to the surface of tile, particularly styles with a textured surface. Regular sweeping loosens and removes most of this dirt. Vacuum attachments are useful to collect dirt along edges or in between tiles.

• Use walk-off mats at all exterior entrances. This helps to minimize and contain dirt being tracked in at entryways.

• Remember to shake the mats often to remove the dirt. If the dirt is not removed, it will be tracked back in and may scratch the floors. This reduces the amount of dirt being tracked across the tile floor, and reduces the wear to the finished surface. Also, be aware that black rubber mats can stain floors.

• Ceramic tile floors should be damp-mopped regularly using the manufacturer’s recommended grout and tile cleaners. For heavier soil, you can spot clean the floor with a sponge or clean cloth using the recommended cleaners. Rinse well and wipe dry for more shine.

• Textured tiles may require mild scrubbing with a soft brush or electric polisher/scrubber. After cleaning with a mild detergent rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water to help remove any leftover residue. If needed, wipe dry with a clean towel to remove any film.

• For soft water situations you may need to use an all-purpose cleaner. Apply to the floor, let stand for 3 – 5 minutes, lightly scrub with a sponge, rinse well and you’re home free – dirt free too.

• Use cleaning products available from your local grocery store or flooring retailer for heavier cleaning tasks. Products are available that can be used to remove soap scum, hard water deposits, and mildew stains. (more…)

This post is part of Bathroom Blogfest ‘08 where we talk about bathrooms – cleaning up those forgotten spaces around us. Today’s focus for Floor Talk is Eco-Friendly bathroom products and water saving tips for the bathroom.

Kohler’s tips on water saving:

When it comes to saving water in the bathroom, a few small steps can make a big difference. Consider these tips for reducing your water consumption every day.

• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, and rinse out the sink when you’re finished.
• Capture shower/bath water while waiting for water to change temperatures: This excess water can be used for watering plants.
• Don’t wait for the water to get hot before filling the tub for a bath. Put in the plug and adjust the water temperature as the tub fills.
• Do not use the toilet as a garbage can: Only flush the toilet when disposing of sanitary waste.
• Turn off the water while shaving: Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor.

Kohler conservation products:

Install High-Efficiency Toilets

KOHLER® HETs that flush 1.28 gallons or less, when compared to a 3.5-gallon toilet, can save homeowners up to 22,000 gallons of water per fixture per year.