Ceramic Tile Tips How to Install a Tile Floor How to Install Ceramic Wall Tile How to Remove a Broken Tile How to Repair Floor Tiles UPGRADING TO WHAT YOU WANT . . . It may be a lot less expensive than you think Since a lot of the expense is in the installation. When making the selections for your home or business, here are a few things worth thinking about: It costs approximately the same to install boring, unimaginative tile as it does to install material that can transform a room into a showplace. At the end of the job, what you are left with -- to enjoy or endure -- is the product you have chosen. There are many levels of upgrade. If you need to stay within a budget, let us show you low-cost options that can do that and still give you a wonderful room. Be sure you take time to understand the range of choices that are available to you. Many visitors to our showrooms indicate they had no idea there were so many beautiful options. Tile is the most permanent surface you will install in your home. It is worth a little more time to make the right choice. Do the math. . . consider how many square feet you are covering when deciding on a product. Customers are often surprised at the modest increase in price associated with an upgrade. Tile design tips: The fashion for fully tiled bathrooms - so popular in the 80's - is now being replaced by half tiled wall designs, into which specialist paint techniques can be incorporated. Our colour consultations can help you to visualise the effects of these changes to your room. If 'motif' tiles are to be incorporated randomly with plain tiles, the generally accepted guide is to use 5-10% with a motif. Our view on their use is that "less is more" and you won't necessarily need so many. Most tiles can be used in any location, however it usually looks better to have smaller tiles on kitchen walls and larger tiles on bathroom walls. If you want to experiment - try something different! Our designer can assist you if you want help. Do you imagine that it is best to use small tiles in a small area so that they look in scale? The opposite is actually true... larger tiles will look better as the reduced number of lines make the space look less 'busy'. Laying tiles at a 45 degree angle to the horizontal (i.e. to create a diamond pattern) visually 'expands' a room and can draw the eye away from any irregularities if your walls aren't perfectly straight. Mixed colours also help to disguise any imperfections whilst a single colour is more likely to highlight them. There are a wide variety of laying patterns for tiles. Our staff are more than happy to advise on the options available. Darker coloured floor tiles help to visually 'anchor' a room - especially if you have light walls or kitchen units.