Flooring ‘N Tiles

Sandstone natural floor tiles are yet another cool option for a home owner’s flooring needs. This very durable material comes in a wide variety of colors and textures, all of which offer that solid durability which only a natural stone product can offer. While the predominant sandstones uses prior to today have been outdoors, on patios and walkways, modern uses are now including an ever-growing number of indoor uses. A sedimentary type of rock, it;s fine particles have super-compressed over long centuries making these gorgeous slabs not only relatively easy to extract but also providing the color only available to natural stone.

The textures and informality of sandstone is a warm supplement to the shiny and glossy finishes of a kitchen, for example. Dens and gathering areas, where large numbers of people might group for events and parties, also receive attention. Naturally, being durable and colorfast, natural sandstone can endure forever in a non-changing color.

Sandstone comes in a variety of finishes, including polished, honed, sandblasted (for texture), even flamed. American, Brazilian and quarries in India are famous for shipping highly colorful and fascinating stone slabs of this sedimentary rock material for use in a really wide variety of uses, from walls in a home to patios and indoor flooring. This can be a very cool product, relatively easy to work with and satisfying as heck in terms of design

Of all the flooring tiles, glass floor tiles remain unique in their ability to conduct and deepen the effects of light. Transparent tiles and also those glass tiles with less transparency all conduct, rather than absorb light. What this means in the end is a marginal but satisfying illumination, enhanced by a floor itself. From the clear glass tiles, colored to match taste and overall decor, to mosaic glass floor tiles with pockets of thousands of tiny glass pieces, all adhering to the light-reflecting quality of glass, the range and possibilities of glass has become a noteworthy addition to the ever-expanding numbers of possible floor treatments.

(The images presented here are by Amazon.com - click on any of them to get to the product page)

More Glass Tiles at Amazon.com

Specific and special effects are also obtainable by lighting underneath glass tiles, providing a translucent walking surface of shimmering beauty and other-wordly chic. The most modern of looks is possible in this somewhat new element, going back to the primitive but effective glass blocks made famous in the ’30’s, to their more modern styles of today’s flooring tile market.

Frosted glass surfaces allow a non slip surface with abundant strength and still the elegance and lighting enhancements of real glass. Modern glass is also incredibly strong and actually as easy to install as any other flooring product. Cleaning is pretty easy and maintenance easier still. Glass remains a durable and scratch-resistant item, perfect, in fact, for flooring.

Spring is almost here, so why not start this blog with an outdoors post? How about flooring for your patio?

Outdoor patio flooring is a wide and intriguing subsection of exterior patio design.  The “flooring” title essentially deals with an enormously and an often stunningly beautiful wide range of possibilities.  From poured concrete, to interlocking brick pavers, to sand-based natural stone slabs to stone tiles and slabs and even other products adhered to a concrete base, you can see the ample possibilities inherent in the concept itself.

Simply stated, when the purpose of the patio is the extension of the living area from inside out, this construction of the “new room” takes on an additional importance.  Since it is for livability and not necessarily simply for function, the importance of a beautiful finish is a “must”. So I will touch very briefly on how to go about selecting outdoor patio flooring. The fact is, it is a subject more fit for an entire article.

Poured concrete surfaces now come in color and different textures.  One step processes of this “stamped concrete” product mean a design is chosen, as well as a color, and is “stamped” using a template, onto the fresh concrete resulting in a pattern and color.  These can look as primitive or as finished as one wants.

Interlocking brick pavers require a bit more set up and are arguably the most expensive option.  As such, there is a reason for the expense and a resulting value in terms of beauty and durability. Now being used in many cities as a road surface, these brick pavers also now come in an absolute riot of colors. In the end, it is a value-enhancing item for a home.

Sand-based and slab-on-cement adherence patio surfaces offer these gorgeous and amazing wide open choices of color and texture.  Natural products, mined from real quarries, cut to almost any form or shape, these are one of the ultimately most natural and pleasing of surfaces for outdoor patio flooring. There is as well, another stone product worth mentioning, which is the installation of an epoxy-based surface of small gorgeous pebbles, piled atop one another in a packed little cluster universally adhered with a glossy epoxy.  It is a very colorful stone/epoxy combination used to cover existing cement.

I love home decor and DIY jobs. I’ve been around professionals all my life and learned from the best. With the internet, I am still learning, finding out about new techniques and materials. This blog is intended for everything flooring and tiles related, and I intend to write about stuff that I read about, as well as share my own tips and advice.