Stuck in the 60's? Not in this Bathroom!

Avente Tile celebrates Bathroom Blogfest 2010 with its second post this week by Sunny McLean. Sunny contributes bi-monthly to the Avente Tile Talk Blog. She shares her knowledge and unique perspective with 30 years of experience in the tile and stone industry as well as design community.

Where does almost every one of us start their day? In the bathroom, of course. In the 60's it was just a place of function but today we have a new attitude. Shouldn't the place where our day is set in motion be more than a place we're stuck with? Why not let the bathroom begin the day's events with a fresh attitude?

I'm grumpy, functioning on a barely responsive level and just hoping that by some miracle each foot will find itself in front of the other as I stumble into my bathroom in the morning. I need help from my bathroom in more than the obvious ways. I need a wake-me-up-and-help-me-face-the-world kind of bathroom. I desperately need to be energized, invigorated and stimulated. I need to be delighted with colorful, reflective tiled surfaces that I am happy to see through bleary eyes. I need sculptural faucetry that is fun to look at and fun to use. I want my shower floor tile to contrast with the wall tile. As my feet steady, I relish the smooth touch of the cement floor tile. That's it: my grumpiness fades, my attitude shifts and I'm now on target to greet the new day with energy and anticipation. Hello new day, I'm ready. I love my bathroom.

Bathroom essentials for an "omg, it's not morning already?" kind of person:

• Walls surfaced in colorful, glossy ceramic or glass tile that is not just a "background".
• Floors tiled to delight my bare feet.
• Contrasts in color and surface texture.
• Great light, as much of it natural as possible.
• A shower system (showers invigorate) and faucet that is sculptural and fun to use.
• A place for my hair dryer.

My bathroom makes me happy every morning:
Walls: handmade ceramic tile with tropical
flowers to lift your eyes and spirits.
Floors: 12" cement checkerboard tile.

Ceramic Tile Close Up:

• Handmade field tile with a layered glaze.
• Handpainted tropical flowers used as a border.

This post is part of Bathroom Blogfest 2010, an annual blogging event in its fifth year. This is Avente Tile's first time to be a part of this event. Comments and feedback are always welcome. The participants in this year's Bathroom Blogfest are:

Blogger	Blog Name	Blog URL
Susan Abbott	Customer Experience Crossroads	http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/
Paul Anater	Kitchen and Residential Design	http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com
Shannon Bilby	Big Bob's Outlet	http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/
Shannon Bilby	Carpets N More Blog	http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/
Shannon Bilby	Dolphin Carpet Blog	http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/
Shannon Bilby	From The Floors Up	http://fromthefloorsup.com/
Shannon Bilby	My Big Bob's Blog	http://blog.mybigbobs.com/
Toby Bloomberg	Diva Marketing	http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/
Laurence Borel	Blog Till You Drop	http://www.laurenceborel.com/
Bill Buyok	Avente Tile Talk Blog	http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/
Jeanne Byington	The Importance of Earnest Service	http://blog.jmbyington.com/
Becky Carroll	Customers Rock!	http://customersrock.net/
Marianna Chapman	Results Revolution	http://www.resultsrevolution.com
Katie Clark	Practial Katie	http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/
Nora DePalma	American Standard's Professor Toilet	http://www.professortoilet.com/
Nora DePalma	O'Reilly DePalma: The Blog	http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/
Leigh Durst	LivePath Experience Architect Weblog	http://livepath.blogspot.com/
Valerie Fritz	The AwarepointBlog	http://www.awarepointblog.com/
Iris Garrott	Checking In and Checking Out	http://circulating.wordpress.com/
Tish Grier	The Constant Observer	http://spap-oop.blogspot.com
Renee LeCroy	Your Fifth Wall	http://yourfifthwall.com/
Joseph Michelli	Dr. Joseph Michelli's Blog	www.josephmichelli.com/blog
Veronika Miller	Modenus Blog	http://www.modenus.com/blog
Arpi Nalbandian	TILE Magazine Editor Blog	http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian
Maria Palma	People 2 People Service	http://www.people2peopleservice.com/
Reshma Bachwani Paritosh	The Qualitative Research Blog	http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/
David Polinchock	Polinchock's Ponderings	http://blog.polinchock.com/
Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond	Scarlet Opus Trends Blog	http://trendsblog.co.uk/
David Reich	My 2 Cents	http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Sandy Renshaw	Around Des Moines	http://www.arounddesmoines.com/
Sandy Renshaw	Purple Wren	http://www.purplewren.com/
Bethany Richmond	Carpet and Rug Institute Blog	http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/
Bruce Sanders	RIMtailing Blog	http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/
Steve Tokar	Please Be Seated	http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/
Carolyn Townes	Becoming a Woman of Purpose	http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Weaver	Experienceology	http://experienceology.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Flooring The Consumer	http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Simple Marketing Blog	http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/
Christine & Ted Whittemore	Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog	http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	The Carpetology Blog	http://carpetology.blogspot.com/
Linda Wright	LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms	http://lindaloo.com/

Stuck in the 60s? Trends & Changes in Bath Design

Avente Tile celebrates Bathroom Blogfest 2010 with two posts this week. Today's post is from me, Bill Buyok. Our guest contributor and Tile Maven, Sunny McLean, will post later this week. Avente Tile is excited and honored to participate in this fun and perfectly planned blogfest orchestrated by Christine Whittemore of Simple Marketing Now LLC.

"Stuck in the 60s?" is the theme of this year's Bathroom Blogfest. It is inspired by the TV shows, Mad Men, that, according to Christine, captured our imaginations for its portrayal of life in the 60s when social and cultural taboos meant that many critical aspects of life – like bathrooms – were ignored, glossed over and treated dreadfully." Interestingly, I found out yesterday that Christine doesn't watch TV and only attempted to watch an episode as homework for this assignment. That makes her OK in my book, because I'm in the same boat. So missing the Mad Men tie-in, let's see if bathroom design is stuck in the 60s and what critical aspects are missing.

1960's Kitchen (scary).
Image from uglyhousephotos.com.

When I think of the 60s an image appears in my head similar to the one above. Let's face it. Nobody wants to be stuck there. Also, I think of pale peach bath tiles, white Formica with marble swirls and gold flakes, avocado green refrigerators, brown and gold mirrored wallpaper, and cheap cabinets made out of particle board with a badly-done faux wood grain plastic finish. My description is filled with negative connotations and implies there was certainly some lackluster design.

A typical 1960's bathroom might look like this:

1960's Bath.
Image from uglyhousephotos.com.

Did the designers of those days gloss over the details and make a mess of it? Are these more contemporary bathrooms that much better?

2008 Spa Bath with Cement Tile

 

2003 Spanish-Inspired CA Bungalow Remodel

I say no. We forget that a 1960's bathroom was designed by and for someone living exactly at that time. It is easy to poke fun of something and find its flaws after 50 years have passed. Values and styles change and so do our needs. There's a generation gap, so to speak. We like the more contemporary bathrooms because we relate to them better. They are more familiar. In the 60s, the choice to use plastic (even for wood) was a 'hip idea', colored tubs and toilets where a thankful change after years of sanitary white, and bold statements with color were all about defining yourself as 'not part of the establishment'. Bathrooms were smaller and very utilitarian - folks didn't linger there. The concept of the urban spa didn't exist, so we didn't even know we could luxuriate in our home bath/spa. To help understand the 'generation gap' and how baths were viewed, take a look at the 1960 Kohler ad. The focus is on the housewife bathing her kids.

1960 Kohler Ad (with ubiquitous pink tile)
Image from uglyhousephotos.com.

A 1960's bath was darn nice if you were of course living in it during the 1960's. We are not stuck in the 60s. Here's some examples of how things have changed. Everyone is better at defining needs at the beginning of the project. People are better at understanding that what I want isn't going to be the same as what you want. Thank God, we don't all have to have the same peach-colored bath tiles. Our recent post, Discover Your Dream Bath, is a great tool for defining your bath goals.

There is a definite appreciation for customization. People want to express themselves through their home and use a large mosaic or decorative tile mural for a tub backsplash. Homes are built and remodeled with more bathrooms to accommodate kids, pets or guests. Bathrooms are larger and include storage, adequate space for personal items and guest towels, and plenty of hooks for towels and robes. Niches create space and add convenience for beauty products in the tub. Most folks (even in these tight times) include an allowance and incorporate some mini-home-spa features: an artisan tile backsplash, brushed nickel robe hooks or a spa tub. Finally, try to use more natural light, larger windows, and good ventilation. See, a lot has changed since the 60s. Now you can sit back and relax. Fix yourself an extra dry martini - shaken, not stirred!

This post is part of Bathroom Blogfest 2010, an annual blogging event in its fifth year. This is Avente Tile's first time to be a part of this event. Comments and feedback are always welcome. Don't be shy, feel free to chime in on this blog, Twitter, or Facebook pages and tell us what you think. Cheers to all the dedicated bloggers that make the event possible and fun. Thanks to our loyal readers who make our efforts appreciated. Accolades and a heart-felt thanks to Christine for producing the event. The participants in this year's Bathroom Blogfest are:

Blogger	Blog Name	Blog URL
Susan Abbott	Customer Experience Crossroads	http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/
Paul Anater	Kitchen and Residential Design	http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com
Shannon Bilby	Big Bob's Outlet	http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/
Shannon Bilby	Carpets N More Blog	http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/
Shannon Bilby	Dolphin Carpet Blog	http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/
Shannon Bilby	From The Floors Up	http://fromthefloorsup.com/
Shannon Bilby	My Big Bob's Blog	http://blog.mybigbobs.com/
Toby Bloomberg	Diva Marketing	http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/
Laurence Borel	Blog Till You Drop	http://www.laurenceborel.com/
Bill Buyok	Avente Tile Talk Blog	http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/
Jeanne Byington	The Importance of Earnest Service	http://blog.jmbyington.com/
Becky Carroll	Customers Rock!	http://customersrock.net/
Marianna Chapman	Results Revolution	http://www.resultsrevolution.com
Katie Clark	Practial Katie	http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/
Nora DePalma	American Standard's Professor Toilet	http://www.professortoilet.com/
Nora DePalma	O'Reilly DePalma: The Blog	http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/
Leigh Durst	LivePath Experience Architect Weblog	http://livepath.blogspot.com/
Valerie Fritz	The AwarepointBlog	http://www.awarepointblog.com/
Iris Garrott	Checking In and Checking Out	http://circulating.wordpress.com/
Tish Grier	The Constant Observer	http://spap-oop.blogspot.com
Renee LeCroy	Your Fifth Wall	http://yourfifthwall.com/
Joseph Michelli	Dr. Joseph Michelli's Blog	www.josephmichelli.com/blog
Veronika Miller	Modenus Blog	http://www.modenus.com/blog
Arpi Nalbandian	TILE Magazine Editor Blog	http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian
Maria Palma	People 2 People Service	http://www.people2peopleservice.com/
Reshma Bachwani Paritosh	The Qualitative Research Blog	http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/
David Polinchock	Polinchock's Ponderings	http://blog.polinchock.com/
Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond	Scarlet Opus Trends Blog	http://trendsblog.co.uk/
David Reich	My 2 Cents	http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Sandy Renshaw	Around Des Moines	http://www.arounddesmoines.com/
Sandy Renshaw	Purple Wren	http://www.purplewren.com/
Bethany Richmond	Carpet and Rug Institute Blog	http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/
Bruce Sanders	RIMtailing Blog	http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/
Steve Tokar	Please Be Seated	http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/
Carolyn Townes	Becoming a Woman of Purpose	http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Weaver	Experienceology	http://experienceology.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Flooring The Consumer	http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Simple Marketing Blog	http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/
Christine & Ted Whittemore	Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog	http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	The Carpetology Blog	http://carpetology.blogspot.com/
Linda Wright	LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms	http://lindaloo.com/

Modenus - Online Design Resource Launches

I had the great pleasure to meet Veronika Miller at a Tweet-up during one of the big tile shows earlier this year. Veronika is a good Twitter friend. She provides support and happiness throughout the day with her Tweets. Also, Veronika is an interior designer who caught my attention as she explained her vision, Modenus. I could see right away Modenus was a better mousetrap with some great tools destined to become an online design resource centered on creating a community.

The site has been in development for most of this year and now is now ready to launch. The service is free for designers. I encourage manufacturers and vendors to place their products on the site as well. What better what to keep your products in front of cutting-edge designers needing a source for their next project?

Best wishes to Veronika and here's the Modenus press release:

Online design resource launches – and it's free! 

The site can be used by everyone in the interior design industry: 

• Consumers will find amazing products, connect with designers and be inspired by daily design blogs.
• Design professionals will explore new global resources, network with peers, feature their work and manage projects on the site's unique project management application.
• Manufacturers will engage with consumers and professionals in discussion forums, showcase their product collections in the curated catalog and communicate with their followers via a direct news feed to registered users who have selected to receive more information.

Modenus.com – a comprehensive product catalog and project management platform for the interior design industry launched this month. The catalog portion of the site is generally open to consumers and design professionals, but verified pros have the added benefit of getting access to a collaborative project manager, pro forums and trade only information posted by manufacturers.  

The resource is the brainchild of Veronika Miller, who worked as a successful Interior Designer before turning her attention to digital media. She says designers need better tools to help them work profitably and efficiently  - especially now.  

Speaking about the launch, Veronika Miller says: 

"No one needs to tell interior designers that times are tougher. We are launching Modenus to help them make the most of challenging business conditions by offering them free tools to work more profitably, a platform from which to network with peers and meet potential clients and a curated catalog of products from the US, Europe and beyond, putting new and exciting resources at their finger tips."

"But it's not just about Designers. Manufacturers are entirely free to engage with consumers and designers and can set up distribution channels that best serve their business model. Manufacturers can list showrooms, retailers, E-commerce outlets and even design studios that carry their products to provide the consumer with the most sensible avenue to specify or buy."

"But our efforts won't stop at products. We want Modenus to be a bridge that connects designers and consumers across continents. So many design professionals are now prepared to consult virtually or to travel for a great job, why not shake the geographic restraints and use a platform like ours to find a designer, a client or a product anywhere in the world. Business isn't what it once was but that doesn't mean there aren't new opportunities."

 Have a look for yourself at www.modenus.com or join the team on www.twitter.com/modenus !

If you would like more information about Modenus, please contact them at 407-376-4192 or at press@modenus.com and www.twitter.com/modenus.

Press Release: Avente Tile will Participate in Bathroom Blogfest 2010

Avente Tile is excited to be participating in BATHROOM BLOGFEST 2010. The theme is "Still Stuck in the 60s?" and includes a Mad Men twist to provide some fun - especially for more creative bloggers.

The focus of all posts will be on the Universality of Bathrooms and the Bathroom Experience. At Avente Tile, we will share our unique perspective and ideas about bathrooms in several blog posts during the week of October 25. There are over 30 bloggers and 40 blogs participating in this year's event from many different fields of expertise including tile trade journals, bath and kitchen designers, tile and flooring vendors, and marketing and consumer-retail-experience specialists. We will be sharing many posts on the Avente Tile Facebook Page and twittering about it as well. Hint: search for "#BathroomEXP" on Twitter. And, of course, we welcome your feedback and comments during the blogfest!

The 2010 Bathroom Blogfest, now in its fifth year, brings together 33 bloggers from the U.S., Canada, the UK and India to address the 2010 Mad Men inspired theme "Stuck in the 60s?" A blogfest brings together writers who direct their blog posts around a single subject while making the subject relevant to their readers during a specific timeframe. Between October 25 and 29, these experts in marketing, customer experience and service, public relations, library sciences, museums, home & interior design, life, retail, flooring and healthcare IT/RTLS will call attention to improving the overall bathroom experience for end users via their 40 blogs during Bathroom Blogfest 2010.    

"This year's theme "Stuck in the 60s?" is inspired by Mad Men, the show that has captured the imaginations of many for its portrayal of life in the 60s when social and cultural taboos meant that many critical aspects of life – like bathrooms – were ignored, glossed over and treated dreadfully," said Christine B. Whittemore, who manages the Bathroom Blogfest. "The result is that end users suffered. By calling attention to modern day instances that are "Stuck in the 60s?", we can reinforce the value associated with being more responsive to the end user experience be those users customers, clients, patients, patrons or consumers," said the chief simplifier of Simple Marketing Now, Kinnelon, N.J.

The Bathroom Blogfest began in 2006 as the brainchild of Stephanie Weaver, Experienceology author and consultant, and Susan Abbott, a business consultant and consumer researcher in Toronto. "They wanted to generate awareness for bloggers passionate about the customer experience at a time when blogging was more experimental. The Bathroom Blogfest created a forum for focusing on spaces that are not a subject of conversation, even though they should be," added Whittemore. "As an event it builds relationships and conversations about the user experience demonstrating how universal the relevance and appeal is regardless of the industry." Participation in the 2010 Bathroom Blogfest has increased 65% compared to 2009.

For more information about the blogfest, visit http://www.BathroomBlogfest.com. Follow Bathroom Blogfest on Twitter @BathroomBlogfes, look for the tag "#BathroomEXP" on flickr, del.icio.us, Technorati, Twitter and Google or 'Like' on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BatrhoomBlogfest. Or, contact Whittemore at cbwhittemore@SimpleMarketingNow.com.

Participating bloggers for the Bathroom Blogfest '10 include:

• Susan Abbott - @susanabbott - Customer Experience Crossroads - http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/

 

• Paul Anater - @Paul_Anater - Kitchen and Residential Design - http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com

 

• Shannon Bilby - @shannonbilby - My Big Bob's Blog - http://blog.mybigbobs.com/, From The Floors Up - http://fromthefloorsup.com/, Big Bob's Outlet - http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/, Dolphin Carpet Blog - http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/, Carpets N More Blog - http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/

 

• Toby Bloomberg - @TobyDiva - Diva Marketing - http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/

 

• Laurence Borel - @blogtillyoudrop - Blog Till You Drop - http://www.laurenceborel.com/

 

• Bill Buyok - @AventeTile - Avente Tile Talk Blog - http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/

 

• Jeanne Byington - @ jmbyington - The Importance of Earnest Service - http://blog.jmbyington.com/

 

• Becky Carroll - @ bcarroll7 - Customers Rock! - http://customersrock.net/

 

• Marianna Chapman - @ResultsRev - Results Revolution – http://www.resultsrevolution.com

 

• Katie Clark - @practicalkatie - Practical Katie - http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/

 

• Valerie Fritz - @Awarepoint - The Awarepoint Blog - http://www.awarepointblog.com/

 

• Nora DePalma - @noradepalma – O'Reilly/DePalma

  http://www.professortoilet.com/ - American Standard's Professor Toilet, http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/ - O'Reilly/DePalma

• Leigh Durst - @LivePath - LivePath Experience Architect Weblog - http://livepath.blogspot.com/

 

• Iris Garrott - @circulating - Checking In and Checking Out - http://circulating.wordpress.com/

 

• Tish Grier - @TishGrier - The Constant Observer - http://spap-oop.blogspot.com

 

• Renee LeCroy - @ReneeLeCroy - Your Fifth Wall - http://yourfifthwall.com/

 

• Joseph Michelli - Dr. Joseph Michelli's Blog - www.josephmichelli.com/blog

 

• Veronika Miller - @Modenus - Modenus Blog - http://www.modenus.com/blog

 

• Arpi Nalbandian - @TileEditor - TILE Magazine Editor Blog - http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian

 

• Maria Palma - @mariapalma - People 2 People Service - http://www.people2peopleservice.com/

 

• Reshma Bachwani Paritosh - The Qualitative Research Blog - http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/

 

• David Polinchock - @Polinchock - Polinchock's Ponderings - http://blog.polinchock.com/

 

• David Reich - @davidreich - My 2 Cents - http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/

 

• Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond - @scarletopus - Scarlet Opus Trends Blog - http://trendsblog.co.uk/

 

• Sandy Renshaw - @purplewren - Purple Wren - http://www.purplewren.com/, Around Des Moines - http://www.arounddesmoines.com/

 

• Bethany Richmond - The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog - http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/

 

• Bruce Sanders - RIMtailing - http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/

 

• Steve Tokar - Please Be Seated - http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/

 

• Carolyn Townes - @SpiritWoman26 - Becoming a Woman of Purpose - http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/

 

• Stephanie Weaver - @experienceology - Experienceology - http://experienceology.blogspot.com/

 

• Christine B. Whittemore - @cbwhittemore - Flooring The Consumer http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/, Simple Marketing Blog http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/, The Carpetology Blog http://carpetology.blogspot.com/

 

• Ted & Christine B. Whittemore - Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog - http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/

 

• Linda Wright - LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms - http://lindaloo.com/

 

If you have questions about this event or would like to participate, please contact the event coordinator, Christine B. Whittemore.

Email: CBWhittemore@SimpleMarketingNow.com

Phone: 973-283-2424

Cement Tile Quality Manufacturing Standards

My good Twitter friend and Marketing Guru, CB Whittemore, often casts pearls of wisdom at me. She is the primary contributor for the Simple Marketing Blog and one of those pearls that I've been dodging is to make my blog more 'human' and to let folks know "my story". She encourages me to 'lighten it up a bit' and follow the great story-telling techniques of Paul Anater's fun and information blog, Kitchen and Residential Design. By now, you are asking, what does any of this have to do with cement tile manufacturing standards? In this post, you'll learn a bit more about me and gain a better understanding of what quality standards govern cement tiles.

Patterned Cement Tiles in a West Coast Restaurant

I've been selling cement tile for about eight years. I love the product. However, it can be a difficult sell because folks aren't familiar with it. Recently, I was working with a designer on specifying Cuban Heritage cement tiles for a commercial floor application in Las Vegas for a casino and coffee shop.  The designer was encountering some resistance from the rest of the team. She asked if I would discuss the quality and manufacturing standards with her design team. Two questions came up in our meeting that I didn't answer very well. 

1. What testing specification are the tiles made to so that we know the floor will be durable?  Unlike ceramic tiles, cement tiles are not manufactured to conform to TCA – ANSI standards for the class/application.

 

1. What standard do they confirm to and have they been tested to ensure quality for our application?  I don't know.

 

I thought they were fair questions. (This is where you get to learn something about me.) You see, my college degree was Mechanical Engineering. It was a "default degree" because I liked math and science and wanted a job after I graduated. I enjoy problem solving and want to understand how things work. As an Engineer, I asked similar questions and found answers before I would agree to using any product.

Patterned Cement Tiles in a West Coast Resort Lobby

I turned to one of the best manufacturers of Cement Tile, Aguayo, to get the answers. Jorge Aguayo is the vice president of this company. I've worked with Jorge for many years and he I've visited their manufacturing plant and seen installations in large, commercial applications that demand both quality and durability.

His response was something like this:

Because cement tiles are not a mass-marketed or mass-produced product, no standards have ever been developed. It's like asking if an Oscar de la Renta gown is ISO 9000 compliant.

Solid Color Cement Tiles in a Las Vegas, NV Retail Shop

There you have it! There aren't standards that govern this product. Cement tiles are a great product. However, since there are no quality standards, where you buy is almost as important as what you buy. Make sure to purchase them from a knowledgeable seller that you trust and know. Equally important, the vendor needs to understand the product, source it only from a reputable manufacturer, and provide the service and support required for your installation. The tiles will last a lifetime, if you use follow this advice.

Hand Painted Field Tile Lend Beauty and Durability

With all the decorative tile at Avente, it's easy to forget that field tile can lend your living space the same warmth and originality. Avente's Yucatan tile is made-to-order by craftspeople dedicated to a tradition of functional, natural beauty.

First, let's take a second to define "field tile." Field Tile is tile found in the main field or area of the installation covering the wall, floor or countertop. Field tile are usually a solid color or lack a specific design or pattern which distinguishes them from decorative or "deco tile." These three installations will help you understand when you need to consider a high-quality hand painted artisan field tile for your project.

Granite Counter with Yucatan Chamois & Deco Dots

 

Outdoor Patio Countertop of Yucatan Blue Celadon

 

Deco Tiles with Yucatan Cobalt Pencil Trim & Molding

 

All three installations appeal to a different aesthetic; but look great! But, that didn't happen by chance. In each installation, a designer chose a tile with the right material requirements and design elements to work with the other surfaces. (Hint: If you need a good designer contact Paul Anater of Kitchen and Residential Design.)

Here's some design tips on when to use quality field tile

1. Use Yucatan Field Tiles with natural stone because the hand-painted tiles create a rich, complex glaze that is not a single color.

2. The Yucatan Tiles are ideal where the tiled surface must be durable and chip-free like kitchen counters, spas or floor entryways. These tiles are vitreous meaning the tile body is very dense with less than 3% water absorption. The tiles are frost proof and ideal for wet areas such as pools and spas.

3. Hand painted field tile works well with decorative tile because of the variation in glaze colors. Also, our Yucatan Tiles are available in all sorts of sizes from dots to 6"x6" including trim, molding and liners! With over 50 glazes, we can find a color to work with your design. We keep sample stock of most glazes and can get additional pieces within two weeks.

To help you get more acquainted with this versatile line, we are offering 15% off all Yucatan tile purchases through October 31, 2010. Mention the "Fall Special" when placing your phone order. Offer not valid with any other discounts or coupons.