Tile Talk Newsletter - February 2011

Project Pick: Sand Ridge Backsplash
>> View Design Idea	Antigua Colonial Sand Ridge relief tiles are an eye-catching backsplash in this bathroom. It's easy to achieve a co-ordinated, designer-look using our collection of Antigua Colonial relief tiles, Geo Vessel, and Barcelona Matte White field tiles. Antigua Colonial tiles are available in four different glazes: rust, sand, blue green, and green.
Green Rust Sand
Do you want to know how these relief tiles are made? Watch this video! See the craftsmanship required to create each tile by hand, one at a time. >> New Video: Watch Relief Tiles being Made

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New from Avente Tile: Artist's Series Cement Tile
Artist Series of Cement Tile	Hip Latin looks and bold patterns in bright colors describe these tiles. This unique series of cement tiles is created by artists from the Dominican Republic that showcase their skills and elevate cement tile to functional art. A portion of each sale supports charities that promote art in the artists' home country. >> See the Collection: Artist's Series Cement Tile

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Tile Tip: Small decorative tiles make great design elements when used with field tile. Here, a Capuchinas Corner (1.5" x 1.5") corner liner is cleverly used as an accent dot on-point.

Modern Cement Tile Patterns: Espiral Installations

The Artist Series is a unique collection of cement tiles created by artists from the Dominican Republic. Today we feature a design by Cándido Bidó — a Dominican artist renowned for his intense colors and attention to detail. He's also the creative force behind the bold Espiral cement tile design used on this open-air patio floor.

Cement Tile Floor Installation using Espiral Cement Tile
Tile Design by Dominican Artist Cándido Bidó

The Espiral cement tile brings in the beach and ocean with cool blues and creates a festive and fun floor using a bright red accent. This pattern is the perfect theme for a beach patio or open-air deck. Cement tile is a great material choice for this high-traffic, outside application. The pattern and field tile on this floor are all 10" x 10".

Cement Tile Indoor Wall Installation
Espiral Cement Tile by Cándido Bidó

Cement tiles are a versatile building product and work well on wall applications, too. Here's two commercial applications showing the versatility of these tiles. Above, an indoor wall application. Below, the Espiral pattern is used for a Caribbean cabana bar in an exterior wall application.

Outside Cabana Wall Installation
Espiral Cement Tile by Cándido Bidó

These contemporary tile patterns reflect the boldness and personalities of the artisan that made the design. The Artist Series is a showcase of their skills and elevates cement tile to functional art. This tile line is designed to showcase the artist's work both nationally and internationally and give back to the community. Aguayo Tiles generously donates a portion of the proceeds from all sales of the Artist Series. These proceeds support multiple charities that promote art in the Dominican Republic and work toward the improvement of communities in need.

Monumental Tile Savings for President's Day!

We're celebrating President's Day with a monumental 50% OFF our Crackle Lugo Blue 4.24" x 4.25" tile.

ORDER NOW and GET 50% OFF on this unique tile! This Special Offer is valid through Feb. 28, 2011 or while supplies last.

Regular Price: $11.20 per tile ($ US)
Sale Price: $5.60 per tile ($ US)

This amazing sale is limited to stock on hand. We only have 100 pieces available for immediate shipment! These tiles won't last long, so place your order today!

Hand painted on rustic tile nearly one-half inch thick, this tile is designed to have a distressed look. Patches of terracotta may be visible where the original glaze has cracked away. The tile is finished with a high-gloss glaze and is ideal for all indoor applications including counter tops, back splashes, and floor insets. It can be used in warm weather wet locations including showers, spas, fountains and swimming pools.

*Terms of Offer:

• Valid from February 20, 2011 - February 28, 2011.
• Offer limited to stock on-hand. When it's gone, it's gone forever!
• Orders must be placed online; no coupon necessary.

Create a Spa Bath Experience with Hand Painted Relief Tiles

Create a luxurious spa-like bath in your home using hand painted tiles from Avente Tile. It's easy to achieve a co-ordinated, designer-look using our collection of Antigua Colonial relief tiles, Geo Vessel, and Barcelona Matte White field tiles.

Antigua Colonial Relief Tiles in Sand with
Matte White Field Tiles Create a Relaxing Spa Bath

A great way to create interest and texture with field tile is to alternate their position. Notice the Barcelona Matte White Field Tiles follow the same grid pattern on the backsplash; but, they are installed on-point for the counter. Smooth-surface counters have distinct advantages for kitchen applications; however, a smooth-surface isn't that important in a bathroom.

Design Tip: A smooth countertop is not as important in a bathroom so consider using a high-quality field tile to keep costs down.

Use field tile for the the bathroom counter to balance costs when using hand painted decorative tiles.

Capuchinas Corner Liner in Sand used as
Insert with Matte White Field

Another great idea is to use small decorative tiles in the field as inserts.

Design Tip: Small decorative tiles make great design elements when used with field tile.

Here, a Capuchinas Corner (1.5" x 1.5") corner liner is cleverly used as an accent dot on-point

Ridge Field Tiles Installed in Alternating
Orientations with Capuchinas Rust Liner

The warm earth tones of the Ridge Field (6" x 6"), Capuchinas Liner (1-1/2" x 6") and Santa Clara Small Molding (2.25" x 6") in a sand glaze craft a rich bathroom backsplash with texture and subtle variation in tone. The backsplash texture complements the smooth finish of the Geo Vessel and flat matte finish on the Barcelona White Field Tiles.

Capuchinas Liner & Ridge Field
Relief Tiles in Sand Glaze

In this this backsplash, several subtle design elements form the classy, sophisticated look. The position of the Ridge Field tile is alternated between a vertical and horizontal orientation that produces a "checker board" pattern.

Design Tip: Create interest with field tile of the same color by changing their orientation. If using a standard grid pattern on the wall; consider placing them "on point" on the counter.

Symmetry with the full row of Ridge Field tile is achieved with a half row of ridge below and the Capuchinas Liner and Santa Clara Molding above.

A favorite design element is the Geo Vessel. The vessel-style sink is a great way to produce a spa-style bath at home. The multi-tone glaze on the Geo Vessel is complex, rich and peaceful. These sinks are created by hand, one at a time, by the same artisans that create the Antigua Colonial Relief Tiles.

Our hand painted ceramic tiles, sinks and vessels and Barcelona field tile make it easy to create a luxurious spa-like bath in your home.

Color Me Mine with Cement Tiles: A Step-by-Step Guide to Customizing Cement Tiles

Get creative with cement tiles. Choose the colors you want for any pattern. Yes, you can customize the colors for any existing pattern to create your own unique, cement tiles designs.

Cement Tile Color Chips

You don't really get to color the actual tile – we do that for you. You choose the colors and decide where to place them on the pattern. You end up with a tile to match your exact style. Creative people, like designers and architects, will find the perfect custom solution when using cement tiles - especially when you need to match floor tiles or a back splash to specific colors for a design.

As with any custom project, you must allow additional time to choose the colors, apply them to the pattern, and for samples to be created. Be prepared, your first design may not be exactly what you imagined. Allow time for several "designs" to be created so you are sure to find the one you really love.

In this step-by-step guide, we're going to point you in the right direction with a few tips to follow. We'll use a real-life example to show you how we applied these tips so you can see how this process works.

1. Pick a pattern that you really love. Remember the pattern can change by using the same colors next to each other. We really like Cuban Heritage Design 140-1A. It's a great 8" x 8" floor tile; but the Indian Red and Goldenrod colors aren't right for our home. We also want to make the design more contemporary and will drop the border and run the pattern to the edge of the room.

   
   Cuban Heritage Pattern 140-1A Cement Tile
   Standard Colorway

2. Decide on the color scheme for the cement tile. The tile's color scheme might compliment a room's existing colors or stand-alone as the focal point of the space. Decide on the color scheme before you do anything else. For instance, I love green. It can be very soothing and works nicely with relaxing neutral colors that are easy-on-the-eye. My color scheme is "green." Remember, you need to work with each manufacturer's available color palette. Because we are using a Cuban Heritage pattern or tile, we need to choose colors from the Heritage Solid Color line that will work for our color scheme.

3. Chose the specific colors you want to use. There are over 80 colors in the Heritage Solid Color cement tile pallet, so it wasn't hard to find a few that we really liked. After looking at all the colors, I decided on a few: Antique Ivory, Amber White, Romaine, Melon Green, and Blanched Turf.

   
   Initial Green Color Pallet with Neutral Colors

4. Order color chips of the colors you are considering. We have an exhaustive collection of colors and we can provide full-size tiles or color chips. It is very important to see both the finish and texture in addition to the color that you are considering. Place the samples together in the location and same position where they will be used. Find a color combination that suits you. Make sure to look at them during different times of day and consider how color changes when natural light is available. Place the color chips and tiles next to samples of other finished surfaces that you are considering and consider the pattern on the tiles.

   
   Cuban Heritage Pattern 140
   Line Art

   What dominate colors do you like? Those colors will define the pattern. What neutral or complimentary colors do you like? They should be used for the background. After a week, you'll know what is working and what is not.

5. Decide where to place each color on the pattern. Using your colors, decide where you want to place each color on the pattern. Try two or three different arrangements. Generally, you want one primary or accent color that defines the pattern with a complimentary color on a neutral background.

   
   New Colors on Pattern
   Cuban Heritage Pattern 140

   We came up with two different substitutions:

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   • Substitution #1: Melon Green for Golden Rod; Amber White for White, Romaine for Pearl Grey, Ivory for Indian Red.

   Antique Ivory	Amber White	Romaine	Melon Green
   for	for	for	for
   Indian Red	White	Pearl Grey	Golden Rod

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   • Substitution #2: Blanched Turf for Golden Rod; Amber White for White, Romaine for Pearl Grey, Ivory for Indian Red.

   Antique Ivory	Amber White	Romaine	Blanched Turf
   for	for	for	for
   Indian Red	White	Pearl Grey	Golden Rod

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6. Create a virtual design or "mock-up". We can create a virtual design of the pattern you want to see. Using colors scanned from actual color chips and line art of the pattern, we can create a mock-up or virtual design of the cement tile. This helps provide a sense of what the real cement tile will look like. Most virtual images and can be transferred to render drawing in SketchUp, too. Seeing several virtual designs will help you choose a favorite between two or three patterns or eliminate a design that doesn't work.

   
   Cuban Heritage Pattern 140
   Color Substitution No. 1 - Virtual Design

   
   Cuban Heritage Pattern 140
   Color Substitution No. 2 - Virtual Design

7. Order strike off samples. Before we start making your tiles for the "full order", you'll need to order strike-off samples for design approval. Strike-off samples are samples of your custom design and give you the confidence you need to ensure the full-order can begin. Do the sample tiles look close to the virtual design?

   
   CH140 Substitution #1
   Sample Photo of Cement Tile

   
   CH140 Substitution #1 Grouping
   Photo of Cement Tile Strike-Off Sample

   
   CH140 Substitution #2
   Photo of Cement Tile Strike-Off Samples

   
   CH140 Substitution #2 Grouping
   Photo of Cement Tile Strike-Off Samples

8. Approve the samples! Now your tile order can begin. Allow about six to eight weeks for your tiles to be manufactured and delivered.

Like any creative process, you can see that customizing the colors of a cement tile pattern takes time and patience. In the end, you'll be rewarded with the satisfaction of tiles you designed!

Making Relief Tiles Video

Ceramic relief tiles have rich color and texture. We had a lot of interest in our December post that shows How Relief Tiles are Made and many folks wanted to see more. We promised a video that shows the making of relief tiles so you can appreciate the time and labor that goes into creating each tile. Enjoy the video.

Tiles in the Antigua Colonial line come in one of four glazes: rust, sand, blue green, and green. We've shown the pattern featured in the video in our three most popular glazes below.

Colonial Antigua Green Capuchinas Relief Tile

Colonial Antigua Sand Capuchinas Relief Tile

Colonial Antigua Rust Capuchinas Relief Tile

Our line of Antigua Colonial tiles are unique sculptural tiles and truly a labor of love.