We have been getting a lot of questions lately about how to install our un-glazed Hexagon Porcelain tiles so we thought we would cover some of the basic installation tips right here in our Blog.

When installing any un-glazed tile the installer must first consider the fact that he or she needs to protect the surface of the tile from exposure to any of the installation materials that may come in contact with the tile surface during the installation process. Because of this, the surface of any un-glazed tiles must be sealed prior to installation to guard against any installation products ruining the surface.

If the installer is confident that no mortar will get on the surface of the tiles during installation then the surface protection step can be completed after installing the tiles with the adhesive. If there is any possibility of the mortar making it’s way on to the tiles then it is best to seal the tiles prior to installing them with adhesive and of course prior to grouting.

When installing our porcelain Hexagon tiles we recommend laying the material out on the floor and running a coat of clear, penetrating sealer made for ceramic tile grout over the tiles using a roller brush and making sure that the sealer goes on even and consistent. Let the sealer dry on the Hexagon tiles before proceeding to the next step in your installation.

Making cuts to the porcelain Hexagon tiles can best be achieved using Tile Nippers designed for use with porcelain tiles. The Hexagon tiles are NOT designed to be cut on a wet saw because the water on the saw will dissolve the mesh after continuous exposure to water.

Follow these tips for an error free installation and please send us any photos of your new Hexagon tile floor once your job is done.

Our new Solana Glass Mosaic Tile Blends in 1” x 1” have been a hit so far with our customers and we appreciate all of the support. We find that our clients play with the different color combinations available and come up with some fantastic uses for these glass mosaic tiles that we never would have thought of.

The Cabernet color we are finding works well in a number of scenarios and we thought we would offer some suggestions to help in any remodeling project planning. For those looking to add glass mosaic tiles where darker cabinets might be involved, for example lets say a rich mahogany color or a dark walnut, the cabernet blends color would be a nice kitchen backsplash color in a kitchen that has a lot of light. The darker color in the cabernet blends coordinates well with brushed nickel or bronze fixtures and lighting accessories.

For those with lighter cabinets the cabernet would be a nice choice in kitchens containing an accent wall or fixtures in a dark charcoal, steel grey, or maroon color. The cabernet in these scenarios would coordinate well with the colors mentioned and would also add color in the form of the wine and maroon color that is featured prominently in this blend.

Give our staff a call anytime if you have any questions about any of our products and how they might fit in with your remodeling plans.

We received a letter last week from Oxmoor House of Birmingham, Alabama as a result last month of their recall of just under 1 million home improvement books published between January 1975 through December 2009. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is behind the recall and said it was necessary even though no incidents have been reported as a result of the information in the books.

Seems the books contain errors in technical diagrams and wiring instructions that may cause people to be shocked or may cause a fire hazard. You would think that more than a few folks at Oxmoor House would have read these books a few times over the years and found the errors a long time ago. On second thought, I don’t grab my wiring books off the shelf when I am looking for something to do so I can see why no one read through them much after all of these years.

If you have any of these books, Oxmoor will provide a full refund according to their letter and you can contact them at 866 696-7602.

Last week we talked about a product we stumbled upon for installing tile without using mortar. Well now it seems that everybody is on the bandwagon and there is another product called SimpleMat available at Home Depot that claims to do the same thing.

According to the SimpleMat website, “SimpleMat is a double sided, adhesive mat specifically designed for bonding tile to countertops or backsplashes. The back of the mat has a flat adhesive which bonds to the backsplash wall or countertop. The front side has a raised adhesive which bonds to tile or stone. SimpleMat replaces traditional thin-set mortar or mastic adhesive.”

Again, if the product works as advertised then this is a great product for the homeowner and do-it-yourselfer. You will still need to grout any project where SimpleMat is used but tiling a backsplash or countertop will be in the realm of possibility for many more folks with a product, or shall we say, products like this on the market.

We are happy to be able to introduce our newest line of glass mosaic tile products as coordinating 1” x 1” blends that match our Solana 3” x 6” Glass Subway tiles. Our new Solana Glass Mosaic tile blends come in a 1” x 1” size, they are mesh mounted for easy installation by the Do-it-Yourselfer or the professional alike and they are in stock today for shipment right to your door.

There are six blends colors available and four of the blends colors – Meadow, Smooth Grey, Sand Dune, and Blue Lagoon coordinate colors with our Solana 3 x 6 glass subway tiles. So now, customers of ours for example who are installing our glass subway tiles in their showers can integrate our Solana 1” x 1” glass mosaic tile blends in a shower shampoo niche or as an accent stripe along the back and or side walls of the shower.

Customers installing a kitchen backsplash can also create an accent stripe as needed or use the Solana 1” x 1” tiles as “corner cut outs” when an accent piece is desired in larger backsplash areas.

And for the glass mosaic tile blends colors such as Latte and Cabernet that were not made to coordinate with our Solana 3 x 6 glass subway tiles these colors are very rich and beautiful to stand on their own. Consider using the Latte color as a design accent with our Bamboo 3 x 6 Chestnut color tile for a glass mosaic tile accent with Bamboo subway tiles. The cool part of these new glass mosaic tiles is that there is no limit to the possible design combinations using tiles right from our own product portfolio.

While we love the bond strength and the security that comes with knowing that tile has been placed on the wall with mortar, there might be a new product on the market that short circuits the tile installation process and allows wall tile jobs to be completed in just one day.

Bondera TileMatSet comes essentially as double sided tape on a 12-inch wide roll with the double sided sheet of adhesive placed between two pieces of clear plastic. The material has to be cut to fit the wall you are tiling and generally can be done by most DIY’ers.

The nice thing is that once your tile is up on the wall grouting can be done immediately and walla!, most any wall tile project can be completed in one day. Have a look at the manufacturer’s website where there are some interesting videos on using the product.

The California state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Thursday approved and established the California Solar Initiative Thermal Program to the tune of $250 million to replace natural-gas powered water heaters, with $25 million set aside for low income customers. An additional $100 million will be used to swap out water heaters powered by electricity.

The cost of solar water heaters in California could drop by 15% - 25% when customers combine a 30% federal tax credit with the rebates from the state. Utilities participating in the program include Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Co., Pacific Gas & Electric, and San Diego Gas & Electric.

Analysts estimate the new systems that come online could replace 585 million therms of natural gas, or the equivalent of placing a solar water heater in 200,000 single family homes. The systems could also replace 275 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

Companies that install solar water heaters were ecstatic over the decision given what many called a “dismal year” for their industry in 2009. An advocacy group called Environment California estimated the incentives could create more than 3,000 new jobs as installers see increased demand and bring back furloughed workers to meet the new demand.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a great program both for the environment and for the areas unemployed population. However, I thought California was broke since the government has been going through a brutal budget battle in trying to cut expenses and close one of the largest budget gaps in the state’s history. Seems like the rainy day fund was larger than legislators let on.

Tax time a cometh so start getting any paperwork together for any qualifying energy efficient home improvements you might have made in 2009 on your primary residence. Improvements such as solar, geothermal, and many windows and doors qualify under the guidelines set forth by the government early in 2009.

Paperwork most often required is your receipt or purchase contract, the sticker or paperwork that shows the energy efficiency rating for the product you purchased to ensure that the product meets the governments minimum standards, and any other supporting documentation you may have so there is no reason the government can deny your claim to any credit or deduction.

Start gathering paperwork now so you are not scrambling as April 15th approaches.

Pulte Homes is aiming to become one of the largest residential home builder providers of solar powered homes in the USA if it’s new solar product offering takes hold with its home buyers. Pulte is offering homes with optional solar-cell embedded roofs built by San Jose based company SunPower Corp.

Pulte began offering the solar products to customers locally here in our Arizona communities only on Jan. 1st but the optional solar products have been offered to customers in other communities outside of Arizona well before this year.

The company says the solar equipment adds about $13,000 to $17,000 in cost to the price of a home with those prices including rebates from Arizona Public Service that Pulte takes directly then subtracts from the homes sales price. A mention in a recent Arizona Republic article quoted a Pulte company spokeswoman as saying that homeowners who buy aftermarket panels must apply for and wait for the (APS) rebate themselves, which makes buying them as part of the home purchase more convenient. In addition, the Pulte spokeswoman also noted that roofs with embedded solar cells are more attractive than those outfitted with aftermarket solar panels.

Potential home buyers are clearly taking notice of green and sustainable technologies, especially those that have a direct link to energy efficiency as solar panels do. In these tough economic times the cost of adding solar panels to the home and the long investment payback for such a purchase has really been the roadblock to more homeowners adopting the technology. However, when given the opportunity to finance the products in to a home’s purchase price, homeowners might just say yes much more than they have in the past.

Now where did we leave off? Since you had a couple of days to digest the first part of our list here we go with the second half.

Fixtures and Faucets: for $100 - $200 a new matching faucet can make a big decorative difference in a kitchen or bathroom. Manufacturers are now putting out designer style faucets for very competitive prices which can be found at some of the big box retailers or even online. Upgrade that old chrome looking metal faucet to a brushed nickel or satin finish faucet. That coupled with a coat of paint and a new glass tile backsplash and for a small $$$ investment and a couple weekends of your time you can have a whole new kitchen or bath.

Lighting: in this category you can spend as little or as much as you feel comfortable. There are very stylish fixtures that can be had for as little as $60 at some retailers. Or, you can purchase a unique designer lighting piece for several thousand dollars at some of the boutique home stores. We would recommend a higher skill level to do this sort of work since knowledge of electrical basics comes in to play here.

Toilets: although used everyday in a typical home most folks don’t ordinarily think of the toilet as a decorative piece in the home to enhance and improve. However, with a new emphasis on helping the environment try splurging a little on an eco friendly low flush model that is a worthwhile investment for any home. Energy saving and efficiency are the motivating factors here and the investment should be no more than $500 - $600 for toilet and installation if plumbing is not your strong suit.

Landscaping: often overlooked especially in colder climes around the country but a big factor in improving your homes curb appeal is exterior landscaping. Often just a few strategically located colorful flowers are all that is needed to make a major visual improvement to a home’s exterior. The investment for flowers and top soil as needed should cost no more than $100 for a small size garden area.

Front door hardware and mailbox cleansing: again focusing on exterior curb appeal homeowners should clean up and improve their front door area of the home. Cleaning, repairing, or replacing the door hardware and or knocker is at the top of the list followed by cleaning and/or repairing the mailbox, cleaning the house number, and replacing any front door area lighting that may be present. All of the above maintenance and repair work should be done to the front door area at least once per year or as needed in order to maintain the first area your visitors and guests see when they approach your home. The $$$ investment for clean up work is minimal but the payoff is tremendous if only for the visual impact such work has on your home.

Get out this weekend and get started if the weather is appropriate where you live. Summer will be here before you know it and you want to be finished and done before the first invite goes out for the family summer BBQ.