With the introduction of our Solana Beveled Glass Subway tiles we knew we also needed a glass tile trim piece for use on projects that have an exposed edge. Thus, we are also introducing a collection of glass tile quarter rounds in matching colors to our Solana Glass subway tile collection and our Solana beveled subway tile collection.

There are eight glass tile quarter round colors even though our Solana glass subway tiles only consist of seven colors at this time. This is because we added a black color quarter round for those projects where folks might want to add a dark trim as a decorative piece with white or lighter color tiles.

Our glass tile quarter rounds are sold by the piece and they are in stock and ready for immediate shipment.

It would be an understatement to say that the wait for our newest product to arrive was a long one. We finally received the product shipment last week and here it is for you our wonderful customers to see.

The newest member of our Solana brand of glass tiles is our Beveled edge Glass Subway Tile collection designed, manufactured, and sold exclusively by us at AnchorBayTile. We put our hearts in to this new product and we hope our customers are receptive to the results.

There are five colors in the collection including Cappuccino, Khaki, Mint, Smooth Grey, and Snowflake. The tile comes as loose pieces for easy installation and is now in stock at our warehouse in Arizona.

We also designed and are now stocking a glass quarter round tile piece to use when a trim piece is needed for a project. More on this via our Blog later in the week.

Keep in mind for those now considering our Beveled edge Glass Subway Tiles, it is important when making cuts to these tiles to use a proper tile blade in order to achieve a smooth cut. Porcelain or ceramic tile blades will not do the trick, especially and even more so on beveled glass tiles where you have high-to-low points on the same piece of glass tile. So we are making the effort to advise our customers when purchasing our glass subway tile products to either source a glass tile blade locally near your home or we sell glass tile blades in either a 7 inch size or a 10 inch size via our online tile store.

If you have any questions about our new beveled edge glass subway tile product or any one of our other products please don’t hesitate to contact us via email or phone at 888 260-7371.

We have added our newest product to our tile lineup this week with the addition of our Glazed Porcelain Penny Round tiles which many of our customers have been asking us to offer for some time. The mesh-mounted tiles are in stock and they are available in either black or white in a glossy finish.

Penny Rounds have been a popular choice for owners of historic homes designed in the Arts & Crafts, Cottage and Bungalow styles. Penny Round tiles are suitable for floors and walls and since our tiles are made from a porcelain material they can be used for interior or exterior projects.

Order your Penny Round samples today by visiting our website and clicking the blue Order Samples button. Samples are shipped within 24 – 48 hours of receipt when received anytime Monday through Friday.

We have seen an increased interest this month from our customers choosing our glass floor tiles for projects such as a family entertainment room as well as a commercial building entry way. Glass tile made for and used as a floor tile can add a very unique design element to a space where one may be wishing to add a wide area of color. For this purpose we offer both the Trumpet and the Cello glass floor tile collections for our customers to choose from.

Clear glass has been used as a floor surface since the early 1900’s when glass block was introduced to provide natural light under city sidewalks and to walking passages in industrial and manufacturing plants. Glass has also been used as flooring in commercial projects such as restaurants and hotels where large panels are used in 3’ x 3’ or 4’ x 4’ blocks that often weigh several hundred pounds per piece. Today, glass has been adapted for home and light commercial use so more folks can enjoy the beauty of glass material in their home and work locations.

Both the Trumpet and Cello glass floor tiles are offered in standard floor tile sizes from the AnchorBayTile website but they are both also available in many custom sizes that are made via a special order. Please inquire directly to us via email to sales – AT – anchorbaytile.com if you have any further questions about these or any of our tiles.

Building upon our post on Friday we wanted to share some additional ideas on using glass mosaic tiles as an accent choice when planning your remodeling project. The nice thing about using glass mosaic tiles as an accent in a kitchen backsplash, bathroom shower or other area is you typically only need to purchase one or two sheets to supply all the material you will need for your project.

Glass Mosaic Tile sheets can easily be cut in to strips by using a utility blade and cutting the mesh that the tiles are mounted to. Most folks cut the mesh in to 2” or 3” strips to have a row of two or three glass tiles to break up an area or large wall. You can also cut the glass mosaic tile sheets in to 3” x 3” squares and insert them in to a project as accent pieces either randomly or create your own fun pattern.

Have a look at the project photos above for some ideas shared with us by some of our customers which we are happy to share with you our Blog readers.

When you’ve spent countless hours searching for that perfect tile for your remodeling project you want to be sure that you will love how the tile looks not only now but for many years to come. One idea that has worked well for many customers over the years especially for customers who may be installing a large wall or floor of marble or travertine is to break up an area by installing one or more beautiful tiles as an accent tile surrounded by your primary tile in the main project area.

If you are installing travertine or another stone as a kitchen backsplash or shower material choose an accent tile that accentuates and brings out the colors and definition in your primary tile and makes your backsplash or shower unique to you and not just like the neighbor down the street who tiled six months before.

For some accent tile ideas have a look at the pictures here including our Catalina Glass Tiles in Ocean Wave, our Kimono Bamboo Tiles, and of course our Pewter or Bronze Metal tiles which are always a popular choice. Use any one of these accent tiles in your remodeling projects and install an accent tile every 18” to 24” depending on the size of your project area. Most accent tiles look wonderful when installed turned to the side as a diamond to contrast with the primary tiles which are installed straight and parallel to the counter or floor.

With more remodelers than ever taking the Do-it-Yourself route in managing both small renovations and large projects this question is asked over and over when the decision is made to make changes to a space. Following are some suggestions and considerations to keep in mind when making the decision to hire an Interior Designer or not. Our belief is that if you plan to stay in the space for awhile and many of us plan to do just that given the nature of the housing market and the economy, it might be a good investment to spend a little up front to ensure that your project comes out exactly as you want it to.

There are three main questions we hear when customers ask us the question about whether or not they should hire an interior designer. Here are the questions and our suggested solutions:

How do I know that a designer’s design style will fit what I want to do in my home?

Start off by reviewing the design portfolio of interior designers you are interviewing to see first hand if their projects and experience are a good fit for what you want to accomplish with your project. As an example, you wouldn’t want to hire an interior designer who specializes in modern and contemporary lofts if your project is closer to a mid-level suburban home with a more classic or traditional look.

Locating and interviewing prospective designers

Begin your search for an interior designer by visiting the website for ASID located at www.asid.org or, better yet, visit the website for the local chapter of ASID in your city to get a list of members in your area. Many local ASID chapters are hosting “Meet the Designers” events this Spring where designers attend and show off samples of their work. You can meet the designers and see visuals of their work to see if that designer will be a good fit for you.

What will hiring a designer cost?

There is no standard wage scale for interior designers. Most will charge depending on the complexity of the job, the variety of materials desired by the client, and the designers projected time commitment to the project. Fees may normally be quoted in one of three ways:

* A Flat fee – what is covered should be negotiated between the client and the designer

* An Hourly fee – fee normally determined by the time commitment required of the job

* Cost Plus – instituted when the client desires the designer to locate and purchase materials on their behalf. The designer will place a percentage markup over cost as the fee for their materials selection services

With thousands of product lines and finishes to choose from, and technology that changes everyday, an interior designer can be a valuable resource to draw upon for those taking on a remodeling project.

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.

Have a look at the newest addition to our collection of glass tiles as we welcome our first Penny round tiles to our online tile showroom. Our popular Kawaii Recycled glass tiles are now offered in a Penny Round size and come in fifteen colors which are all in stock and ready to ship.

Penny round tiles mostly in ceramic materials have been around for years and were in great demand in the early part of the 1900’s for residential construction projects in those days. They lost favor for a period of time among the home design set and have only recently in the last 5 – 10 years gained a following once again for mainly bathroom installations.

The fact that we can provide penny round tiles in our Kawaii recycled glass tiles series just makes this new product collection that much more exciting. Samples of any of the colors can be ordered online and ship out usually in 24 – 48 hours. Contact us anytime with questions you might have about these new tiles or any of the other fine tiles offered by our company.

Anyone with some left over money on their Christmas gift cards, here is the gift every DIY’er always wanted. Yes, you read the number right – an $85,000 toilet!

This toilet is of course fully functional and of course as you would expect is lined with pavé-set crystals and accented with rubies. The bowl is coated with diamond dust which consists of finely cut crystal and reflective metal. The toilet was recently ordered for the presidential suite of a boutique hotel in Hong Kong in case you want to try before you buy. The lead time is six months for those waiting for their Q1 bonus check so only one or two are made per year. There are also matching soaking tubs, tiles, bidets, shower curtains, lighting, towel racks, and other accessories. For a complete suite of matching products the tab would set you back only $500,000. Whhheeewww!!!

For those ready to buy, operators are standing by if you phone Jemal Wright Bath Designs…….quick.