With sweltering heat making life rough in much of the US for the last couple of weeks we thought we would share some cooling tips from the US Environmental Protection Agency that are low cost and can be applied by any and every body to try to stay cool.

Most of the items are methods that we all have heard before but sometimes we may forget and it doesn’t hurt to have a little nudge to get us to make those small adjustments that could make our lives a little better and more comfortable.

No-Cost Cooling tips from the EPA:

Program your thermostat to work around your family’s summer schedule—set it a few degrees higher (such as 78 degrees) when no one is home, so your cooling system isn’t cooling an empty house. With proper use, programmable thermostats can save you about $180 a year in energy costs.

• Check your HVAC system’s air filter every month. If the filter looks dirty, change it, but change the filter at least every three months. A dirty filter will slow air flow and make the system work harder to keep you cool, wasting energy.

• Run your ceiling fan to create a cool breeze. If you raise your thermostat by only two degrees and use your ceiling fan, you can lower cooling costs by up to 14 percent. Remember that ceiling fans cool you, not the room, so when you leave the room make sure to turn off the fan.

• Pull the curtains and shades closed before you leave your home to keep the sun’s rays from overheating the interior of your home. If you can, move container trees and plants in front of sun-exposed windows to serve as shade.

Apply some of these no-brainers to your home or office and surely it will make the day a little better.

Enjoy your summer!

For those about to take on a bathroom remodeling project that involves a new shower, listen up! In most cases your contractor will be the one to take on such a job since waterproofing and tiling a shower takes skills beyond those of most weekend DIY warriors. What you can do is to talk through the project with your contractor and it might be worth it for you to ask about the use of products from Schluter Systems before the project begins.

Schluter continues to improve and expand their product line for waterproofing shower installations. They offer a KERDI Shower Kit that sells for less than $500 in most cases for a decent size shower floor and includes “each of the components required to create a maintenance-free, watertight shower assembly without a mortar bed.

Schluter Systems has been developing innovative tile installation products for more than 30 years and continues to excel as a leader in the industry. Talk to your tile installer about installation products available from Schluter Systems.

We were recently introduced to a very cool iPhone App designed for the true DIY’ers out there. This app called iHandy Carpenter has 5 professional tools in one all for $1.99 which is a fraction of the cost if one were purchasing each item separately. The app comes with a plumb bob to tell you if your walls are straight, a bubble level bar, a digital protractor for use when designing your home projects, a surface level which every DIY’er needs, and the coolest feature is a digital ruler that allows you to measure things even longer than your iPhone by using the iPhones touch screen. No doubt serious DIY’ers will put this app to very good use.

With summer fast approaching we have noticed an uptick in interest from our customers planning DIY projects in their home. We love speaking to and assisting our customers who are taking on their tiling projects since installing your own material is a great way to save a bucket load of $$$ for installation on tile and any other home remodeling project.

In that regard we have a great collection of glass mosaic tiles that are priced very affordably at $4.99 per sf. Our Coastal Blends collection consists of ten beautiful colors in neutrals blends and grey blends which are perfect for kitchens and baths. There are also several blue blends and green blends which have proven popular as a waterline tile in swimming pools and spas.

The Coastal Blends glass mosaic tiles come mesh mounted and they are sold by the sheet. For those considering glass mosaic tiles for their DIY projects where affordability and budget are a consideration give our Coastal Blends glass mosaic tiles a second look since these tiles are an affordable way to add the contemporary look of glass mosaic tiles to your home.

We tell our customers that if they are installing their Cardiff crackle Subway tiles in a bathroom shower in a wet area then yes you should seal the crackle finish in order to protect the tiles from long term crazing. If you are installing your crackle finish subway tiles on a kitchen backsplash then it is not necessary to seal the tiles since the crackle subway tiles will not be subject to repeated moisture exposure.

Hopefully this helps those considering our tiles. If you have any more detailed questions about our Cardiff tiles or any of our other tiles please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

As always, we appreciate your business and your support!

When tiling any areas that may be subject to repeated exposure to water make sure to use a waterproofing product to waterproof the area prior to tiling. Some types of ceramic tiles are porous and stone tiles such as travertine, marble, and granite are very porous. Water can seep through tile and grout and leak in to cracks at corners and other intersections.

The best way to protect these areas is to apply a waterproof product such as RedGard, NobleSeal, CompuSeal or any other such product for proper protection of these areas. A little bit of protection goes a long way in such moisture prone areas.

Earlier this week we introduced a new product in the form of a 10 inch Diamond Blade made for cutting Glass Tiles. Our diamond blade products are made for WET use on a tile wet saw and they are manufactured with a continuous rim and the finer diamonds found on glass tile blades.

Our Glass tile diamond blade in 10 inch size is made by a true R & D company who continually strives to manufacture the finest products on the market. Because of this commitment to making quality diamond blade products our customers can expect a longer blade life on their tile jobs and no shredding or chipping of the glass which can be common for lower cost glass tile blades.

Our diamond blade products are now in stock and can be shipped immediately to your home or business location.

With Spring just around the corner it is time to start thinking about performing inspections and checks of your homes systems to ensure their continued proper working condition. Summer is just around the corner and we want our homes systems functioning properly as we move from colder to warmer temperatures.

While there are many things we should be doing around the home to continue proper maintenance here are three of the basic checks we like to do as the warmer months approach:

* Inspect your plumbing regularly for leaks. Look under cabinets to make sure connections aren’t dripping, and turn all valves off and on to ensure the system is operating properly. Addressing leaks when they start is much cheaper than repairing the damage leaks cause over time.

* Check your homes heating and cooling system by having it inspected by a professional. Regular checks and servicing as needed is recommended, especially on units more than five years old. Continue to replace or clean each systems filter and vents as often as the manufacturer recommends.

* Inspect your homes water heater for leaks and empty any sediment from the bottom of the unit if this has not been done in some time.

Most of us will agree that it is always less expensive to maintain than it is to repair and spring is the best time to start checking your homes systems for problems that might rear their heads over the summer.

Installing our Harmony Wood tiles are quite easy as long as you follow four basic steps. Let’s review these steps here and add any clarification beyond what is on our website for the benefit of those who read our Blog.

The four wood tile installation steps include:

* As customers do when purchasing wood floors, we also recommend that you let our wood tiles sit in the location where they will ultimately be installed for three to four days prior to the beginning of any installation work in order to acclimate to the buildings environment.

* Install wood tiles on a solid substrate such as backer board to ensure a smooth installation and longevity for your new tile installation

* Install wood tiles using Epoxy mortar

* Install wood tiles using Epoxy grout

The instructions are actually quite simple even though folks get intimidated when they see the word Epoxy. There is no need however because most of our clients are homeowners just like you and many of our clients have installed their own wood without any hiccups. Give us a call if you are thinking about purchasing some of our wood products but have some questions first. We would love to hear from you.

In light of the difficult economic situation we find ourselves in nationally it is clear from the numbers in Remodeling magazines 2009 – 10 Cost vs. Value report that consumers are being more cautious with their money. Remodeling expenditures are down 3.5% – 4.5% and homeowners are doing what is being called “phased in” remodeling where the kitchen might be remodeled today with the master bath next and the guest bath after that for example instead of consumers taking on the entire project at once.

Low-cost improvements will typically re-coup much of their cost and that is exactly what consumers are spending their money on. Each of the projects in the Top 10 of costs re-couped are under $15,000. The lowest cost project on the list for this years report weighing in at a cost of $1,172 is for the replacement of a homes front entry door. The Cost vs. Value Report estimates that nationally a consumer can expect to be able to re-coup 128.9% of the cost of replacing a door on a home. Again, low-cost and functional is the name of the game in today’s housing market.

How did tile work for the home fare? Reasonable cost tile jobs show the best return and those are the smaller projects like updating a kitchen backsplash or selected bathroom areas. Jamey Wood, an agent with Prudential Jack White Real Estate says kitchen and bathroom remodels are still huge. In the kitchen says Wood simply updating a laminate countertop and adding a tile backsplash will provide a 100% return. In the bathroom, if you spend $1,200 on a new tile shower or spend $300 to $350 for a new tile floor, you get a 70% to 80% return.

We have several low-cost tile options for those wanting to tackle sensible remodeling projects this spring and summer. Check out our Coastal Glass Mosaic Tile Blends for only $4.99 per sf or our Soho 3 x 6 Subway Tiles for $8.50 per sf. Both products are in stock and ready for immediate shipment.