Michael: Our country retreat is ready for tile, and was putting them on every possible surface. All the tile on our country home was provided by Horizon Italian Tile. In the kitchen and the breakfast area with lane and pattern of that ceramic pill tiles, composed of varying sizes. In the master bath, we’ve surrounded our color whirlpool tub with the tile. And then the shower enclosure we’ve going with 12x12 tile on the wall and tile mosaic on the ceiling. But the signature installation in the country retreat is this elegant stone medallion in the forayer.
The first step in installing the medallion is to draw a circle on a set of fill tiles that could have been placed in the spot with the medallion will go. Then the installers take the tiles that will border the medallion and carefully cut them along curve. This curve cuts are very difficult to make and sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Patience eventually faces off and after a little trimming, there is squared tiles are ready to be place.
Once these tiles have been cut, the fill tiles are removed and the installers begin to prepare the area for the installation of the stone medallion. All the pieces that will make up the medallion come pre-cut. The pieces are made of granite, limestone and marble from Europe, Africa and Asia. To fit together according to this elaborate computer existed tiles. The circular centerpiece is check for physician, then they install the tile molder to the back of board and to the stone then the centerpiece is set and check for level.
Once the center is in, the surrounding pieces are prepared and carefully set them place. The work is pains taken in tedious but bit by bit the medallions take shape. When all of pieces have been set the installer surround the medallion with the tiles like cut at the beginning. To get the better idea of the endless number of choices available in tile land stone today, we visited the showroom. Olivia Boone is the owner of Horizon Italian Tile.
Olivia how do you build this tile mosaic? I know you’ve got a great mosaic star with but I can make it with tiles, I mean how do you get this cuts in the tile?
Olivia Boone: Well, it’s done with the water deep machine. It’s all technology today and you just pick the place that you want, the color to go and the machine. Cuts it and then they install it exactly the way its cut.
Michael: That’s a perfect fit and its looks awesome.
Olivia Boone: It is great isn’t it? And you know you can make can cut their metal so today I’m finding where putting metal mix with stone and glass it cuts the glass and you can get a very precise cut.
Michael: That’s amazing. And I know that setting here in your showroom that this is now that and most people think about when you think about tile I mean you just slow down through here I mean, the very next one looks like leather that you got in your floor.
Olivia Boone: That’s right. Yeah.
Michael: This actually a tile?
Olivia Boone: It is, it’s a porcelain tile that’s made to look as it if is leather and its pattern for design were the piece of tiles that is also porcelain. So, it’s very low maintenance.
Michael: They have a beyond on that it, looks like a stone with the metal in it. What is that?
Olivia Boone: That is a copy of a real stone; in fact the one of the man that came to my showroom that imports that stone felt that was the stone. But it is actually porcelain and the tram has a water jet border in it with some metal so their again is like what you can do with water jet.
Michael: What’s amazing because you never think of this mosaic my tile, my house floor will I’m not going to use carpets some will go with tile.
Olivia Boone: I know.
Michael: And now tile can substitute for almost any surface. There is tile that looks like planks of hard wood and tiles model that after the wood they cover the deck of an ancient shape. There is even tile are made that look like a Middle East stone rock. And then there is the classic look of Italian Terracotta which can turn as simple entry way into a designers dream. And speaking of classic, you can even create the look of an ancient roman mosaic. There are glass tiles and tiles made to look like metal. And now heavily textures surfaces are coming into fashion, these arrangements have crack, rock and pebbles are retrieve from rivers in India and Indonesia. Then place on the mash tiles for easy installation and river wash stones are creating a sensation as a surface for shower floors.
The possibilities are our endless, for more information on Horizon Italian Tiles and credible selection of tile and stone from around the world visit Horizon’s website at horizontile.com.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services