Well 2009 was a busy but odd year to say the least, a lot of things happened in the world of tile and stone with many suppliers and retailers really feeling the pinch.

As we go into 2010 let’s hope it will be a better year for everyone. I am sure there will still be some belt tightening for some time to come so more of us may be thinking of how best to restore , clean-up or care for existing tile and stone installations rather than buying new.

For my part I am looking forward to spending more time on this blog than I managed last year, hopefully providing some little help and useful information.

I hope to make a start really soon, but for now, all the best for 2010

Ian

With the holiday season out of the way I though it would be a good time to post my top 10 tips on keeping a floor looking good. So, here it is, nice and simple, most of the tips are equally relevant to ceramics floors also. (Oh, and all the best for 2009 from Tile and Stone Blog): Read the rest »

Question – “Hi, I am a cleaning contractor and have a customer who has a limestone floor in a reception of a hotel which has been maintained by some one else. It is only 6 months old and has gone streaky. I have dealt with marble and other stone before but not limestone. What would you recommend?”

Our Answer – “Limestone is a calcium based stone, just like marble (in fact, marble was once a limestone, before nature subjected it to many years of heat and pressure). Limestone is typically much Read the rest »

Back in the 1980′s there was a bit of a craze for using terracotta. It was everywhere, in magazines, on TV, and it was soon being used extensively in homes and also in commercial properties like pubs and wine bars. After a few years it seemed to disappear almost as fast. This is due in part to the over-exposure and the ever changing fashions for interior design, but I also suspect that more than a few people experienced a number of headaches in terms of sealing, cleaning and maintaining it.However, all things work in circles right? Well not exactly, but I do see that Terracotta is making a little bit of a come back, not like the last time, but people are it seems one again being swayed by the rustic charms and warm tones and using it in selected areas.

So, I though it timely to do a little article on the methods for sealing terracotta. There are basically two systems (and lots of variations for both) : Read the rest »