CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPE OF KITCHEN OR BATHROOM WALL TILES FOR YOUR HOME

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPE OF KITCHEN OR BATHROOM WALL TILES FOR YOUR HOME

Picking the most attractive or affordable Kitchen or Bathroom wall tiles is every homes owner’s goal. Here are some ideas and recommendation that will help you make a better choice for better living.
Tiles intended only for use as wall tiles are often lighter and thinner than floor tiles. The glazes used in the manufacture of a wall tile are also different to those used for floor tiles, and are not designed to resist abrasive forces from foot traffic…but they are still referred to as floor tiles.

BATHROOM TILES:  In the bathroom, there is a lot of moisture, so these tiles have to withstand these conditions. Floor tiles are not slippery so they usually feature a subtle raised pattern. Usually, bathroom tiles are made of ceramic, porcelain or natural stone.Commonly used Tiles for shower walls are glazed ceramic and porcelain tiles.What is the best tile to use in a bathroom? Porcelain tile is a popular choice for bathroom floors. Porcelain is a denser, less porous and harder option that offers greater stain and water resistance than ceramic tile. Porcelain tiles offers unmatched design versatility.

KITCHEN TILES: 
In the kitchen, you can use tiles for the floor, walls or backsplashes. Kitchen floor tiles are designed to handle heavy traffic and are very durable. They are resistant to spills and stains.
What type of tiles are best for kitchen walls?
Stone, cork, vinyl, bamboo, ceramic, porcelain and glass.

Chris Town’s kitchen and bathroom tile recommendations – Travertine Tiles:
Travertine is a type of limestone…travertine tiles are very durable for walls and flooring and harder than Marble. Travertine tiles can be used for vanities, tops and walls mosaics as well as for flooring.
Travertine is excellent material for all showers, kitchens, flooring and for all high moisture, high traffic areas as well.
Travertine tiles can give almost the same look as the marble or granite tiles and it is away cheaper than the other alternatives.

TILE COST PER SQUARE FOOT:
Ceramic $2 
Slate $3 
Quartzite $5 
Porcelain $6 
Travertine $6 
Stone $6 
Marble $8
TILE INSTALLATION COSTS:
Average Range $825 to $2,520

“Town Tips”
As a Custom Home Builder I am ask this question repeatedly…what tiles are the best quality, moderately priced and have a good selection of light colors and textures? Unless the homeowner specifies a certain choice like stone or marble and I always suggest Travertine Tiles and mention to them that Travertine Tiles can also add more value to your home.

All tiles have some disadvantages…
“there is no perfect tile out there, only the tile that is perfect for you.”
Chris Town
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MY HOME JUST GOT FLOODED WITH WATER - WHAT DO I DO? WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION ADVICE

MY HOME JUST GOT FLOODED WITH WATER...WHAT DO I DO?

This Is A Home That We Built 12 Years Ago For Some Great Clients In Downtown Edmonds, WA.
They We’re Asleep And Heard There Alarm Go Off And Got Up To Investigate. What They Found Was The All Upstairs Hardwood Floors Had Approximately 2” Of Running Water On Them. The Dishwasher Supply Line Had Failed And Was Leaking Water For 3-4 Hrs!

They called me early morning and asked me for help. I arrived to access the situation and found the water was running through the floor to the downstairs ceilings and all the drywall was destroyed. To add to the problem, we had insulated all the floors and interior walls for sound absorption. All had to be removed and reinstalled throughout the home. We also installed portable heating fans to accelerate the drying process

After all the water, drywall, insulation was removed and the house dried, we came in and repaired all the damage. Some doors had to be replaced because of warping and most of the flooring throughout the house had to be replaced as well. As the pictures show, this was quite an involved process. I am happy to report that, “The Home Looks Like New Again And My Clients Are Happy To Be Moving Back In There Gorgeous Home!”


There are three important things you can do right away in a situation like this:
1: Don’t panic and run around the house searching for the leak as you are wasting valuable time.
2: Go to your water main water supple to your home. This valve is usually in the basement or on an outside wall in a utility area of the house. The main shutoff valve allows a full flow of water through the pipe when it’s open. 
3: If there is extensive water leakage and build up, you may also want to consider shutting off the electricity to those areas infected.
4: Clean Up Mess – If you catch the leak early enough, it is important to clean up the mess, as much as you can, immediately. If not cleaned up this can result in mold and mildew and can cause more problems down the road.
Chris Town
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The Best HARDWOOD FLOORS for homeowners

HARDWOOD FLOORS CAN BE A HOMEOWNERS BEST FRIEND

 Hardwood floors will always be popular as they are timeless and will never go out of style. There are many reasons to go with Hardwood floors. You can you restore them to look brand new again, they are durable, low maintenance and they definitely add significant value to your home. Hardwood floors have disadvantages, but so do other flooring products like carpeting, Vinyl, porcelain and Linoleum.

What are the most popular choices for hardwood flooring and costs?
Maple: Very hard and dent-resistant ($3.50–$6/sq. ft.)
Hickory: Hard density that works well in high-traffic areas ($3–$6/sq. ft.)
Oak: Durable and Hard density – (Red & White Oak) ($2–$6/sq. ft.)
Bamboo: Bamboo floors are the hardest, most durable options ($2–$4/sq. ft.
Brazilian Walnut: Extremely hard and durable ($5–$9/sq. ft.)

Always Hire A Wood Floor Professional To Install Your Hardwood Floors:
Don’t get cheap on me now! It’s true, you get what you pay for and if you don’t have your flooring installed correctly, this could be costly for you now and down the road.
I am a Custom Home Builder and before I hire a new hardwood flooring sub-contractor, I take the time
to check out a few of his previous jobs first hand. It’s time consuming for me, but if the flooring sub-contractor screws up I pay for it $ not the home owner. Do your homework and you will save money, frustration and time.
National Average cost for installation $4,500

 Chris Town’s Hardwood Flooring recommendations – Bamboo Hardwood Floors:
Bamboo Hardwood Floors are ecologically friendly, easy maintenance, more water resistant than other wood flooring materials and has great durability. Bamboo flooring can have a host of versatile colors, stains or textures.

The different color options and finishes of bamboo flooring:Two choices natural or carbonized: Natural bamboo – has been left in its original state, which has blonde and golden tones. Carbonized bamboo (smoked) which turns the bamboo into a coffee brown color. More options are now available including stone grey and chestnut brown.

Where to use it?
Anywhere you’d use wood — including baths and kitchens… Keep in mind that it has the same risk of damage from excess moisture or dryness as any hardwood flooring.
All in all, Bamboo Hardwood Flooring has the best bang for the your $ and is worth considering for sure.

"Town Tip" 
Buy the flooring yourself...save a bunch of $$$ just by doing a little searching around the big stores/lumber yards. Why should your flooring sub-contractor buy the flooring at a discount, pocket the discount and not pass it on to you.
It's easy to do, just bring a blueprint of your home with you when you buy, decide what areas you want flooring for and you are good to go. The blueprint will have all the data you need for S.F. info needed for determining how much flooring to purchase.
Always buy a bit extra flooring for future updates and any repairs.

 Chris Town
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