How to Remove Stains from Slate Tiles?

If you’re about to remodel your bathroom, one of the most important factors to think about is the type of flooring material you should use. Sure, a shaggy carpet would feel amazing on your feet, and solid wood would look amazing with the décor you have in mind, but they’re not very practical to have in the bathroom.

The flooring material you choose needs to withstand all the steamy showers, wet towels, & bathtub splashing that occur in the bathroom on a daily basis. Keep in mind the accidents that can also occur such as a broken sink pipe, or even worse, a clogged overflowing toilet! You wouldn’t want that mess all over nice carpet or wood!

For a great looking floor that is practical, porcelain tiles are the way to go. Porcelain also comes in many styles and colors that will be sure to complement the look of your bathroom. If you have been on the fence about what flooring you should use, here are three reasons why you should choose porcelain tile over other materials:

Have you been thinking about getting granite tiles for your home? Granite adds value and elegance to any room. See why you should invest in granite tiles for your home this season!

Granite is great for tiles or counter tops due to its resistance to acids and its hardness. Granite is very durable, has many color options, and has low porosity. Ideally, granite is a great choice for kitchen counter tops and flooring for high traffic areas like bathrooms in your home.  It is known to be very resistance to cutting, staining, cracking, and burning so special tools will be needed to cut granite slabs.

With the right care granite counter tops will be a great investment for your kitchen or bathroom whether for its aesthetics, functionality, or durability.  Try to keep your granite as dry as possible by using coasters and by not placing hot items straight on the stone. Use a non-abrasive, neutral cleaner or use warm soap water to clean your granite tiles or counter tops. Stay away from powder type of cleaners and keep acid and abrasive materials away from your granite. To keep this type of stone looking new polish your granite occasionally so it’s kept smooth and reflective.

Contact Upstairs Downstairs  at 978-369-3620  to get quality selections of granite for your home! Invest in long-lasting and resilient granite counter tops or tiles for you and your family.

When remodeling a home, it is common choice for people to use ceramic tiles for their room flooring. Tiles compliment the ambiance of a room with options of a variety of tile patterns, it can be custom made, and are easy to clean.   At Upstairs Downstairs we offer our clients exclusive tile selections that will fit perfectly in any project! Ceramic tiles are the most popular choice for home owners for many reasons, find out why below!

Easy to Maintain:  Ceramic Tiles are known to be very low maintenance when they have their sealant applied!  They don’t need to be cleaned as often as other types of materials and when tiles are combined with grout, they are water-resistant. This is a great option to use for flooring your bathroom or kitchen where spills and water damage occurs the most!

Repairs:  Ceramic tiles, like most tiles, are strong but over time they will weaken. Fortunately, the repair process for tiles are much easier than hardwood flooring repairs. The quick and easy repairs for ceramic tiles are one of the main reasons people go with it for their flooring.

Cost Effective:  If you are trying to be cost effective with your flooring options, ceramic tiles are the cheapest option compared to hardwood flooring and other flooring options. Ceramic tiles are more attractive to home owners, cost-wise, due to its long term effects.

Design:  One of the many reasons ceramic tiles are popular is due to its plethora of size and design options. Ceramic tiles give flexibility to design a room to your vision with their many ranges of size variations from a small 6” x 6” to a 24” x 24” and more.

With ceramic tile’s durability, its easy maintenance and cheap cost, ceramic tiles are the most frequently used as flooring options by many. It also has many style and size selections to fit the client’s vision without compromising the material’s quality. For more information about using ceramic tiles as your flooring option, contact Upstairs Downstairs  at 978-369-3620  or use our  contact form  to speak to our specialist!

The finishing touches to your new room are almost complete, all you need to do is pick the right tiles to tie the whole ambiance together. There are many things to consider when choosing the right tiles for a room and not having the right knowledge to pick and choose your tiles can prolong your process. Follow our tips to choosing the right tiles for your room below.
Durability

Ceramic & Porcelain:  There to be good durability when picking tiles for your walls or floors. Professionals like Upstairs Downstairs have a PEI scale to test a tile’s resistance rating them from 1-5. Class 1 signifies the least resistance and class 5 being the most resistant. Rooms with low foot traffic will do well with tiles that are class 2 or greater. Your hallways or kitchen where there is a lot of foot traffic it’s best to choose tiles with class 4 resistance or higher.

Natural Stone:  Natural stone is very durable and can stand against many types of resistance. Stone isn’t man made so the PEI scale doesn’t apply to these types of tiles.

Colors
When choosing tiles for your rooms, color is important to balance and compliment the rest of the room. Light colors make a room look more spacious while dark colors will add warmth to the room. For more variation, try using different shades of tiles that will blend well together. Neutral colors tiles give you flexibility to change other aspects of the room while bright colors will add character.

Locations

Glass Tiles:  These types of tiles have a variety of color choices and finishes which is great for your kitchen or bathroom.

Porcelain:  Porcelain is great for your kitchen or bathroom floors for its strength and no-slip grip.

Ceramic:  Ceramic tiles are waterproof, easy to install, and affordable which makes it typically great for your bathroom floor.

Natural Stone:  Since stone is the most durable of all the tiles, placing it in your kitchen or the bathroom would be beneficial. This is because natural stone is good with cleanups and it is slip-resistant.

As you finish your room installations, these tips should help you with choosing the right tiles for each room. At Upstairs Downstairs  we offer high quality selections of tiles for our clients and our experienced designers can assist with your material selection and design layouts. Contact us at 978-462-9453  or use our contact form to learn more about our selections!

Your home is many things. Your sanctuary, where you entertain, the gallery for your prized possessions, and much more. You’ve put time and resources you’ve put into making your home truly yours. A little effort and the right information can help protect and preserve everything you’ve done to make your home truly yours.

Remodeling your bathroom is an opportunity to really make it look the way you want it to. Whatever other considerations you have– safety, comfort, ease of maintenance– there is a way to have that space look the way you like.

One of the best ways to do this is to utilize a space on a wall or surrounding a fixture as an accent space. It will draw eyes in as it stands out from the rest of the interior.

If you’ve decided to remodel your bathroom, there are important questions to answer before even the first tile is pried up from the floor. A great place to start are two very general considerations:

• How do I want this room laid out?
• How do I want this room to look?

Both of these questions are ultimately limited by your budget and experience with bathroom design. Here are some things to consider when designing your dream bathroom.

• Do I want to move anything?
  Moving bathroom fixtures means running extra pipe to the new location, sometimes at a premium. This added expense can take a sizable chunk out of your budget, depending on how significant your rearrangement is. If you install fixtures that use a higher flow of water– rainfall shower heads, for instance– you may need to replace your pipes with higher-volume pipes to accommodate the increased flow. Keep stock of how much you want to modify the existing layout of your bathroom, and prioritize what matters most to you.

• What materials do I want to use?
  There is a wide variety of materials available for every major component of a bathroom. From the floors to the walls, to countertops, cabinets, and shower doors, everything you want to customize can be. Knowing the materials that best fit your aesthetic vision and provide the highest functionality at the best price point will point you to your final selections.

• What changes matter most to me?
  A bathroom remodel can sometimes stray outside of the project budget. In those cases, planning becomes a process of give and take. Determining what matters most to you, in terms of comfort, function, aesthetics, and amenities, will help you make decisions as the project goes on.

Remodeling an entire room of your home is no easy task. A bathroom brings its own special considerations, like humidity, ventilation, water flow, safety, and aesthetics. The utility of tile brings with it the opportunity for extraordinary beauty built into the walls themselves. Making the most of your bathroom may seem like a daunting task when the details are added up.
An expert designer can be well worth investment. Creating a clear plan and following it through duration of the project minimizes costs, so you can get the most out of your budget. Upstairs Downstairs has over 40 years experience designing bathrooms for exquisite beauty and unsurpassed utility. If you are considering remodeling your bathroom, contact us today to schedule a consultation. Call us at (978) 369-3620 , or have us get in touch with you by filling out the contact form on the right of the page.

2015 is about to end, and 2016 will be here to replace it. A new year full of new possibilities, and an opportunity for rejuvenation– for you and your home. Upstairs Downstairs Fine Tile & Stone is here to help.

If you’re considering making 2016 different from any year before it, home is a perfect place to start. What place is closer to your life, and has more of an influence on your private life than your home? Remodel your kitchen, renovate your bathroom, or customize your living space for an exciting new look.

Rejuvenate your kitchen with a custom backsplash, tile floor, or new countertops. Revive your bathroom with a custom tile design for a fresher, brighter look. Or add a beautiful mosaic to a living room or entryway, for an impressive welcoming display every time you (or your guests) walk through the door.

Upstairs Downstairs Fine Tile & Stone are experts in all custom tile design and installation applications. From start to finish, we can help you turn your home into your personalized vision.

Take the first step to a fresh, new home for the new year. Call Upstairs Downstairs at (978) 369-3620, email us at sales@updowntile.com , or get in touch online via the contact form on the right. We’ll help you make 2016 a truly new year.