Ideas for your kitchen backsplash

Kitchen backsplash needs to take a lot of wear and tear, so choosing the cheapest option could be a bad move in the long run. Steam and high temperature can cause the wrong type of backsplash to warp and turn staining, but there are plenty of durable solutions that can withstand this tough environment. Before you invest in kitchen, get samples you can take home to try out against your color scheme.

Narrow down the choices with our practical tips to help you find the tile to best suit both your bathroom and your budget.

Crystal glass tiles mosaic

Mosaic are one of the most flexible options for kitchen as there is such a great choice of colors and sizes. Their glazed surface makes them highly resistant to They are usually very easy to keep clean, and come in styles to suit every taste. Before making your final decision, you could buy a small fragment of mosaic sample from us, which will give you more flexibility with the design.
Try Crystal glass tiles

2010 Mosaic Design Ideas

If there is a trendy “must-have” of 2010, then consider adding some mosaic tiles into your home. Two key elements work together to activate your interior decorating ideas .

1. By using BOLD and FEARLESS colors to create a wonderful and charming space.
 
     Purples, soft blues, metallic, golden greens, grays, yellows…these are the interior colors you will see throughout 2009 in home decorating, creating a youthful and sophisticated style.

     Visit www.BuilderElements.com to see detailed products in the picture.


Stainless steel kitchen backsplash tiles :http://www.builderelements.com/mosaic-tile/stainless-steel-tile/silver-wall-SSM005365.aspx


Metallic blue glass tiles :http://www.builderelements.com/mosaic-tile/metallic-glass-tile/shine-azure-MEG0016264.aspx



Ultra white subway glass tiles : http://www.builderelements.com/mosaic-tile/crystal-glass-tile/nitin-ultra-white-Nitin-Ultra-White-Glass-Tile109.aspx 

2. DESIGN WITHOUT BORDERS: Global and multi-cultural decor inspired by Italy, Europe, China, Russia, Latin America, Morocco and India (primary influences) are mixed and matched to create a global design tour at home.

 Visit www.BuilderElements.com to see detailed products in the picture.

Natural stone tiles : http://www.builderelements.com/mosaic-tile/stone-mosaic-tile/wave-cantaloupe-DR004384.aspx

China blue and white porcelain tiles : http://www.builderelements.com/mosaic-tile/porcelain-pebble-tile/cool-waters-POP0073319.aspx

Calculating Square Footage: What Homeowners Need to Know

 Importance of Proper Measuring Techniques

Inaccurate calculations or measurements are a huge contributor to project delays and headaches. It is also sometimes purposely misrepresented by some vendors in order to mark up the price of products. Being able to accurately calculate square footage, and defend your calculations informatively, is a must when buying finished coverings, in order to save time and money.


To start of this section we will first discuss how to draw a simple sketch of a room and calculate the floor area of that room for tile. Even with a basic square room there are issues that can affect how much product one would need to cover the floor, and can lead to inaccurate calculations, over spending, and/or costly project delays.


Sketch


A sketch is a drawing of an area that includes measurements in relation to the specific dimensions of the view. A sketch can be hand drawn or done with simple computer programs such as Microsoft paint. A sketch will allow the reader to better understand the measurements of a particular area and serve as reference to any specific points that will aid in accurate dimensioning. Many people will recognize a sketch as resembling a blue print or floor plan which is always used by builders or any other vendors who are involved in using or selling construction materials.


Our example sketch will be a square bathroom for tile installation on the floor. However as mentioned above, even in a perfectly square bathroom, there may be obstacles or variations that will correlate with how much tile we actually need to cover our floor. The following is a short list of ‘things to look out for’.

How to Tell if a Glass Mosaic Tile Has Good Quality or not

 Quote: http://www.BuilderElements.com/article.aspx

There are several glass mosaic tiles available in the market today. But in terms of manufacturing, there are mainly two kinds: Vitreous Glass Mosaic Tile and Crystal Glass Mosaic Tile.

   One type is Vitreous Glass Mosaic Tile, which was the original glass mosaic tile and has been used widely to make swimming pool. To tell the quality if it is good or not, the hardness is the key thing you need to ask. Vitreous glass mosaic tile is not as strong as crystal glass mosaic although when it installed, inside the grout it will stay there for lifetime. You can tell the hardness by scratching the surface of the glass mosaic tile by your finger nail. If it can be easily scratched, then it may be a little problem. The second thing is that you if the color is consistent. Use your common sense and judgment on this.

Why Glass Mosaic is a Great Building Material for Architects, Interior Designers and Home Improvement DIYs

Quoted from：http://www.BuilderElements.com/article.aspx

History

Mosaic history can be tracked back to 2000 B.C. in ancient China, and glass mosaics became popular in architecture during the Rinascimento (Renaissance) period. Glass mosaics have been extremely popular in Asia since the 1980s but began to diminish in 1990s. However, in the earlier part of 21st century, with the new technology and development, the glass mosaic made a strong come back in Asia and has been becoming more popular in North America since 2004.

Merits of glass mosaic characteristics

With the new manufacturing technology, seems that nothing is impossible in terms of colors, sizes, styles, as well as materials used in the glass mosaic. This wide variety is a distinguishing characteristic of this building material. Also, glass mosaics are used for a very broad spectrum of applications due to its IMPERVIOUS nature. Glass does not absorb any water (a technical materials term as “zero water absorption rate”) thus it has no shrinkage or expansion issues, thus it can be used for both indoor and outdoor applications.

A lot of materials can absorb water thus it will have the expansion or shrinkage problems when the temperature changes. When the water absorption rate exceeds a certain degree it can not be used as outdoor materials, for example, ceramic tiles; the ANSI standards defines the water absorption rate as being less than 0.5% which can be used as an outdoor building product.

Wide variety of applications

Glass mosaics can be used for a variety of building installations including both indoors and outdoors, for residential flooring (if the surface is polished, it is not recommended for flooring applications where slipping is a hazard), walls, pillars & columns, artwork, furniture, baths, kitchens and swimming pools. The sky is the limit for applications, thus it attracts architects and interior designers’ attention, but DIY’s can certainly also use the glass mosaic to shine in your remodeling projects.

With today’s manufacturing technology, glass mosaic can be custom made based on your design. The turnaround time to make a custom sample can amazingly be as short as 5 business days. Yes. 5 business days to make a sample based on the size, color code or an actual sample you get from somewhere else. These methods could barely be imagined as little as 5 years ago.

Materials used to make the glass mosaics

Originally, the glass mosaic type was a vitreous glass mosaic, which was used mostly to make swimming pools. But with the faster and more efficient technology and workmanship developed during the past 5 to 10 years, the glass mosaic tile has evolved to be a material that is very popular for other applications, in addition to the original vitreous glass mosaic as:

1. Crystal glass mosaic, which can be transparent, and is how it gets the name “crystal”, but using color paints on the back of the mosaic means that thousands of colors are possible.

2. Iridescent glass mosaic, which has an iridescent coating on the surface of glass mosaic to make the glass mosaic reflect different colors, and can be a terrific option for night clubs, casinos and entertainment places.

3. Metallic glass mosaic, this is a very special material in which the color is not on the back of a mosaic, but the color is melted into the fusion of glass in an extremely high temperature environment. When the glass fusion is out of the kiln and cooled down, the color is part of the glass inside and is evenly distributed.

4. Van Gogh glass mosaic , which goes through the similar manufacturing process as metallic glass mosaic. The difference is that with the metallic glass it can be told that it is obviously glass, but the Van Gogh glass mosaic gives you an oil painted texture on its surface.

5. Stone glass mosaic. The stone mosaic is another kind of decorative building material having been used for more than 2000 years it has endured the ages. People have creatively blended glass and natural stone to make it a stone glass mosaic, which adds a natural yet decorative touch to the area it’s installed in.

Giving the high demand and competition among manufacturers, we believe the innovation will be taking place fast and new types of glass mosaics could be created from time to time. We will keep track of the technology closely and keep you posted, if interested, please make sure to check back from time to time or RSS our article regarding this topic.

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How to select your DREAM solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Quoted from: http://www.BuilderElements.com/article.aspx

This article gives you some expert opinions on how to choose the kitchen cabinets by looking at the details of the finish of kitchen cabinets. We divide kitchen cabinet selection processes into several areas that you need to look closely. Hope this can be good reference for your kitchen cabinets selection .

When choosing a kitchen cabinet, the first step to do is to select your favorite wood species from the most popular selecting circle: maple, cherry, ash, birch and oak, and then the door style and the color for the door. Selecting processes for most of kitchen cabinets will follow these 3 steps.

While in order to make the cabinet reflect your unique style and taste to stand out of the normal kitchen cabinet that exist in every common family, details are the most important things to achieve this effect.

The first thing to be taken into account is the above-cabinet treatments. Combine crown or classic crown molding with one of the several decorative molding inserts a look that reflects your own personal style. Whether you’re classic or contemporary, moldings can make a dramatic difference. Details are the things you need to pay attention to. If the curve sharp and smooth? A good workmanship and quality knife used to cut the molding will have very sharp and smooth curve and clear profile. If you use your figure to feel the cutting, you can tell if it is smooth or rough. Also, you can look at the pattern is consistent, for example, if the flower crafted on the column is vivid and consistent for the cutting? Will some place of the cutting too shallow or too deep? Consistency shows the workmanship, the knife and the equipment of your kitchen cabinets manufacturer.

The second thing is decorative pediments that provide a classic look for entertainment centre cabinetry or other furniture pieces. These pediments are perfectly fit the classic people and make their kitchen give off the fragrance of holiness.

The third thing is below-wall cabinet treatment. Don’t leave your wall cabinets with an unfinished look. Choose one of your favorite moldings to complete the look of your wall cabinetry at eye level and you will find what a dramatic difference it makes in your kitchen cabinet.

The forth thing is decorative legs. Cabinetry is furniture, to add great style to your furniture with decorative legs to complete the look of base cabinetry.

The last thing to complete your design is using the wide selection of onlays, ornaments and corbels which will add a touch of elegance to your cabinet and make your cabinet stand out of common ones easily.

Details really make difference. Whenever you buy a kitchen cabinet, to take these factors into consideration will really make you surprised at your own masterpiece and be proud of yourself. After all, kitchen is the center of your home and for most part of your family life. 

Hope Your Dream Come True

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