Slate is a popular choice for tiled kitchen floors and when properly maintained looks fantastic, however like all natural stone products without an effective cleaning plan dirt will become ingrained in the stone and will start to lose its appearance. This was the case with this fantastic Slate tiled kitchen floor in Twickenham which had the potential to look really nice, but hadn’t received the proper maintenance for a long while, leaving it looking very tired. It now needed what was left of its old surface sealer stripped off, followed by a deep cleaning of the tile and grout before having a fresh seal applied. To begin the restoration, I mixed a 50:50 solution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go and Tile Doctor Pro Clean. This was applied to the floor and allowed to dwell. Remove and Go functions as a stripper that breaks down the old sealer, while Pro Clean is a versatile, high alkaline cleaner that is safe to use on all types of natural stone flooring. To use it to full effect, I machine scrubbed this solution into the floor to completely remove all dirt, stains, and old sealer. I also ran a stiff brush along the grout lines to remove the particularly stubborn dirt ingrained in the grout. The resulting cleaning slurry was then rinsed with water and extracted using a wet vacuum and the floor checked for stubborn marks which were retreated using the same process. The floor was left to dry overnight and I came back the next day to apply a new seal. It’s important to leave a tiled floor to dry completely before sealing and at this time of year 24 hours is usually enough. This is necessary to ensures there is no excess moisture in the tile as this has the potential to cloud the sealer and affect its effectiveness. The customer required a low sheen finish and a floor that was easy to maintain. I opted to use Seal & Go, which provides exactly that. It is a water-based with a high sheen blend of acrylic polymers that offers a both a stain resistant surface seal and a durable low sheen finish, also being water based it doesn’t leave a smell as it dries. Seal and Go is also a breathable sealer that will allow moisture to rise up through the tile and allow the floor to breathe. As you can see from the pictures, the lustre has been completely restored to the Slate tiles and the sealer will allow for easy maintenance for the customer in the future. Jonathan Oldham South Middlesex Tile Doctor

Cloud White "Oxfordshire" Shaker from Urban Effects Cabinetry. Designer - Geoff Marks Photos by Geoff Marks
Example of a small arts and crafts galley porcelain tile and gray floor enclosed kitchen design in Other with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and no island

Cloud White "Oxfordshire" Shaker from Urban Effects Cabinetry. Designer - Geoff Marks Photos by Geoff Marks
Small arts and crafts galley porcelain tile and gray floor enclosed kitchen photo in Other with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and no island

Elegantly and orderly spreading in the four opposite directions, the smart design, shown here in Bianco Diamante White, Rain Clouds and Mediterranean Grey, subtly expands the space by successfully creating a visual effect which just seems to be going to spread endlessly . Take a sneak peek at more stunning designs for Marmomacc 2017: http://bit.ly/2f5riGG #centurymosaic #mosaicfactory #Chinamosaicsupplier #naturalstone #stonemosaic #mosaiclover #artmosaic #mosaicdesign #designtrends #interiordesign #homedecor #homeremodeling #biancodiamantewhite #rainclouds #mediterraneangrey #bathroomfloortile #kitchenbacksplash #bathroomwalltile #accent #octagon #marmomacc2017 #italy #verona #rome

Subtle patterns coupled with bold solids, create the ombré effect on the baby diaper changing station. The ombre effect is reflective of the adjacent beach and draws inspiration from the surrounding clouds and night sky.

This Victorian tiled hallway at a house in the Forest of Dean had a very interesting pattern, consisting of an array of different colours, including shades of red, yellow and blue. Unfortunately, as you can see from the first photograph below, the tiles had lost all life, with the colours largely masked by months’ – or maybe even years’ – worth of ingrained dirt and muck. The floor as a whole was also suffering from a number of loose tiles that needed to be reset before it could be cleaned. The property owner was keen to employ some professional assistance to restore the appearance of the floor and prevent it from getting in an even wrote state, and so contacted Tile Doctor who have a lot of experience working with Victorian tiled floors. As mentioned, the loose tiles had to be repaired before the cleaning process could be started. I removed the tiles and extracted excess grout and old adhesive from the exposed concrete substrate using a vacuum, before putting the original tiles back into place and fixing them back into position carefully using fresh adhesive and matching grout. Once happy the replaced tiles had set, I started the process of cleaning the entire area of hallway tiles using a combination of Tile Doctor Remove and Go to strip away the old sealer and Tile Doctor NanoTech HBU (formerly Ultra Clean) remover to get the tiles as clean as possible. The latter product contains nano-sized cleaning particles (hence the name) to reach difficult areas of trapped dirt, making it more effective than your run-of-the-mill tile cleaner. These two products were scrubbed into the tiles using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiled residue was extracted with a wet vacuum. I then paid particular attention to the grout, applying our alkaline-based multi-purpose cleaner Tile Doctor Pro-Clean to the grout lines, before scrubbing them with a narrow grout brush. This quickly had the grout looking clean again: I’d even go as far as to say that it matched it seamlessly with the fresh grout that had just been laid. With the tile and grout as clean as it was possible to get it, I gave the whole floor a final rinse to neutralise the excess chemicals. I extracted as much water as possible with a wet vacuum and left the floor to dry overnight. My first task upon returning to the property the next day was to check for any dampness. If you neglect to remove all excess moisture from the surface of the tiles before sealing it is more than likely going to cloud the sealer, rendering it less effective I’m protecting the stone against ingrained dirt and stains. Once satisfied that the floor was completely dry, I proceeded to seal the tiles using multiple costs of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. Seal and Go is what we would classify as a topical sealer, meaning it rests on the surface of the tiles to act as a durable layer of protection against all kinds of muck. While providing surface protection, Seal and Go also adds a nice subtle sheen to the tiles, as per the customer’s request. The customer was quite amazed at how quickly the appearance of the tiles had been restored. It was fantastic to see the colours we both knew were hidden in the tiles come to life once again. Another satisfied customer for sure! Paul Wales Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

GAO Zhiqiang: Exploring the infinite possibilities beyond boundaries - Space Emotion Design Series - Vniau Office The essence of space design is to pay attention to people’s emotional needs, especially in office designs. Vniau office is designed by GAO Zhiqiang, a space emotion designer. He created an extremely comfortable and inclusive office space by modern design tech-niques, combined with technology, history and humanities. / Explore / Infinite possibilities beyond boundaries A humanistic caring, warm and emotional design work, under the continuous changes of social forms, evolves into a space in accordance with the develop-ment of the current era, which is the most solid response from the designer to the space. This open space makes you feel like entering into a movie scene. Large areas of black and white contrast, and smooth lines create a powerful aura. However, soft lights bring back a romantic atmosphere. The space is highlighted by vir-tuality and reality. The development of modern technology diversified people’s cognition and iden-tification of space dimension. The designer tries to break the inherent bound-ary consciousness among technology, humanities and nature by comfortable and efficient spatial perception. Wandering between virtual and real, light and shadow, the space presents a fu-ture sense through symbols. It shows a bold, free, open, lush, and new office format. "Compared with technology, we pay more attention to people's emotions and feelings. We have always been advocating using the most common materials to create different spaces, and the key is depended on design." Said designer GAO Zhiqiang. Therefore, when it came to the selection of materials, pureness presents in-finity, simplicity creates richness. Bright green brings cheerfulness, and the exposed ceiling and cloud-like chandeliers create a natural and agile visual perception. The combination of dynamic and stillness embodies the concentra-tion of the designer. As the previous office was in Chinese style with redwood furniture, in order to have good effect of the overall space, the designer discussed with the own-er repeatedly, strive to change into a modern style, which matches more with their products, clients, competitors, brand culture and temperament of the of-fice, younger staff, etc., in the end, this design shows up. This is a ring-shaped office space with same walls and same core tubes, which make people easily disoriented. By the principle of 5 elements - metal, wood, water, fire and earth, the designer placed the reception and exhibition room in the middle, and painted in yellow, corresponding to central earth. According to this principle, the R & D department on the east side is decorat-ed in green, corresponding to wood, also, the market and finance department on the south side is orange, corresponding to fire. Service department on the west is white color representing metal, CEO and QC office on the north side is given black color, representing water. 5 directions are painted in 5 colors, which make people clearly distinguish departments and directions. The building wall of the void area has a huge sloped beam, which causes poor visual experience. To solve this problem, the designer creates a magnificent X-shaped style by making use of the original beam structure. Its perforated sides and the luminous aluminum plates are very sci-fi, showing a similar vision of X-Men headquarters. The interaction, communication and intersection among people are the key points of designing moving lines. Their optimization brings closer collaboration among departments,shorten the distance that people have to walk in the space, such as in conference rooms, negotiation rooms, recreation area, water bar, reception area. Reasonable moving lines make discussion and communication between people, de-partments, and customers more efficient. At the same time, different spaces create different atmospheres and emotions, relax, or serious, or leisurable, etc., so as to meet needs of different moments. In addition, the designer GAO Zhiqiang said, "We want to create a feeling of flowing clouds. Lights and curves create moving lines, and give a sense of freedom." To remove the shackles of traditional office designs, and give a space infi-nite vitality is not just a change in form, it is more about 'people' them-selves. Here, everyone has a very large degree of freedom, and they can feel the infinite possibilities of future. Initiative and creativity are stimulated at the same time. Once people create the environment, areas interact with each other, and the power of design emerges. Soft curve is a visual expression of tolerance and infinite possibilities. The spatial layout breaks isolation and shortens the distance of human hearts. High efficiency while no boundaries, and everywhere has space for independent thinking and solitude. The space respects each individual and can also unit as a whole. Gaudi, the most famous Spanish architect, once said that straight lines belong to human, and curves belong to the God. It is probably that the curves give birth to too many wonderful changes. In this space, the curves are formed smoothly, either on the ground or ceiling, or a room, a partition. "Spatial emotion design" advocates bringing human attributes to spatial func-tions. By designing and shaping the space, people are able to work in the best state of physiological and psychological emotions. Therefore, AFFD is trying their best to create comfortable working environments for employees, to ensure efficient work, as well as physical and mental health of staff.

At Tile Doctor, we often come across Victorian tiled hallways in need of restoration. They’re very popular due to their timeless and unique patterns – and as a result are still in production, having first being produced in the 19th century. While many have been maintained in their original state since first being laid (which is sometimes over a century ago), others have been hidden by carpet or linoleum for many years, only to be uncovered by new property owners. In this case, at a property in Newport – the port city of South East Wales – the Victorian tiled hallway had not been subject to an effective cleaning plan leaving the fantastic white and black checkered pattern grubby and unsightly. I was asked if I could help bring it back to life – and I was happy to oblige! I started the restoration by applying a strong cleaning solution combined from mixing two Tile Doctor products in equal parts namely Remove and Go and Pro Clean. Together they create a powerful sealer remover and cleaner to break down any remaining old sealers, paint whilst lifting ingrained dirt and muck from the pores of the tile. The two products were worked into the tiles using firstly a 17 inch black buffing pad to remove the initial layer of dirt, followed by a 6 inch buffing pad, wire brush, and hand-held scrapper to remove the more stubborn specks of paint and dirt. The resultant slurry was then rinsed away with water and a wet vacuum and stubborn areas retreated until I was satisfied. The results were great so after a final rinse I left tiles to dry off. A couple of days later, after leaving the tiles to dry completely, I went back to the property to seal the floor. I checked first for any excess moisture as this can cloud the sealer and prevent it from acting an effective barrier against dirt and stains. My choice of sealer included one coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow to restore the rich colour to the black and white tiles, followed by seven coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go to provide an aesthetically pleasing sheen finish. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that penetrates the pores of the tile to fill them and prevent dirt becoming trapped, while Seal and Go is a topical sealer that builds up an additional layer of protection on the surface of the tiles. The combination of fresh sealers, preceded by a deep and thorough clean, really helped to restore these Victorian tiles to a condition in which they could be easily mistaken for newly laid! The customer was very pleased and undoubtedly will be looking forward to showing off the tiles to friends and family. Paul Wales Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

The Bracket mantel is a modern fireplace surround that picture-frames the fireplace for a simple and dramatic effect. The hefty profile grants a further emphasis to the minimalist look with a distinct visual quality. This modern fireplace design is popular to pair with panels for floor-to-ceiling wall features. The depth also will help deflect heat from TVs or artwork mounted above the fireplace unit. When ordering please note the preferred full mantel width and height, so we can pre-cut the unit to your specifications. Colors: -Haze -Charcoal -London Fog -Chalk -Moonlight -Portobello -Chocolate -Mist Finishes: -Simply White -Cloud White -Ice White

The Tori fireplace mantel is a modern design with strong lines for a distinct contemporary look. Highly adjustable dimensions make it easy to suit a variety of spaces. This design is popular to pair with panels for a dramatic floor-to-ceiling effect. Please indicate height at the time of order, so we can pre-cut the legs of the fireplace mantel for you. Customization is available to this design. Contact us for pricing, if you have specific requirements. To add grace, drama, or to meet the requirements of your fireplace unit consider a hearth to add to the design. Colors : -Haze -Charcoal -London Fog -Chalk -Moonlight -Portobello -Chocolate -Mist Finishes: -Simply White -Cloud White -Ice White

The Bracket mantel is a modern fireplace surround that picture-frames the fireplace for a simple and dramatic effect. The hefty profile grants a further emphasis to the minimalist look with a distinct visual quality. This modern fireplace design is popular to pair with panels for floor-to-ceiling wall features. The depth also will help deflect heat from TVs or artwork mounted above the fireplace unit. When ordering please note the preferred full mantel width and height, so we can pre-cut the unit to your specifications. Colors: -Haze -Charcoal -London Fog -Chalk -Moonlight -Portobello -Chocolate -Mist Finishes: -Simply White -Cloud White -Ice White

The Tori fireplace mantel is a modern design with strong lines for a distinct contemporary look. Highly adjustable dimensions make it easy to suit a variety of spaces. This design is popular to pair with panels for a dramatic floor-to-ceiling effect. Please indicate height at the time of order, so we can pre-cut the legs of the fireplace mantel for you. Customization is available to this design. Contact us for pricing, if you have specific requirements. To add grace, drama, or to meet the requirements of your fireplace unit consider a hearth to add to the design. Colors : -Haze -Charcoal -London Fog -Chalk -Moonlight -Portobello -Chocolate -Mist Finishes: -Simply White -Cloud White -Ice White

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.

Ebony Cloud paving has beautiful tones of grey-greens and blacks along with some vivid light, almost white coloured detail which gives a stunning cloud effect. This attractive paving is a quartz-rich schist with included mica‚ resulting in a strong and durable stone.