Handscraped or distressed hardwood floors have a natural worn appearance. They look like floors from the days when floors were finished by hand.

Coral Honeysuckle flowers at Turkey Hill Brook Farm, Spencer MA. Photo copyright Ellen Sousa/THB Farm

The pictures showed are of an Encaustic Cement tiled floor that had been installed in the bathroom of a property in Twickenham. At the time the tiles were installed, they did not seal them and had since accumulated dirt, especially in the grout lines. Encaustic cement tiles have become extremely popular in the last few years with many beautiful artistic often geometric patterns available to choose from. The very nature of the cement-based tile however does make it slightly porous, and if left unsealed dirt will become ingrained in the tile making it difficult to remove and keep clean. Like grout they do therefore need to be sealed in order to keep them looking at their best for longer. Now we normally recommend using diamond encrusted burnishing pads when renovating Encaustic Cement tiles however in this case the face of the tiles were not too bad and it was really the grout that needed the most attention. So, to cut the cost for customer, I advised a straightforward alkaline scrub clean and seal. To clean the tile and grout I sprayed the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and left it to soak into the dirt for ten minutes. Space in the bathroom was quite tight so instead of using a mechanical floor scrubber I scrubbed the tile and grout by hand working the alkaline cleaning solution into the pores to release the grout in dirt. After scrubbing the floor was rinsed with a little water and the soil removed with a wet vacuum. Afterwards the floor was inspected, and any stubborn areas retreated with repeat of the process. After a final rinse, the floor was dried as much as possible with the wet vacuum. Fortunately, the weather has been amazing of late and so it did not take long for the floor to dry, being a small space and a little encouragement from a heat gun always helps. Removing excess moisture before sealing is essential as even a small amount can cloud the sealer resulting in an uneven appearance. Once satisfied that the floor was dry, I proceeded to seal it by applying a couple two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow across the Encaustic tile and grout. As an impregnating sealer Colour Grow penetrates the pores of the cement occupying the space and thus prevent any dirt from becoming ingrained there. Colour Grow’s colour intensifying properties also helped to deepen the black colour of the tile enhancing the contrast between the tiles and grout. Now the floor has been properly sealed it will be far easier for the customer to keep them clean in future. For maximum longevity of the sealer I recommend maintenance cleaning with Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner. Don’t be tempted to use supermarket cleaning products without reading the label first, many are simply too strong for cleaning sealed surfaces and will strip off the sealer prematurely leaving the tiles unprotected. Jonathan Oldham South Middlesex Tile Doctor

The grey trend has evolved in the last twelve months. Nowadays browns, beige and a touch of grey are in demand. Greige is the new buzzword. Heavier hand scraped or contoured products, the rage that started around 2005 has taken a back seat in most areas, while a softer wire brushed "ceruse effect" seen mostly on White Oak has been remarkably strong showing no effects of becoming “dated” like the others mentioned. Ceruse Color Possibilities There are numerous color combinations to the "cerused" process with the most popular being white or off white. This design trend in hardwood flooring can have darker gray white oak with a mild ceruse off white effect. There are limitless possibilities in either a prefinished hardwood floor or with what we can create for you in a custom on-site finished hardwood floor. If something suits your fancy, contact us and we can work on creating just the look and sense of style you are looking for.

Custom Surface Solutions (www.css-tile.com) - Owner Craig Thompson (512) 430-1215. This project shows new 12 x 24 tile installed vertically with offset layout pattern on wall and floor. Includes shower box with linear glass accent tile back and vertical glass accent band. Tile edges are finished with Schluter Jolly satin aluminum profile edge trim.

Shake Siding Close Up A Cape Cod style house with Alside Pelican Bay cedar shake siding, Color: Cape Cod Gray. Installed by Sidetex in North Haven CT 06473

Full-overlay Rustic Beech cabinets in the "Charleston" door style and "Briarwood" finish. Village Home Stores
Example of a large mountain style kitchen design in Chicago

Arlington Heights Window Replacement & Siding Install by Siding & Windows Group. We replaced siding and installed James Hardie Select Cedarmill Plank Lap Siding in ColorPlus Technology Color Iron Gray and James Hardie Trim Smooth Boards and Hardie Corners in ColorPlus Technology Color Arctic White on Entire Farm House and remodeled the Columns with Azek. Carpentry work on two of the front elevation entrances, south elevation Balcony Floor, two rear elevation 2nd Floor Balconies, and rear elevation 2nd Floor Enclosed Balcony. Also installed Alside Seamless Aluminum Gutters & Downspouts with all accessories, Vinyl Vents, and replaced trim around Garage Doors with HardieTrim in Arctic White.

Landscape & Pool Design: Root Design Company Photo credits: Jessica Carr
Design ideas for a mediterranean landscaping in Austin.

Designed By Runa Novak In Your space Interior Design
Example of a small minimalist medium tone wood floor powder room design in Chicago with a wall-mount sink

2 1/4 Red Oak Stained Light Grey Waterbase finish

KuDa Photography
Large minimalist wooden u-shaped staircase photo with metal risers

Corbin Henry
Example of a tuscan family room design in Sacramento

I recently visited a customer living in the village of Ravensthorpe, just outside Northampton to rejuvenate a 15-year-old multi coloured Chinese riven slate floor that needed a deep professional clean. Slate is a hard-wearing tile used for flooring high traffic areas but does need sealing to bring out its best features. In this case the sealer had long since worn off and dirt had become ingrained in the stone making it difficult to clean effectively. We discussed the client’s requirements and the cleaning process I planned to follow to rejuvenate the floor. I had to check on availability, so I e-mailed over a quote and some dates later that day. They were happy with my proposal and agreed for the work to be done whilst the customers were on holiday. My first task was to test a small area to determine which products would give the best results. In this case, I decided to start with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go which is a strong alkaline cleaner/coatings remover that’s safe to use on Tile and Stone. I spread this solution across a section of the floor and left it to seep into the pores of the stone and lift out the ingrained dirt. After allowing the solution adequate time to dwell, I scrubbed the slate with a carbon brush fitted to a rotary machine to gradually reveal the fantastic natural colours of the Slate hidden beneath the dirt. Happy with my choice of cleaning product I repeated this process in sections until it had been carried out throughout the entire area. Following this, I rinsed the entire floor several times with clean water, before soaking up the resulting soiled residue with a wet vacuum. The next part of the cleaning process entailed paying attention to the grout lines which were scrubbed using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-Up. The resulting residue was promptly extracted with the wet vacuum and I finished by giving the whole floor a rinse with Tile Doctor pH Neutral Tile Cleaner. This is a day to day tile cleaning product which is recommended for stone floors, many supermarket tile cleaning products are only suitable for ceramic tiles due to their acidic formula and can damage a floor over years of use so you should always read the label. However, I always leave my clients with a complimentary bottle of a suitable Tile Doctor product to maintain their floors. The floor was left to dry off overnight and I returned on the second day to seal the floor. Before starting I checked the floor was dry using a damp meter which confirmed the Slate was dry and ready to seal. The floor must be completely dry before sealing as any excess moisture has the potential to the damage the performance of the sealer. Since my client had specifically requested a silk finish, I opted to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go which dries to leave a lovely subtle sheen that really enhances the look of the stone. Five coats were applied to ensure a good hard-wearing protection. My client was very pleased with the results, particularly as they hadn’t realised how much colour it had lost over the years and left the following feedback on our website. ”I despaired of having a clean-looking floor again. Phil Vissian assured me that intensive deep cleaning and resealing could restore our fifteen year old, subtly coloured, Chinese riven slate kitchen floor. He has done a fantastic job. Looks like new, and I shall book Phil for an annual professional clean, so that it never gets as bad again.” Sally M, Northampton Phil Vissian Northamptonshire Tile Doctor

A traditional look and feel was required for this farmhouse full bath remodel. Period touches such as a Carrera marble basket weave floor tile design and Jado’s Savina pedestal sink maximized the visual impact of this bath originally built in the late 1800’s. 3”x6” White Subway tile walls contributed to the clean, simple, yet classic look and feel. Custom wood linen tower and framed medicine cabinet in painted white finish ensure plenty of personal storage and convenience yet provide a streamline appearance, keeping with the period of this lovely antique.

Joseph Narcisse
Mid-sized mountain style enclosed dark wood floor family room photo in New York with beige walls and a wall-mounted tv

We went for lots of texture and foliage color in this small space. Ferns hold the composition together while the Persian Ivy, Rhododendron, Hosta and Heuchera provide color and leaf variation. This planting is partially under a deck.

Detailing and borders for Old World feel of Cobblestone streets are added to this Imprinted Asphalt driveway (shown here before a faux stone finish and grouting was added).

NSPJ Architects / Cathy Kudelko
Home design - transitional home design idea in Kansas City