The colourful and diverse geometric patterns of a Victorian tiled floor can give a property a regal, elegant and timeless feel, making it a popular choice even in the 21st century. However, as time passes without regular care and maintenance, Victorian tiles can quickly lose their colour and appear deadened by the buildup of dirt and dust over several months (and sometimes years). This property owner in Hebden a very small village in North Yorkshire of less than 300 people, had this common problem. Her Victorian tiled hallway had not been adequately maintained and was now more difficult to keep clean than ever. To add to the problem, most of the tiles along the edges were either broken, cracked, or filled with holes, probably I suspect from the installation of carpet grippers at some point in the past. At this point, the property owner turned to Tile Doctor to see what could be done. Before beginning a deep clean of the entire length of the hallway, it was first necessary to source and install replacement tiles for those that had been broken and damaged. I also relaid any that were loose. When finished, I left the tiles to set and returned the next day to start the clean. My choice of cleaner in this situation was Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which was scrubbed into the floor with a special pad fitted to a rotary machine to break down ingrained dirt and stains. Pro Clean does this very effectively on all types of tile, including natural stone and of course Victorian tiles. The floor was then rinsed with water and the soiled cleaning solution extracted from the floor using a vet vacuum. Stubborn areas were re-treated with more Pro Clean, and when I was satisfied with the condition of the tiles the floor was given a final but thorough rinse to remove any trace of cleaning product. The floor was then left to dry completely overnight to ensure all excess moisture had disappeared, leaving it fresh to be sealed. I returned in the morning for a third day of work to seal the Victorian tiles with four coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, a topical sealer which provides a rich satin finish to really add depth to the colours in the tile while protecting it against dirt and stains. The customer was delighted with the restoration and couldn’t quite believe the huge improvement in the appearance of the tiles, especially in regards to the enhancement in the different colours. Another satisfied customer! Nigel Stoker North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Located in Lakeview, this luxurious 3,800 square foot single family home is a show stopper. Featuring an open layout with 5 bedrooms, 3.2 bathrooms and eloquent finishes, this space leaves nothing unnoticed. It also showcases a spacious kitchen with custom cabinets and tile, a large island and a butler’s pantry. With a beautiful rooftop deck located above a 2 car garage, this home is sure to impress.

Leo Dowell Mountain Laurel twig railings, Antelope runner by Stark Carpets. You just don't want to leave this fabulous retreat.
Inspiration for a rustic staircase remodel in Charlotte

The clawfoot tub is unapologetically dramatic, with gilded feet that feel plucked from a European estate. But it’s paired with a black vanity, geometric floor tile, and modern brass fixtures that push the space somewhere bolder—more unexpected. It’s traditional if you squint, but mostly it’s just confident. A guest bathroom that leaves an impression long after the towels are folded.

Photography: River City Media Tina McCabe of McCabe Design & Interiors would like to thank Bordignon Marble & Stone, Vancouver, B.C., for supplying and fabricating the Bianco Venato Porcelain Slab for this island countertop. Bianco Venato is manufactured by Eiffelgres in Modena, Italy. Leave it to the Italians to produce a wonderful porcelain countertop that simulates marble. Porcelain slabs are extremely scratch and stain resistant as they are flamed at 1454 degrees Celsius. Bianco Venato is a practical and stunning alternative to marble and comes in 118" x 59" slabs. Thank-you again Bordignon Marble & Granite!!

Located in Lakeview, this luxurious 3,800 square foot single family home is a show stopper. Featuring an open layout with 5 bedrooms, 3.2 bathrooms and eloquent finishes, this space leaves nothing unnoticed. It also showcases a spacious kitchen with custom cabinets and tile, a large island and a butler’s pantry. With a beautiful rooftop deck located above a 2 car garage, this home is sure to impress.

This is an open concept living room with drum lights and natural stained flooring. MJB Photography
Elegant living room photo in Portland

Pictured below is a Slate tiled kitchen floor that had been installed in the kitchen of a property in Harrogate around fifteen years prior. I discovered that the tiles had never been cleaned and resealed since installation and this explained why they were now looking dull and un-interesting. They had lost all character and it wasn’t until I started cleaning them that I realised the must be of the multicoloured Brazilian Slate variety. As well as looking dull and unattractive, there was also some water damage to some tiles caused by a leak, this had resulted in some shaling and efflorescence staining. This had occurred some time ago and the floor had now dried out fully, so I was not expecting any further efflorescence issues going forward. Brazil, I understand is the world’s 2nd biggest producer of Slate, it is also exceptionally durable and reasonably priced so its not surprising you see a lot of it over in the UK. Like any natural stone however it is porous and without a sealer to protect it and bring out those natural colours it soon ends up like the example on this pad. I cleaned the floor with a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean using my usual method of spraying the cleaning solution onto the Slate and grout and then leaving it for a ten minutes to soak in and get to work breaking down the dirt and old sealers. Although I doubted there was much sealer left on the floor after all this time you need to be sure to remove all of it to get the best result. The floor was then scrubbed with a rotary floor buffer fitted with a black scrubbing pad, then after rinsing with water and extracting the soil I inspected the floor. I detected there was still some sort of sealer present in some of less used parts of the floor, it was proving stubborn to remove so I suspect it may have been an old fashioned wax based product that was used. Not a problem though we Tile Doctors have a solution to every problem, so I spot treated the stubborn areas with Tile Doctor Wax Away to see if I was right. After scrubbing that in followed by another rinse and extraction with the wet vacuum I was pleased to see I was right and was happy all the old seal had now been removed. I gave the floor another rinse at the end of the day and dried it as much as possible with the wet vacuum, then left it to dry off fully overnight. I came back the next day and checked the floor was dry with a damp meter. The readings were good, so I was able to crack on and seal the tiles using several coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. Each coat was applied leaving time to dry between each layer. This gave the floor a uniform appearance which disguised the damaged tiles. It will also help to stop more cracking and reduce the appearance of the efflorescence. The sealer really brought out the natural colours in the Brazilian Slate and the floor looked transformed. I’m sure you will agree it was a vast improvement, certainly my client was very happy and couldn’t believe the difference I had managed to achieve. Before leaving I recommended, they should invest in some Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which would ensure the newly applied seal was prematurely eroded away which is a problem with many of the stronger products you find in supermarkets. Nigel Stoker North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Located in Lakeview, this luxurious 3,800 square foot single family home is a show stopper. Featuring an open layout with 5 bedrooms, 3.2 bathrooms and eloquent finishes, this space leaves nothing unnoticed. It also showcases a spacious kitchen with custom cabinets and tile, a large island and a butler’s pantry. With a beautiful rooftop deck located above a 2 car garage, this home is sure to impress.

Example of a large trendy ceramic tile and white floor entryway design in DC Metro with white walls and a black front door

This DIYer installed the deck tiles using DekTek’s Sister Joist System for elevated decks. It’s a basic install using regular deck framing 16” o.c. The modification for our deck tiles compares to standard wood/composite deck framing, is to just add a sister joist (for example a 2x4). You leave a little space in between the main joist and sister joist for the water to drain. And then before you glue the tiles down, you just add a mechanically fastened boarder on the outside perimeter of the deck to lock the tiles in. Then you glue the tiles down with a polyurethane construction adhesive to prevent the tiles from rocking.

Texas Buckeye Texas is a big state: That means we have lots of native trees. From time to time we like to feature a Texas native tree so you can identify them in your own area. The Texas Buckeye (also referred to as an Ohio Buckeye), Aesculus glabra var. arguta, is classified as a small multi-trunked tree or large shrub. Distinctive features of this native tree are its large palmate leaves and white to yellow spring blooms held in large clusters. The large spiny fruit appears in summer and produce large shiny black seeds... http://www.preservationtree.com/blog/native-texas-trees-texas-buckeye#.UkNXFRYZ3A4

I was recently at a property in the North Yorkshire town of Harrogate, undertaking what I initially thought would be the cleaning and polishing of a Cream Limestone tiled kitchen. However, as I began the cleaning process I quickly discovered that under the dirty grout lines someone had taken a lot of effort to paint with a small brush directly onto the grout using varnish! In a normal situation, I would have covered the whole floor with Tile Doctor Remove & Go to solve the problem, however compared to, say, adhesive or paint staining, varnish is very difficult to remove. So instead I opted for the long, yet necessary process of cleaning the grout manually with several thin wire brushes. Over the course of two days I managed to remove approximately 90% of the stubborn varnish – and could finally move onto cleaning and polishing the Limestone as originally planned. The polish had been lost from the Limestone kitchen tiles over time, so I set about restoring it using a type of polishing known as burnishing. This involves the application of diamond encrusted pads of varying grit to the floor to gradually buff the stone and achieve an aesthetic and durable shine. Burnishing is most commonly used on high-end stone such as Marble, Travertine and, of course, Limestone. At Tile Doctor, our burnishing system comprises four burnishing pads, ranging from a Coarse grit to a Very Fine grit. After applying the first three pads (Coarse, Medium and Fine), I gave the tiles a further clean with Tile a Doctor Pro Clean, which is our alkaline cleaner, to remove any residue from the burnishing process. I then rinsed the floor with clean water and soaked up the residue with a wet vacuum, before leaving it to dry. The floor was then polished to a satin finish using the fourth and final Extra Fine burnishing pad. I sealed it using a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal, an impregnating sealer designed to provide maximum protection against dirt and stains. The combination of burnishing and sealing always makes a huge difference to Limestone tiles. Here, the finished result was almost like a new floor! The customer was both amazed and very pleased with the transformation. Nigel Stoker North West Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Photo: Jane Vorbrodt © 2016 Houzz
Deck - coastal deck idea in Vancouver

Oversized dining room with large windows and coffer ceiling. All four walls have wainscoting for a touch of formality, wall niche for your favorite art or mirror, metal chandelier, wood table and upholstered chairs.

Photography: River City Media Accessorizing is like Jewelry! This photograph was taken after the renovation was completed AND AFTER various soft furnishings and accessories were specified for the home owners. As they say....accessories are like jewelry and professional photography is key! Tina McCabe of McCabe Design & Interiors would like to thank Bordignon Marble & Stone, Vancouver, B.C., for supplying and fabricating the Bianco Venato Porcelain Slab for this island countertop. Bianco Venato is manufactured by Eiffelgres in Modena, Italy. Leave it to the Italians to produce a wonderful porcelain countertop that simulates marble. Porcelain slabs are extremely scratch and stain resistant as they are flamed at 1454 degrees Celsius. Bianco Venato is a practical and stunning alternative to marble and comes in 118" x 59" slabs. Thank-you again Bordignon Marble & Granite!!

An anchor evergreen tree, along with shrubs were planted for scale and interest
Inspiration for a small traditional rock and full sun front yard mulch landscaping in Kansas City for summer.

Photography: River City Media Tina McCabe of McCabe Design & Interiors would like to thank Bordignon Marble & Stone, Vancouver, B.C., for supplying and fabricating the Bianco Venato Porcelain Slab for this island countertop. Bianco Venato is manufactured by Eiffelgres in Modena, Italy. Leave it to the Italians to produce a wonderful porcelain countertop that simulates marble. Porcelain slabs are extremely scratch and stain resistant as they are flamed at 1454 degrees Celsius. Bianco Venato is a practical and stunning alternative to marble and comes in 118" x 59" slabs. Thank-you again Bordignon Marble & Granite!!

Located in Lakeview, this luxurious 3,800 square foot single family home is a show stopper. Featuring an open layout with 5 bedrooms, 3.2 bathrooms and eloquent finishes, this space leaves nothing unnoticed. It also showcases a spacious kitchen with custom cabinets and tile, a large island and a butler’s pantry. With a beautiful rooftop deck located above a 2 car garage, this home is sure to impress.