Freestanding bathtub - mid-sized contemporary master subway tile porcelain tile and white floor freestanding bathtub idea

A hidden gem tucked away in Atwater Village, the home has been renovated a time or two in ways that obscured its original charms. As is sadly often the case with homes of its era in Los Angeles, the kitchen and bathroom were completely gutted at some point and filled with builder-grade finishes unaligned with the inherent architecture of the home. On such jobs, our modus operandi is to reinfuse the spaces with details that harken back to the very best elements of the home’s original style while weaving in timeless touches of both modern life and the personality of the homeowner. In the bathroom, this method resulted in an eclectic, feminine heart-to-heart between the unruly imperfections of the handmade and the more orderly lines of the meticulously tailored. And what else could come from such a love story but a blue dream of a bathroom fit for a mermaid?

Michael Carroll. Solid Apollo LED. In this elegant and simple kitchen renovation, the owners wanted to add extra lighting to two places in the kitchen that normally do not receive enough light - the under cabinet area and in the cabinets. The owners wanted to find a simple solution without having excess installation requirements, such as drilling and work to fit large traditional lighting fixtures. Here instead they looked to Solid Apollo for the slim and easy to install LED Strip Light - shown here in the beautiful Warm White color, which suits the wood cabinet colors. The LED Strip Light has an extremely low profile and includes double sided sticky back tape for an easy to install and permanent installation. The photos shown here show the completed kitchen with the LED Lights turned on, another photo of the renovation in progress and several photos of the dimmer, simple barrel connections, and the slide and lock LED Strip connectors for quick easy-to-hide connections. The dimmer used here is the iTouch LED Dimmer, which is a simple in-line LED Dimmer for quick and easy on/off and dimming control. And with the included double sided tape, the slim dimmer can easily be hidden in a discrete location, compared to unsightly traditional wall dimmers that upset the carefully chosen back splash designs and require excessive effort for installation.

Michael Carroll. Solid Apollo LED. In this elegant and simple kitchen renovation, the owners wanted to add extra lighting to two places in the kitchen that normally do not receive enough light - the under cabinet area and in the cabinets. The owners wanted to find a simple solution without having excess installation requirements, such as drilling and work to fit large traditional lighting fixtures. Here instead they looked to Solid Apollo for the slim and easy to install LED Strip Light - shown here in the beautiful Warm White color, which suits the wood cabinet colors. The LED Strip Light has an extremely low profile and includes double sided sticky back tape for an easy to install and permanent installation. The photos shown here show the completed kitchen with the LED Lights turned on, another photo of the renovation in progress and several photos of the dimmer, simple barrel connections, and the slide and lock LED Strip connectors for quick easy-to-hide connections. The dimmer used here is the iTouch LED Dimmer, which is a simple in-line LED Dimmer for quick and easy on/off and dimming control. And with the included double sided tape, the slim dimmer can easily be hidden in a discrete location, compared to unsightly traditional wall dimmers that upset the carefully chosen back splash designs and require excessive effort for installation.

This is an organic Lime Wash done with a true lime wash product as opposed to a brick mortar or concrete that is often seen on new houses. This product can be applied as a solid coating making the surface completely white, or can be applied and "washed off" in many artistic ways, as seen here. If you hate your brick or just want something unique this is a great option! Photo credit: Jeff Murrey

Вика Богородская
Example of a mid-sized eclectic family room design in Moscow

BENCH SEATING VISUALLY OPENS THIS SPACE WITH ITS CUSTOM CASEMENT WINDOW TREATMENTS AND CUSTOM LIGHT FILTERING ROLLER SHADES.
Kitchen/dining room combo - mid-sized modern u-shaped travertine floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in Miami with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, brown walls, an island, a double-bowl sink, brown backsplash and stone slab backsplash

Bath Stone is a material that we don’t often encounter. A variation of LimestoneCardiff was quite upset that her Bath Stone window sills had become so unsightly over the four-year period since her house was built, so much so that she contacted Tile Doctor to see if we could help. While at Tile Doctor we most often work on tiled floors, patios and shower cubicles, I was more than happy to assist in this situation. I popped round to the property to carry out some initial cleaning tests on an inconspicuous area of one of the window sills. I applied Tile Doctor Pro Clean, which is our high alkaline cleaner, since it’s a very versatile and reliable product, and is suitable for use on most kinds of natural stone. Some fantastic results were achieved quickly, with Pro Clean working efficiently to remove the green and black algae that I presumed came from the trees which were plentiful around the property. With the test clean a success, we agreed a date to complete the job. I returned on the agreed date with a ladder to treat the rest of the sills using Pro Clean, including the one on the first floor window. Before carrying out the work, I tested the stone for moisture and the readings were sky high. Therefore, I suggested to the customer not to seal the stone, but instead to maintain it using the same cleaning process as I had undertaken. The outcome of my restoration was brilliant, so now when the customer feels that the sills need to be rejuvenated again, she can do so very easily. Julian Iancono South East Wales Tile Doctor

Mitch Shenker Studio www.mitchshenkerstudio.com
Example of a 1950s light wood floor home bar design in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island and quartz countertops

Details below of a Grout colouring job I recently completed at a house in Morecambe. In this instance, the grout had become stained, and my client was no longer happy with it. There are a number of reasons grout can lose its appearance including the build-up of mould in damp and unvented areas, staining from liquids accidentally spilt on the floor and surprisingly if you have a coloured grout it can lose its colour due to the bleach found in common types of household cleaning products. Grout contains lime which is acid-sensitive and will react to acidic cleaning products so for general cleaning do use a pH Neutral Cleaning product. To tackle the stained grout I first tried Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which can be used at different levels of concentration to increase its potency. In this case however when this grout dried it went back to being patchy so then the only answer was to restore its appearance using a Grout Colouring kit. To form a better bond with the Grout Colourant I first treated the grout with a Tile Doctor Pre-Treat Cleaner, which is very slightly acidic and effectively etches the grout. If you have a particularly acid-sensitive stone tile (Limestone, for example), it is recommended to use Tile Doctor Oxy-Pro cleaner instead as this won’t upset the stone, yet still clean the Grout ready for colouring. Once the Grout had dried (which is some cases can be several hours), I applied a thin coating of the Grout Colourant, as a thin coat dries quicker and provides a more even finish. A second coat was then added, before polishing off the excess from the edges of the tiles. After about half an hour the Grout Colourant was dry to the touch (at this stage you should be able to walk on the floor). Note that if you are Grout colouring a wall tile in a shower cubicle, it is best to leave the area for 24 hours before using the shower. As you can see from the photographs, the result was very effective, and needless to say my client was very happy with the rejuvenated appearance of her grout. Russell Taylor Lancashire Tile Doctor

Mid-sized trendy u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Orange County with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

This Terracotta tiled floor was installed in the conservatory of a house in the old market town of Garstang, Lancashire, famous for being the world’s first ever ‘Fairtrade Town’. There were quite a few problems with this floor; for one, my client had not re-sealed the tiles in many years and had therefore allowed the existing seal to become very worn and almost completely ineffectual. This had subsequently allowed the floor to become very dirty and marked with white blotches. These white blotches had occurred where the fertilizer held in decorative plant pots had started to eat away at the sealer. The tiles were cleaned with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a strong alkaline cleaner. The solution was liberally applied to the floor and left to dwell for a short period, allowing time for the cleaner to seep into the pores of the Terracotta and lift the ingrained dirt to the surface. The solution was then agitated using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a heavy rotary machine, making a marked difference to the appearance of the tiles within a matter of minutes. Tile Doctor Acid Gel was then used to spot treat the white marks, the acid content in the product breaks down the alkaline salts that had developed, left behind by the leaked plant fertilizer. The entire floor was then rinsed several times to remove the soiled cleaning residue and the excess moisture was extracted using a wet-vac machine. The Terracotta tiles were left to dry for an entire week as there was no evident damp proof membrane in place at the property. I used damp testers to approximate when the tiles would be dry enough to seal, which was very important as any excess moisture can upset the performance of the sealer. My first choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating sealer that also intensifies the natural colours in the stone. A single coat of Colour Grow was applied, before I opted to follow this up with six coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which provides a very robust surface seal and also helped to give the Terracotta the aesthetically pleasing my client had requested. Before leaving the property with its newly restored Terracotta tiled conservatory, I made sure to give my client some tile maintenance advice. Needless to say, she was very pleased with the results. Russell Taylor Lancashire Tile Doctor

We used: Custom cherry cabinetry in Arts & Crafts Shaker style by Kabinart in Boulder and Espresso stains. Liberty Hardware Venetian bronze 1-1/2" cabinet knobs. KitchenAid Architect II Series 22 CF counter-depth French door refrigerator. KitchenAid Architect Series II 27" convection single wall oven. KitchenAid 36" 6-burner dual fuel freestanding commercial-style range. KitchenAid Architect II Series 24" dishwasher. Sharp Insight Pro Series 24" built-in microwave drawer (Model #KB6524PS). Crystorama Solaris 12" wide pendant lights in English bronze. Granite countertops in Brown Fantasy. 3"x6" polished marble backsplash. Paint colors: Walls: Glidden Silver Cloud 30YY 63/024 Ceilings/Trims/Doors: Glidden Swan White GLC23 Robert B. Narod Photography

Example of a transitional kitchen design in Boston

Custom Surface Solutions (www.css-tile.com) - Owner Craig Thompson (512) 430-1215. This project shows the remodel of a small 1950's vintage home master bathroom. 8"" x 18" Calcutta gold marble tile was used on the shower walls and floor wall base and ceramic gray penny tile on the floor. Shower includes curbless pan / floor, dual shower boxes, frameless glass slider, trough duel fixture sink and chrome fixtures.

Wainscot trim
Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman wooden straight wood railing staircase remodel in Chicago with painted risers

This Indian Sandstone Patio in Bolton-Le-Sands near Lancaster had not been cleaned successfully for several years. Although the owner had power washed it on occasion, that won’t rid you of Black Spot, Mould, Lichen etc and this will build-up over the years. It does clean the stone up to a certain standard but at some point, it will need further treatment. My client had now reached this point and decided to give Tile Doctor a call to have it renovated. We discussed the Patio which ran around the house and calculated that it measured approximately 60m2. With the measurements and a summary of the issues I was able to work out a quote which they were happy to accept. To improve the appearance of the stone I started by giving it a power wash to remove the general grime and dirt. I used a top of the range Karcher Pressure Washer for this which can apply up to 20 bars of pressure. The machine also comes with a spinner attachment results in a much more even clean than simply using the spray head. The patio was left to dry for thirty minutes before applying neat Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner. Please note this is a very powerful product meant for professional use so if you’re using it always wear gloves and protective glasses. You leave it on the stone for ten minutes or longer before working it in. The directions on the back of the bottle say recommend leaving it for two to four hours, but its general advice. Personally, I find it is best to test the timing on a small inconspicuous area first, leave it on for say ten minutes then add a bit of water, scrub the surface and if the Black Spot disappears then that is all the time you need. If the stain is stubborn, increase the time. The two to four hour recommendation is really for difficult Black Spots that have become ingrained into the stone and then the product needs longer to digest the stain before it can work. Once that was done, I used the power washer on low pressure to wash the products off the stone and into the sewerage drain, a wet vacuum comes in handy for this. Don’t dispose of it into the grass or planting areas as the strong chemicals in the product could upset them. Many properties have a soak away to capture rainwater from gutters, so you need to make sure it’s the sewage drain you are using. As you can see on the pictures, this product really does work and got rid of the Black Spot completely. To maintain the patio a regular jet wash was recommended, the household versions are ideal for keeping it clean and tidy. Due to the size of the Sandstone patio the whole process took around six hours to complete. Once done though the patio looked transformed and was all ready for a barbeque and some guests. Hopefully, it will stop raining long enough for this to happen. Russell Taylor Lancashire Tile Doctor

Head To Head Negotiations Gets Results For Happy Sellers: When I was introduced to Steven Hill, I knew from the minute we met “this was the guy” to represent me. Steven has a very calm, soft approach to his dealing with people, unlike the ego driven who spout their credentials to impress. He listens to understand what the client wants rather than telling them what he wants. He assured me he was confident in his ability to sell my property without over promising and I was skeptical, but boy did he deliver on that promise, and some. Let’s start with the brochures. Sotheby’s brochures blow everyone else out of the water. A piece of paper, with black and white photos, gets lost in the bottom of a purse, or garbage bin, but a Sotheby’s brochure is a piece of art. Steven’s photographer created fabulous photos that took my breath away when the brochure arrived. My house looked beyond amazing yet true to the property. This alone sets Sotheby’s far above the rest by doing more than photocopying a sheet of paper to leave an impression. Very impressed. Steven and I corresponded everyday and, after 5 days on the market, we accepted a conditional offer. I was thrilled Steven got the sale price I wanted, so quickly. Unfortunately, we found ourselves in a tense situation when the home inspector found a breach in our sewer line. Immediately I got a quote for the repairs, and was fully prepared to cover the expense, but the buyer’s realtor was insisting on a sizeable holdback. This is where we witnessed Steven’s negotiation skills under pressure. He went head to head with the buyer’s realtor, as the buyers and ourselves stood by and watched. Steven insisted he would not allow his clients to have an open wallet, while the buyer’s realtor pushed harder and harder. Steven never once showed how irritated or upset he was by this realtor’s aggressive nature and, in a calm voice, kept insisting an open wallet was not going to work. This was a little unsettling with three days left to lift the conditions and I wasn’t holding out much hope the deal would close. Things looked grim, but once again Steven’s abilities and strong connections shone through…. he found a back up buyer who presented an offer we could not ignore. Of course, Steven had to bring this to the first buyer’s attention and, to everyone’s surprise, all conditions were lifted and we had a firm sale. Not only did I get my asking price but I no longer had to cover the repair expense. Steven was nothing but brilliant. I believe somewhere along the way Steven and I became friends. I look forward to a “Hi Jane” text from him that always makes me smile. I thoroughly enjoy his kind, caring, easy going nature and his wicked sense of humor. I like his Porsche too