Stone Tile Emporium, Author at Natural Stone Tile Company & Shop

They say that you only get one chance to make a good first impression. When it comes to your home, this means focusing your attention on the entrance and hallway. Get these key areas right and you and your guests will be greeted by a welcoming atmosphere that sets the tone for the rest of the house. It’s your perfect opportunity to introduce your personal style and your home’s interiors scheme.

That said, entrance foyers and hallways are among the most hardworking spaces of your home. These are high traffic areas that are likely to experience a considerable amount of wear and tear, especially if you live in a busy family home with kids and pets. When it comes to hallway flooring, you need to balance style and aesthetics with the key considerations of practicality, durability and easy maintenance.

Decorative floor tiles are the obvious solution, and here at The Stone Tile Emporium we have a wealth of choice on offer for all requirements. Take a look at our product pages here and pop into our showroom in Reigate where a member of the team will be happy to talk you through all the options.

Here are our flooring recommendations for hallways and entrances.

Victorian Tiles

We supply and install a beautiful selection of Victorian floor tiles in a wide range of colourful and striking decorative patterns. Once reserved exclusively for period homes, the recent revival of Victorian tiles as an interiors trend means these traditional floors are becoming ever more popular in modern homes too.

Victorian floor tiles are ideal for entrance and hallway flooring and they will make a real style statement too. Extremely durable and water resistant, tiles for porches and hallways are an ideal choice for busy areas and they can add timeless grandeur and character to your house, while colour combinations can achieve stunning visual accents.

Opt for classic Victorian black and white checkerboard patterns to turn your hallway from humdrum to high impact, add warmth and colour interest with terracotta-based patterns that make a feature out of your hallway, or choose traditional encaustic tiles for that wow factor.

Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain floor tiles are another excellent choice for hallways and entrance ways. They score high in terms of practicality, being water, stain and scratch resistant and therefore the ideal everyday solution for family homes with pets. A highly durable flooring option with tiles that are extremely easy to keep clean, porcelain tiles don’t require any ongoing maintenance such as sealing, waxing or polishing.

Visit The Stone Tile Emporium for a superb range of porcelain tiles in a myriad of designs and finishes – so you’re bound to find the right flooring solution for your preferred style and colour scheme. What’s more, porcelain floor tiles can be manufactured to imitate other materials including marble, natural stone and wood effect porcelain tiles. For the perfect combination of style, practicality and affordability, you can’t beat porcelain tiles.

Natural Stone Tiles

Original Style Earthworks Viano White polished marble and Nero polished marble floor tiles

If you are looking for a natural flooring material that will stand the test of time, natural stone tiles are what you’re looking for. They are incredibly long-lasting and can help add character to your home, thanks to rustic finishes and unique markings on individual tiles. Natural stone tiles are highly scratch resistant and they’re considered an eco-friendly flooring choice. What’s more, stone is an excellent heat conductor and pairs perfectly with underfloor heating.

At The Stone Tile Emporium, our stone tiles come in a vast range of different shades and finishes including smooth, polished and rough surfaces. Visit the showroom for our collection of Limestone, Marble, Travertine and Slate for an individual look and a long-term investment into your home.

Get in touch

If you are looking for the best floor tiles for your hallway or entrance area, The Stone Tile Emporium in Reigate should be your first port of call. We have a huge choice of products including Victorian tiles, porcelain tiles and natural stone tiles for you to view, and an experienced and knowledgeable team waiting to share their expertise.

We are a family-based business with many years of flooring experience and a highly skilled installation team to put at your disposal. Why not visit our showroom to see what we have on offer and take advantage of our professional advice and guidance to make sure you choose the right flooring solution for your hallway and entrance areas. We are open every day except Tuesdays.

There is no denying that tiles are a wonderful addition to the home. They can really make a bathroom or kitchen spring to life by transforming floors, walls and shower stalls.

But what happens to your tiles when you feel like redecorating? You could throw them away or you could consider recycling and reusing them.

Upgrading your tiles

The fact you might have tiles you are considering recycling is likely due to a little home improvement. Let’s face it; home decor can feel a little stale after a while and freshening the place up is often in order. Even if you once loved your decor, looking at the same walls for too long can make you start itching to change things around.

The beauty of using a material like tiles to decorate your home is that you have the freedom to chop and change things around as often as you like. Our natural stone tiles come in a variety of styles, including wood effect, and are perfect for renovating your bathroom, kitchen or shower. Once you have remodelled your home, you could have some tiles left behind that you might want to recycle.

Here are some ideas about what to do with your old tiles.

Repurposing tiles is fun

Giving your old tiles away to someone who needs them is a great way to ensure there is less waste in the world. However, we think repurposing tiles and giving them a new lease of life by transforming them is a fun and rewarding activity.

You can unleash your inner artist with these creative uses for old tiles:

Tile coasters and placemats
Tile tabletop
Decorative tile tray
Planter

You might enjoy repurposing tiles so much that you just enjoy buying them and finding alternative uses for them.

We have a fine collection of ceramic wall tiles that look great in any part of the home they are placed. They are perfect for any home improvement project, or some arts and crafts time too.

Our marble flooring tiles are perfect for elegant flooring but are also ideal for home improvement projects as they are large enough to act as a tabletop or tray surface on their own.

Recycling tiles at the local recycling centre

If you have been through a redecoration project in the past you might have realised how difficult it is to recycle old tiles. Many recycling and refuse plants don’t specifically take tiles and they tend to get thrown into the rubble collection point. Once your old tiles are thrown in with the rest of the rubble, there’s not much hope of fishing them out.

Old tiles will get thrown in with other building rubble and either crushed and turned into concrete or possibly sold as materials for building roads. However, there are things you can do yourself to recycle and reuse some of your old tiles to save them from destruction.

Give tiles a new home

Your tiles have served you well but it’s time to move on to something bigger and better. Maybe you think your tiles deserve better than to be smashed up and repurposed as building materials. One way to give ceramic tiles a new lease of life is to offer them out to friends and family.

Perhaps you know someone who has just moved house or has a project that they could use some porcelain tiles. Porcelain tiles are hardwearing, versatile and look great, so they are perfect for donating to others once you have finished with them. You can also check local community notice boards for any people or charities looking for tiles.

Social media has plenty of positives and negatives but one of its great benefits is putting people in touch with each other. You could always post to a local social media community page or marketplace to see if anyone is keen to take them off your hands. This way, you know that your old tiles will be of use to someone again.

How to remove tiles without breaking them

Getting tiles off the wall or floor without breaking them is going to be the biggest challenge to ensuring they can be reused. Naturally, once a tile has been put in place it is designed to stay there. That can make removing them pretty tricky but there are ways to work them out of their place and keep them intact.

The first thing you need to do is to wear away the grout, which may require tools like a grout saw or utility knife. Power tools will get the job done faster but not everyone has them and feels confident using them.

Once the grout is removed it’s time to pop the tile out. This can be easy or difficult depending on how stuck they are underneath. Try easing a chisel below the tile and start tapping gently with a hammer to see if it is going to come loose.

If it’s looking like it won’t budge then switch to something more flexible, like a putty knife. Slide the putty knife under the tile and begin working away at the adhesive until the tile comes away.

Once you have managed to get the first tile off without breaking it, the rest should come off quite easily. You could always sacrifice one tile to preserve the rest if this job becomes too fiddly.

What to do with broken tiles?

It’s still possible to reuse broken tiles but your options are more limited. Broken tiles are great for mosaic making, and it’s even something you could do with the kids on a rainy day. However, make sure everyone is wearing protective gloves and safety glasses as those shards will be sharp.

With broken tiles you could make the following:

Mosaic plant pots
Mosaic tile magnets
Tiled bookcase
Mosaic bathroom mirror surround
Mosaic garden path

Buying Natural Stone Tiles

If you would rather buy tiles than find new uses for them, we can help you out. Our natural stone tiles come in a wide range of options to perfectly fit into your home. Versatile options like slate tiles can be cut to any size and are perfect for traditional and contemporary homes.

We also offer a tile repair and replacement service, so you don’t have to struggle with removing them yourself. For tiles that last a long time, get in touch for a no-obligation quote.

From fashion to interiors, the cottagecore trend has taken the world by storm. The charming aesthetic is focused on creating a cosy respite that is centred around slow living and pastoral features. But what is the trend and what key features can you incorporate into your home to replicate this aesthetic?

What is cottagecore?

Cottagecore is a trend that focuses on domestic living, peacefulness and creativity. It’s a charming and dreamy aesthetic that strives to incorporate sustainability with minimising the stresses of daily life. So, how does that apply to interior design?

Cottagecore works well in homes, with nods to nostalgia and pared-down rooms that remind you to slow down and savour the little moments. Think less technology, more spaces to recharge and relax. And it doesn’t take a major overhaul of your current home to create a cottagecore look.

Use natural materials

Nature and the cottagecore trend go hand in hand, so it’s a common feature of homes adopting this trend to make use of the likes of wood, wicker, hemp fabrics or stone and slate. From wooden furniture covered with warm woollen blankets to wicker baskets and large natural stone floor tiles, there are various ways to include natural materials into your home and layering is very much encouraged with this style.

Include floral patterns

Bring nature inside with florals, both real and patterns, such as in art around the home, textiles and wallpaper. Floral patterns evoke a romantic ambiance and country-style cottage feel and fuse the outdoors with inside. It’s a great way of adding organic warmth year-round to different rooms in your home, especially when coupled with an abundance of real plants for added greenery and an ethereal touch.

Seek out antiques

Antique furniture and vintage décor items work really well with this interior style, creating a nostalgic farmhouse look that cottagecore is known for. But you can also use this as inspiration if you don’t want to buy antiques. For example, Victorian tiles add a vintage feel to living rooms and kitchens, and they’re ideal if you want to keep the rest of the room fairly minimal but with a touch of pattern and colour.

Play with colour

Earth tones and floral pastels pair brilliantly with the cottagecore aesthetic, and with this trend, you can play more with colour and texture to create an eclectic palette. With cottagecore, focus on natural colours such as green, yellow and creams paired with pastel floral colours. If you have a neutral colour scheme already, you can add to it with key colourful pieces that will make a statement.

Experiment with different areas of the home

The living room is often the first thought when it comes to interior design, but cottagecore is a trend that works in a variety of rooms. From cosy bedrooms that make use of layered materials and soft furnishings, to using vintage china and florals in the kitchen and decorative patterned tiles in the bathroom, think about features you can update in each room for an eclectic yet cohesive look.

Final thoughts

Cottagecore has really flourished over the past year since more people have been craving calmness and serenity in light of the pandemic and uncertainty. But the great news is that its popularity has remained, and the charming nature-inspired look can work with many styles of home décor. From natural materials and colours to incorporating florals and vintage-inspired patterns and products, there are various ways you can add a cottage feel to your property, and it’s a style that works in any room of the house.

If you’d like advice on the best tiles to choose for your kitchen, bathroom or elsewhere in your home, the team at The Stone Tile Emporium can help. Get in touch with us today.

Black Slate Rectangular Wall Tiles In Kitchen

If your bathroom has seen better days, 2021 could be the year to finally do something about it.

After all, there’s nothing worse than having to wash and clean yourself in an area you don’t feel as comfortable in as you used to – sometimes you simply have to say enough is enough and do something about it.

However, when it comes to redesigning your bathroom, choosing the right tiles to use can be a difficult decision for many. This is not only because of how frequently trends come and go, but also due to the huge number of designs there are available to choose from.

So, with this in mind, we thought we’d help make the decision process easier for you. Join us as we run through four of 2021’s most popular tile trends, highlighting the key ones to think about if you’re planning on redesigning your bathroom later this year.

1. Subway Tiles

While some people may think the traditional design of subway designs may be boring, 2021 looks to be the year they’re brought back into fashion.

This is due to the new range of sizes they are fast-becoming available in – much thicker, longer and larger than we have seen before.

These styles, combined with a contrasting grout colour, can now transform dull into delightful, especially when installed in such a way to create a unique pattern or mosaic pattern within the bathroom.

2. Hexagonal Tiles

While on the topic of unusually shaped tiles, hexagonal porcelain tiles are becoming more and more popular with consumers around the UK.

Therefore, if you’re keen on giving your bathroom a bit more of a geometric pattern, hexagonal-shaped tiles can do exactly that, creating a truly unique look in your bathroom.

Whether you choose to use them on the floor of your shower or on a standalone wall, these tiles provide an abundance of choice over the style you want to achieve for your bathroom.

You could even go one step further by combining an array of differently coloured tiles to create elaborate accents in tune with your bathroom’s overall colour scheme.

3. Matte Tiles

Another type of tile which appears to have significantly grown in popularity in recent times is the matte tile. These tiles offer a soft but highly powerful style that won’t look too overwhelming in a bathroom, like some glossy ceramics can.

And, while they may be slightly duller in appearance, they more than make up for it in the practicality of their design, with water stains invisible on them when they are installed correctly.

This, in turn, makes them to ideal choice for flooring in the bathroom, especially if you have a lot of room to play with.

4. Graphic Patterns

Retro is officially back.

More and more people are now investing in graphic patterns for their bathroom tiles, utilising a range of colours, patterns and designs to really show off their space.

Victorian tiles, for instance, offer homeowners the creative freedom to put their imagination to use and come up with bold designs truly unique to their own home.

What’s more, these patterns are being seen on both ceramic and porcelain-style tiles, enabling you to control just how glossy or bold you want your designs to come across.

Final Thoughts…

If you’re still feeling a little stuck on which bathroom tiles is right for you, don’t worry – our team here at The Stone Tile Emporium are always on hand to help.

Simply contact us at your earliest convenience and we’ll be able to answer any questions you may have, before helping you identify the best tiles to suit both your personal and budgetary requirements.

Warm Coloured Victorian Tiled Patio Area

If you’ve been told that the kitchen is the heart of the home, think again. The living room is coming back as a place in your home dedicated to relaxing and entertaining. Take a quick look back in time and you’ll see that it was thanks to the Arts and Crafts movement that we now favour comfortable, practical and informal living rooms rather than formal reception rooms akin to the Victorian ‘parlour’.

So, how can you achieve this intimate yet stylish look at home in the 21^st century? We’ve put together 5 easy tips to inspire you to add some Victorian charm to your living room.

1 – Fireplace as a focal point

The fireplace was key to a Victorian ‘lounge’. Not only was it used to heat the room but it served as a beautiful focal point, with space to show off decorative objects and artefacts on the mantelpiece. If you have a period fireplace in your living room, now is the time to give it some TLC. Restore the marble or cast-iron surround and clean or replace the feature tiles where necessary. There are plenty of online guides to help you do this.

For a professional finish, The Stone Tile Emporium offer a comprehensive tile maintenance service. We can remove and replace damaged tiles, renovate natural stone tiled surfaces and carry out a deep clean of all tiles.

2 – Original architectural features

If you are lucky enough to have other original features in your home, make the most of them. Ceiling roses and mouldings, for instance, should be accentuated and celebrated. If they have been removed, consider reinstating them with modern replicas.

Original flooring in hallways and downstairs living areas are a much-coveted feature in period homes. The Victorians loved geometric designs, and delicate and intricate patterns in different colours. Encaustic tiles first appeared in Europe in the late 19^th century and were used to decorate the floors of palaces and grand houses all over Europe.

Take a look at our Victorian tiles in striking, decorative patterns – perfect as a stylish yet hardwearing solution for many areas of your home.

3 – Rich colours and patterns

Creating a Victorian ‘vibe’ requires the use of colour – no magnolia here! Rich paint and wallpaper colours and patterns were standard in living rooms. From ruby red to forest green, midnight blue, brown and black, rooms were richly decorated in jewel colours and ornate patterns.

If you have high ceilings, consider painting these the same shade as your walls – it can make a large room look dramatic and opulent. Alternatively, opt for a feature wall in a rich colour if you’re not quite brave enough to commit to a full-on colour scheme.

4 – Plenty of texture and interest

The Victorians were big fans of using lots of different textures on walls, floors and soft furnishings. Think dark, dramatic floorboards covered with Persian-style rugs in rich jewel shades. Window dressings should be sumptuous. Heavy curtains and drapes can create a sense of cosiness as well as opulence, particularly when teamed with delicate lace trims.

On sofas and chairs, try layering cushions in velvet or brocade to evoke Victorian luxury. Think daybeds or thick velvet drapes, soft button-back armchairs and a Victorian chandelier as a feature light.

5 – More is more

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of ornamentation in helping you create more Victorian flair in your home. Many eclectic objets and quirky decorative items can be picked up relatively cheaply from second hand retailers such as antique shops and craft fairs, flea markets and charity shops, and of course internet auction sites.

All it takes is a bit of time and an open mind. From bell jars to taxidermy, vases, mirrors, clocks and artworks, why not curate your own collection of curios and proudly display them in your living room.

At The Stone Tile Emporium, we have a wide selection of finest quality natural stone tiles for your home. We specialise in Victorian geometric flooring tiles in a vast range of colours, sizes and shapes – the perfect way to add a touch of Victorian elegance and style to your home. Why not get in touch or visit our showroom to find our more.

Ceramic tiles are one of the most popular types of material used in the home, but have you ever stopped to find out what exactly they are? With so many shapes, styles and designs to choose from, it’s always important to know what it is you’re buying.

Fortunately, we’re here to do just that. We will teach you all you need to know about ceramic tiles, including what they are and why they’re such a popular material to use.

What are Ceramic Tiles?

Ceramic tiles are comprised of sand, natural products and clays. They are then moulded into the desired shape before being fired in a kiln. Once this process has finished, they are either glazed or left au natural in an unglazed form. Glazed ceramic tiles tend to be the more popular option of the two, but the choice really comes down to the individual involved and the overall look they’re going for.

What are the benefits of Ceramic Tiles?

The popularity of ceramic tiles isn’t unjustified – they are well deserving of their merit as a highly effective building material. Here are four of the main reasons why:

They are incredibly durable.
They are highly resistant.
They retain their colour for life.
They are very easy to clean.

How can I have some installed?

Here at The Tile Emporium, we have rejuvenated our ceramic wall tile displays with these fantastic rustic glazed and crackle glazed brick tiles:

If you are interested in any of these tiles and would like to have them installed, please get in touch with a member of our team either online or by visiting our store in Reigate.

We have found these spectacularly large Porcelain wood planks manufactured by a small Italian company, they are 1.8m long and come in 200 or 300mm widths. We have 4 colours available and are an absolute must see, they dwarf any other faux wood effect tile we have found. We know we are the only stockists of this tile in Surrey so make sure you come and have a look at these fantastic tiles.

En caustic tiles, in which the pattern on the surface is created by using different colours of clay, first appeared in Europe in the late 19th century.

This is Ca’ Pietra’s first ever collection of hand-made decorative tiles made using the ‘encaustic’ technique with cement in which the pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design and colour remain over a longer period of time even with extensive wear.

These are different from ceramic tiles in the way that they are created. Ceramic tiles are made such that surface pattern is the product of the finishing glaze printed on the surface and not the actual tile itself. Whereas with these, the pattern continues throughout the depth of the tile and as a result wears much better. Contact us today or visit our shop in Reigate for more information.

Porcelanosa tiles may be one of the most popular types of material when it comes to interior design, but what exactly are they? And where did they come from?

We’re here to answer both these questions and more, helping you learn all you need to know about the beautiful building material. Let’s get started.

What are Porcelanosa Tiles?

Porcelanosa tiles come from the aptly-named Porcelanosa – one of the leading suppliers of tiles across the globe. Founded in Villarreal back in 1973, the Spanish manufacturer have a strong philosophy for designing building materials which combine beauty and originality.

These two characteristics can be found throughout the entire range of Porcelanosa products – whether it be a ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, or mosaic design.

Why are they good to use?

The popularity of Porcelanosa tiles isn’t unmerited – they are one of the most popular and effective building materials for good reason. Here are four reasons why:

They offer a high quality.
They are incredibly durable.
They feature a unique, original design.
They represent innovation at its finest.

Where can I get them?

Here at The Tile Emporium, we stock the newest products from the Porcelanosa design collection, including the two stunning ceramic wall tiles shown below:

B0EEFEA4-5B4E-4948-9258-8BBE6C8983C10B3034DA-6FDE-475E-9A38-22BD0EC58A60

D83D52BB-BA0F-42EF-B2F0-3C7DE842FA3C52A75FFB-2B59-4264-B046-F8201A8B19BF

If you are interested in having these tiles installed at your property, please get in touch with a member of our team either online, or visit our store in Reigate for a closer look yourself.

We have recently added some of the new ranges from Porcelanosa, Here are a few examples. These are the ceramic wall tiles, they are also available as a matching porcelain floor tile. If you are interested in any of these tiles, call us, email us or visit us in store in Reigate, Surrey.