I had a customer contact me about a farmhouse kitchen remodel she was doing in Lutz, Florida. She found me through referrals for tile contractors in the Tampa, Florida area. We set up an appointment to go over her kitchen design and to see her tile selection. She selected a handmade 3×8 Zellige tile from Clé that has a beautiful glaze coloring to it, fissures and irregularities you find in tile like this.
Once the tile came in I scheduled her backsplash installation date for after the cabinets and countertops were installed. The installation went smoothly and it’s always fun to install these handmade tiles because of the size variations in them. We both decided that a sanded white grout would look the best because it would show off the tile and match the white cabinets. After the floating shelves, pot filler, hood and beautiful stove were installed their kitchen tile renovation in Lutz, Florida was completed. ✔️👍🏼
Here are some finished photos showing off the handmade 3×8 Zellige “peony white” subway tile installation we did.
I’ve been doing a lot of backsplashes at the Bexley Community in Land O Lakes Florida. A lot of those customers are referring me to other customers which is great. Here is a project we did in Lutz that knew someone that I just completed a backsplash for in Bexley.
This customer had selected a 1×2 Bianco Carrara herringbone tile that comes on sheets that they wanted for their backsplash. Herringbone tile is a little more difficult to install because of all the cuts but in the end it comes out looking elegant and beautiful. I told the customer I think their countertops and cabinets would look beautiful with their selection therefore we scheduled the project.
When starting the project I removed the 4 inch granite countertop backsplash because I think it looks better when the backsplash runs down to the countertop. I did my layout on the three sections of this backsplash and started making my cuts for the installation. The installation went smoothly because the tile was made pretty decent and the layout made everything work out great. The customer selected a Mapei FA stain resistant grout in “Frost” which looked beautiful with a light veining in the countertops.
I final washed the backsplash, reinstalled the outlets and outlet covers and did the caulking in the corner for expansion along the countertops and corners. The customer is very pleased and loves the final product.
if you’re looking for a backsplash installation in the Bexley Community or surrounding areas feel free to CONTACT US.
A homeowner contacted me after locating a beautiful Lunada Bay paper-faced glass tile from a tile showroom in Tampa, Florida. The glass tile was a Lunada Bay “Agate” Luca Pearl 1×4 Brick purchased from the Ceramic Matrix tile showroom. I have done dozens of backsplashes for customers of this tile showroom and the help they give to the customers is great. The customers come to me with knowledge of the tile they purchased, a quality tile to install and looking for a quality tile installer in the Tampa Bay area to make their project come to fruition.
After I was warded the project I quickly scheduled them and was able to get started on their project. The tile came in fast at Ceramic Matrix in Tampa because they are a distributors of the Lunada Bay glass tile. They already selected a grout color that looked perfect with the Lunada Bay glass tile so that was already taken care of before I started the project. Upon starting the backsplash It was four small sections which was easy to layout with the 1×4 glass tile.
Working with paper faced glass tile is very different than working with the basic Chinese glass mosaics that you stick up with mastic or regular thinset. There’s a whole different skill set needed when installing this tile due to its difficult installation method. You need a highly modified white glass tile thinset to install this type of glass tile. There’s also a certain method for installing this paper faced glass tile that has to be adhered to or you will see trowel lines and air bubbles behind the opaque glass tile once the paper is removed off the face.
Being that Ceramictec tile installers in Tampa has installed many paper-faced glass tile backsplashes over the years, this installation was an easy and beautiful project for us to complete. Enjoy the photos and if you’re looking to have a glass tile backsplash installed in the Tampa or surrounding areas feel free to Contact Us
I had a customer that wanted to do a custom “no curb” barrier free walk in tile shower in Tampa, Florida. They were looking for a Tampa tile installer so they came to me with their idea. I set up an appointment with them to go over what they had in mind and to make suggestions with my professional opinion as a professional tile installer. They were looking to do a 12×24 rectified tile in the shower and going onto the bathroom walls. They also wanted to use the 12×24 rectified tile on the main floor going into the shower area. I suggested about how all the tile grout joints should line up and flow on the shower floor and the walls in the shower. I assured them by using a linear drain with no shower curb we could easily make this happen. I sent them to a tile distributor I work with in Tampa and they were able to pick out a nice rectified tile. The tile was an Ergon “Green Tech” 12X24 rectified tile in Sand for the field and Brown for the accent wall.
We decided on running the tile in a “stacked” pattern in a more modern look rather than a “brick joint“ which is more Tuscan. Once all the color selection was out-of-the-way I gave them for a proposal for the tile work and the labor on the project. The yearly agreed because of my past references and work they’ve seen online prior. I scheduled the project, ordered the tile and got all associated materials lined up and ready. On the first days of starting the project we pretty much gutted the bathroom by demoing the shower walls, shower floor and main bathroom floor. All of the drywall walls were removed because new cementboard was being installed along with tile on the walls. Moving right along with the project we next installed the cementboard in the shower and also on the main room walls.
Next was the critical layout of the Laticrete lineal drain. It had to be set level and at the right height and angle so water would flow in one consistent pitch into the lineal drain in the no curb shower. But since we have done numerous no curb, handicap accessible and barrier free showers it was accomplished easily. Onto the installation of the pitched mud bed shower pan tied into the lineal drain. Once that mud bed had cured and the cementboard was mesh taped and floated with mortar we installed the Laticrete HydroBan liquid waterproofing on the shower walls and floor. Also installation of Laticrete StrataMat uncoupling membrane on the main floor to help with movement, crack isolation, vapor management and the use of a modified thinset with this uncoupling membrane and porcelain tile.
The tile installation went smoothly with the use of the MLT System leveling clips we use on our rectified tile installations. The floor layout worked great with the no curb shower pan and it lined up with all the walls in the bathroom. We even installed a niche with glass tile in the back of the niche and as an accent liner throughout the room. A stain resistant grout was used to match each color of tile. Corners of the tile were caulked with matching caulk And all tile work was washed a few times to make sure no grout haze was left on it. The project was then turned over to the customer that had the frameless glass door installed, cabinets, plumbing fixtures and other finish details. This project turned out great and the customers are very pleased with everything. I hope you enjoyed reading this No Curb Barrier Free Linear Drain Tile Shower in Tampa, Florida blog.
If you’re looking to have a no curb barrier free tile shower installation by a Tampa tile installer in the Tampa or surrounding areas CONTACT US
Had a customer call me from Brandon, Florida that wanted to have manufactured stone installed on an accent wall in his home. He owned a recording studio and wanted to use the stone as a sound buffer as well as a nice looking accent wall in the studio. We set up an appointment for a measure and I also showed him some brochures on stone we used. He wanted a square style stone with a clean natural looking color and also some light red here and there. I showed him a few brochures and he decided on a Suncrest Stone style. The color he selected was a Madison County Stack. I contacted my supplier and had them send out an actual sample board with the pieces on it for him to approve. Once the homeowner received the sample board he confirmed that the color and look was what he wanted. I made a contract for the project and got it to him to get the ball rolling.
We received the deposit for materials from the owner and immediately ordered the stone from our stone yard. The supplier gave us an estimated delivery time so I set up an installation date with the homeowner. The owner also wanted to make sure his bright blue wall didn’t show through the crack of the stone so he painted the wall black. He also had a new acoustic ceiling install prior. When the stone came in we picked it up the morning of the installation and headed to the project. We got to the project and the room was already cleared and ready for us. We put down our drop clothes, got our tools out and loaded the stone into the room. We also took a lot of the stone out of the boxes and laid them out in size and shape order. We do this so we can install them easier and know where things are faster without having to search for that “perfect fitting stone“.
I did a fast measurement of the wall and stone and then did the layout to get a game plan. I was using Laticrete Masonry Veneer Mortar since I really like it’s bond, I mixed some up as per manufacturers instructions. I started my first row off the desk since it was mounted to the wall. I also used some cardboard strips to allow for movement and expansion between the stone and desk. The first rows went in smooth really smooth and I was happy with the look already. I worked my way upwards back and forth placing each stone in the right spot to achieve a random stacked look. The Suncrest stone is well made and easy to install. The homeowner also wanted a flat screen tv mounted to the stone wall. We had to cut around a mounting bracket and bury the cable as we installed the stone. It was pretty easy to hide under the stone since the mortar setting the stone was pretty thick.
The rest of the stone installation went well. We cut in the stone at the top near the ceiling. The sides, bottom and under the desk was install level and came out perfect. mounted the flat screen on the wall and installed a couple outlet plates. We asked the homeowner if he wanted the stone sealed. He didn’t and wanted the flat natural look. After we cleaned up the project the owner put back all of his electrical stuff and got things back to normal. He was very pleased with the turn out of the interior stone veneer wall and loved its function in his sound room. He already referred us to another client who we just completed a fireplace for.
