Archive for April, 2008...
Filed under Slate sealing and cleaning
Pet urine can cause permanent damage to stone floors that have not been properly sealed. When urine is first deposited, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is acidic. It is much easier to remove when it is fresh. Once it dries it turns alkaline (pH of between 10 & 12) and becomes trickier to remove.
If you have a cleaning job that has proved too difficult to complete yourself, you may need to call in a specialist.
I came across a company called ‘PHS Cleaning & Restoration’. This is a company based in Illinois with many years of experience cleaning natural stone floors. They seem to have quite a comprehensive evaluation process, before they start any remedial work.
By the way, I found this great image from www.dailypuppy.com. Click on the image to see more photos of ‘Sophia’, the Golden Retriever.
Comments (0) Posted by Peter Phillips on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
Filed under General
I am in Orlando this week checking out the Coverings show. As they say, this is the ultimate tile and stone experience for the US market. There are hundreds upon hundreds of exhibitors showing off their stone slabs, tiles, manufacturing systems, sealants, etc. My goal here is to see what the upcoming trends may be, as well as find new and interesting sources and materials. I will drop a few lines after each day of the show about what I have seen.
From what I saw today, it looks like the coming trend in travertine, for both floor and wall tiles, is vein cut. I spoke a bit about it in previous posts. Vein cut is cut in such a fashion that it exposes the natural veining of the travertine and shows up as unique lines on the surface of the finished stone. I will add some pictures tomorrow once I get them off my camera.
Filed under General Slate Tile
We are fortunate enough at BuildDirect to get many photos sent to us from customers who have finished their slate installations.
This photo is of a back yard in Mobile, AL. The Silver Gray Quartzite 16″x16″ slate tile lends it a very contemporary look. I think that the diagonal installation also adds to the overall effect.
I have requested higher resolution photos from the customer and will display them on our website with the other installed images once they have been received.
Do you have a slate tile installation that you are particularly proud of? If so, please post a comment with a link to your photos.
Comments (0) Posted by Peter Phillips on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Filed under Slate shipping logistics
On April 26th, 1956, the Ideal-X steamed out of Newark carrying 58 converted truck trailers to Houston on the world’s first container-ship voyage. Designed by North Carolina trucking executive Malcom McLean, containers cut the cost of loading material onto ships from nearly $6 per ton to 16 cents per ton, shrank loading time in ports from weeks to hours, and, over the next 20 years, raised productivity at docks a thousand-fold.
Comments (0) Posted by Peter Phillips on Monday, April 28th, 2008
Filed under Slate photo of the week
This interesting photo (taken through a fisheye lens) shows a shower installation using Chinese Rusty 12”x12” slate tile. This project really turned out well and looks impressive.
Comments (0) Posted by Peter Phillips on Friday, April 25th, 2008
Filed under General Slate Tile
Comments (0) Posted by Peter Phillips on Thursday, April 24th, 2008
Filed under General
Hey folks, I am going to be away from the office for a few days. As a result, the brilliant and regular posts to which you have become accustomed, will be on hold until the end of the week.
In the meantime, check out the new blog being written by BuildDirect president Jeff Booth HERE.It will give you some insight into the goings on of the overall market, and a real feel for what is happening from a macro perspective. Jeff is a knowledgeable chap when it comes to this stuff, just don’t ask for his help assembling Ikea cabinets.
Back in a few days.
Filed under Slate quarrying methodologies
Slate is found in veins between other types of rock and the angle of dipping of the vein decides the method of extraction.
There are three basic types of slate quarry - underground, open and pit. In underground workings, tunnels are drilled to intercept the vein and then enlarged to remove the slate - pillars being left to hold up the roof. Open quarries follow the vein on the slope of the mountain and often use a system of galleries up to 70 feet high, the greatest exponent of this type of quarrying being Penrhyn at Bethesda. Pit workings are necessary where the vein dips almost vertically and are most common around Nantlle. It was not uncommon to find examples of more than one method of extraction in the same quarry.
Words and photo by kind permission of Dave Sallery. For more information from his tremendous website, please click here.
Comments (1) Posted by Peter Phillips on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Filed under Slate art
Tile & Stone Artist Joy Munshower creates beautiful handcrafted stone medallions and decorative reliefs. Click here to visit her website. This is the most incredibly detailed slate work I have ever seen!
Comments (0) Posted by Peter Phillips on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
Filed under General
So you are looking at adding a little classic travertine to your humble abode. You have your floors all selected, but you think to yourself, what else might match? Kind of like earrings for your house.
Some other interesting pieces that can be made of travertine and would compliment that new floor are columns, fireplaces, bathtubs, sinks, and even sculptures. Take a look at some of the interesting pieces below.
