Tile Plus has been promoting and marketing itself quite heavily since the downturn of our economy which is great for building up our customer base but, what about cutting costs and helping the environment by going green?

Well, we actually have been a pretty green office for several years. Here's why:
Over 96% of the bulbs in our office are fluorescent and they were recently replaced with Philips bulbs which contain less mercury than earlier models. The few halogen bulbs we have are used in our bathrooms and those are usually off.

We recycle our ink cartridges which we think everybody should do, especially based off of the facts below.
"An average toner cartridge, used in laser printers, faxes and copiers is made of 40% plastic requiring up to 1 gallon (3.7 liters) of oil. The rest of the cartridge consists of 40% metal and smaller amounts of rubber, paper, foam and toner.
"Over 375 million empty toner cartridges and ink cartridges are thrown into the trash every year in the US. Most of these printer cartridges end up on landfill sites or in incinerators.
"The plastics used in printer cartridges are made of an engineering grade polymer that have a very slow decomposing rate ranging between 450 to 1000 years depending on the cartridge type. Ink cartridges may also leak printer ink polluting the surrounding environment.
"By recycling printer cartridges, we conserve natural resources and energy by reducing the need for virgin materials. Up to 97 percent of the materials that make up a printer cartridge can be recycled or reused if taken care of. Printer cartridges can in extreme cases be refilled up to 15 times before reaching the end of their life most though averaging between 5-7 refills."
Source: inkguides.com

More actions we do to stay green are: Using both sides of our sheets of paper, setting all of our computers to an optimum power saving mode when they are not being used and our power is supplied by PG&E which produces more than 50% of its energy from renewable sources such as wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy.

We have aerators on all of our faucets, they are the little mesh screens cover the faucet. Well, recently we installed new aerators which reduce water flow to 1.0 gallons per minute (gpm) which was the lowest gpm supplying aerator our nearest Home Depot carried. Typical aerators may have a gpm of 2 gallons per minute. If one sink is turned on for 1 minute by 15 employees each per day for one week, we saved ourselves 105 gallons just in that single week!

Finally, we recently dug up some tile in our warehouse which we used in commercial bathrooms a few years back. The product is produced by the company, Terra Green Ceramics. All of their tile is manufactured with a minimum of 55% recycled glass and is certified by the, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). A bit about SCS, they were established in 1991 and their vision is, "To be a global leader in providing third-party environmental, sustainability and food quality certification, auditing, testing and standards development."

We think it would be a great idea for green products to be become more popular in the San Francisco Bay Area such as the tile where the metropolitan area is the 6th largest in the country and the 46th largest urban area in the world. There are over 7.4 million people living here, we sure can create a large impact through setting a good example. Our area is a large opinion leader since we are within the Golden State, we've got Silicon Valley and host such a large computer industry.

Oh, and one more fun fact, "San Jose is not only recognized as the capital of Silicon Valley, it is the safest big city in America according to findings by Morgan Quitno Press based on 2003 FBI crime statistics."

If you have any comments or recommendations on us going green, please jot them down on the bottom of this blog, you can click on the blue word "comment". We would love to hear from anybody and everybody.

 Please visit our Youtube playlist to view videos, they are fun and if you could rate and review them, even better!

 Please visit our Yelp page to leave us a review if you've worked with us.

Our website, TilePlus.net or click on the picture!

Hello again,

This is our new video. (You may need to SCROLL DOWN to see the video because on some computers our blog appears differently. Also, turn on your speakers to listen to the accompanying soundtrack please.)

Tile Plus, Inc. has been quite productive these past few weeks despite the "recession". (In case you haven't read any of our previous articles we think the recession is just a barrier agreed upon by the group and that barrier can be blown to bits through heavy promotion and constant production.)

Just this week we captured hundreds of photos, sorted through all of them to find the best and then created the above video to show you some of the work we are capable of offering. This was all of a home which we recently completed in Los Gatos, CA.

We also recently completed the tile in a TGI Fridays located in San Mateo, CA and a large commercial building, Plant Sciences, which is located in Watsonville, CA. Plant Sciences develops technology to produce high quality, disease resitant fruit.

We are currently in the middle of a job with Hastings Company located in Hillsborough, CA as well as many other residential homes in California's Bay Area.

Soon we will be working on other homes in Saratoga and Los Gatos, CA.

Please go to our Yelp site and write a review if you have worked with us. It gives us further exposure and helps with our PR. And, if you have watched any of our videos, you can visit YouTube and click on one of our videos to rate it and write a review. The greater the quantity of reviews and ratings give us much more exposure.

Tile Plus Yelp Page
Tile Plus YouTube Page

Thanks for following up on our activities,

The Team at Tile Plus

Visit us at our website here, Tile Plus

With the economic state as it is, some people are forced to abandon their homes while others are trying to sell theirs and move out. While we can't quite offer help on the first category, we do have a bit of helpful information for the latter group.

It is an obvious fact that homes with stone flooring, granite counter-tops and olympic sized pools within sprawling backyards sell for a higher value in the Bay Area versus, a one bedro­om, forty-year-old condo.

If the home-owner feels the v­alue of his home is low or needs to sell his home and doesn't quite like the value of it within the market, he can do a little bit of remodeling. That is where we come in.

Remodeling your kitchen doesn't have to be a costly thing. The team at Tile Plus works with you to create the elegant design of your choice while helping you keep costs as low as possible.

For only approximately, $5,000-8,000 a homeowner can create a very luxurious impression on everybody who views it. Leaving such an effect upon possible buyers, of course, increases the demand and thus, the value of your home with a relatively small investment of time and money. So now, not only do you have a much more comfortable kitchen area or bathroom to live in, when you sell you will also have made your money back.

Hands down, one of the biggest returns on investment comes from a kitchen remodel. Most experts agree that if you plan on updating only one room in your home, it should be the kitchen. High-end touches such as granite countertops, richly stained custom cabinets and energy-efficient stainless appliances are the gold standard in modern kitchens. Experts agree that kitchen remodels return an average of 80 to 85 percent of every dollar spent. You can expect an even higher return if you are remodeling a really outdated kitchen.*

But, if you have a previously remodeled kitchen or are rather satisfied with it already, there are generally several other areas in your home which can be remodeled, take for example, bathrooms. Installing ceramic tiles on your shower walls gives a very classy look to any bathroom while adding value to your home. Tiling floors further raises the bar of home standards and increases the longevity of the flooring versus a sad linoleum floor.

Of course, there are plenty of other areas to tile and that includes but is not limited to, entry ways, hallways, patios and garden walkways.

Please give us a call at (408) 938-3494 so we can work with you to give you the durable, beautiful tile-work you desire or visit us on on our home page here, Tile Plus Home Page

*Citation: 

diynetwork.com (2009). 30 Tips for Increasing Your Home Value. Retrieved 14 September 2009 from diynetwork.com:http://www.diynetwork.com/home-improvement/30-tips-for-increasing-your-homes-value/pictures/page-10.html

 

 Tile Plus, Inc.

Tips on sealing your tile & stone

       This blog gives you a few tips on sealing your new tile and stone installation wherever it may be. It is recommended to seal your custom tile or stone job because the sealant helps to preserve a natural look or even enhance the current look while protecting from oil, grease, dirt and water. It is best to seal right after the stone has been grouted since you don't want dirt and oil penetrating the stone or grout joints and then sealing them in. When sealing a ceramic tile job your main focus would be the grout joints because the ceramic tile usually comes pre-sealed.

       If you are going to seal an area where you expect oil and grease to frequently come in contact with the stone we recommend using a deeply penetrating sealer. When it comes to water and dirt, a general sealer should do the job. We recommend Miracle Sealants' 511 Porous Plus for oil and grease or their 511 Impregnator Sealer for water and dirt.

       To apply sealer we first advise you to read the directions. We can give you general tips but you should always follow the manufacturer's directions.

       First, make sure you have purchased enough sealer to cover the square footage you have installed. Then, have a few clean rags or some sort of cloth at hand that you can wet with the sealant. Next, wipe the stone with your sealer wetted cloth in circular movements to ensure your tile is evenly sealed. Generally sealers will penetrate very deeply so we don't recommend pouring the sealer onto the tile directly (especially enhanced sealers) as it may cause some areas to appear more dark than others because it has penetrateted one area much more thoroughly than another.

       Never dilute your sealer with water unless instructed by the manufacterer. It may heavily affect the sealing properties rendering the sealer ineffective.

       If you feel it appropriate to reapply the sealer to provide a stronger coating against water, dirt, etc. then make sure you let the sealer sit for 1-3 hours in this way you allow the first coating to cure.

       The longevity of your sealer depends on the frequency of use upon the treated area. Some areas such as commercial floors may last only for a year while some residential floors may last for 10+ years!

       When you reapply the sealer after it has pretty much worn off, make sure you first clean the area thoroughly with a substance such as diluted vinegar. Mix about 50% vinegar with 50% water and use a scrubbing brush soaked with the diluted vinegar to clean all of the joints and tiles. You need to wash the vinegar off with a sponge and clean water after you have cleaned the area with vinegar. Once it is dry you should be all set for the reapplication of sealer to the tile or stone.

        That should cover much of the subject on sealing your freshly installed floors. If you want to first learn from visual experience how sealing is done and later do it yourself or if you just want us to do it you can give us a call and we will happily do it for you. Our contact information is below and is on the bottom of our web page at http://tileplus.net or by clicking the link below.

 

-The Tile Plus Team

            You’ve installed your beautiful tile floor and then it happens, the moment you’ve been dreading from the first well-placed tile. Your grout is getting dirty. Don’t panic, The Tile Plus Team is here to help. We’ve put together a handy list of ways to scrub that grout fresh again.

            First things first, know thy enemy. If it’s your bathroom grout that’s getting grimy, it’s usually on account of mold or mildew. If it’s the kitchen, then it’s a combination of food particles, mildew and the foot traffic going through there.

            Second, always start with the simplest cleaning solution first and then work your way to harsher chemicals if you’re unsuccessful. An easy cleaner can be made out of vinegar or baking soda. Use vinegar that has been diluted with an equal amount of water. For example, if you’ve used half a cup of vinegar, dump half a cup of water in there and spray the cleaner on a small length of grout to test it. If you’re using baking powder, then make a paste by mixing in a bit of water and dab the cleaner onto a sample section of grout. Scrub with a stiff brush, scrubbing in small circles, rather than sweeping motions will clean the grout more effectively. Rinse well with water and mop up the remaining moisture with a sponge or paper towels. Mr. Clean, Lysol or powder-based generic household cleaners can also work. Use them as directed for the vinegar or baking soda cleaners above and rinse the grout well after cleaning.

            If your grout stains are still being persistent, like a large blemish on the face of your tile floor, up the ante by trying commercial tile and grout cleaner. You can purchase these wherever home cleaning products are sold. Try to find a product that is pH balanced so that the chemicals in the cleaners don’t erode or ruin your grout with continued use. When using these cleaners, spray it on and let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing, unless the directions on the label say otherwise. Additionally, if you own or can get to a steam cleaner, try using it on your grout work. The pressure of the steam cleaner can dissolve stains that cleaners can't.

            After all of this, if your grout still looks like decayed teeth, make like a dentist and bleach it. This is only for heavy duty stains, use products such as chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach powder or hydrogen peroxide. All of these cleaners must be well diluted before use! You may also find strong cleaners at hardware stores or janitorial supply outlets. When using ANY of these products, read the labels very carefully and follow the directions on them exactly. It’s only fun until someone loses an eyeball right? And you don’t want that person to be you.

            Once you’ve got your grout clean, keep it looking fresh all year long by applying a coat or two of grout sealer. There are various types of sealers, available for different uses so make sure you buy the appropriate type for the grout you’re applying it to. Reapply the sealer annually or more often if needed.

            Now that you’ve got your list of ways to get your grout fresh like a baby’s bottom, here are some general tips when cleaning up your grout. Safety for you and your grout.

-         Never use bleach on colored grout, as it will discolor it.

-         Use a stiff brush for scrubbing. Old toothbrushes are too soft, and any brush with metal bristles is to be avoided, they will wear the grout away and may scratch your tile.

-         When working with chemicals, make sure the room is well-ventilated and use gloves and wear protective eyewear.

-         Test your grout cleaner in a small area first to make sure it won’t damage the grout. This is especially important if your grout is old or damaged. Your test area should be in an inconspicuous area!

-         Lastly, and very importantly. Never mix cleaners together as the resulting combination can cause toxic fumes or burn upon skin contact.

Now that you’ve been properly orientated to Grout Cleaning 101, get started! Throw yourself a nice party to celebrate when it’s sparkling and invite us!

 

 

-The Tile Plus Team

 

 

 

Alright, it's been a while since we've added any blogs so I felt it reasonable to make this one a bit lengthier than the rest. Feel inclined (okay, okay, maybe not inclined but something close to that) to post a comment and add a rating to this blog.

    So, everybody seems to know of the downward spiral of the economy. Dangerous inflation and fear of losing property doesn't make one's life any easier.

    You know what happens with businesses too, with less funds you can't support as many staff so you have to let a few (and maybe more) of them go. This appears to be the correct or only "solution" to "save" money but try to think of what will happen when this economy picks up again. Your company will have made a recession and shrunk to a fetal state thus production becomes very minimal.

    By the way, the economy will pick up again, just look at the Great Depression of the early 20th Century. Things were horrible with people living in the streets but somehow we managed to pick ourselves up.

    Here's what Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009 had to say, "The Great Depression saw rapid declines in the production and sale of goods and a sudden, severe rise in unemployment. Businesses and banks closed their doors, people lost their jobs, homes, and savings, and many depended on charity to survive. In 1933, at the worst point in the depression, more than 15 million Americans—one-quarter of the nation’s workforce—were unemployed." "The stock market crash announced the beginning of the Great Depression, but the deep economic problems of the 1920s had already converged a few months earlier to start the downward spiral. The credit of a large portion of the nation’s consumers had been exhausted, and they were spending much of their current income to pay for past, rather than new, purchases."

    Here's a funny point which I think applies to the current economic state, it is also from Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009. "It is a common misconception that the stock market crash of October 1929 was the cause of the Great Depression. The two events were closely related, but both were the results of deep problems in the modern economy that were building up through the “prosperity decade” of the 1920s." Now, what I think is the deep problem we will have to save for another blog or two but I think you get the idea.

     The solution is to actually promote. Don't ever reduce the money you spend on promotion. In fact, promote even more. Promote as if your life depends on it and I suppose one facet of it does. This is your way out of the "dangerous economy", promote and when all of the economic gibberish has blown away you will be tenfold stronger than the competition. An analogy is of a person's body when they are sick, when the body is ill, you don't want to reduce your intake of good proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to substitute that with junk food and candies. No, you want to eat as healthy as you can, sleep plenty and get something productive done. I don't know how many times I have felt sickly only to complete something that has been sitting around waiting to be done with the end result of myself feeling much, much better.

    I wanted to share one last quote with you which I found paralleled my analogy on the body and a business. This is also from Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009, "The crash affected the economy the way exposure to cold affects the human body, lowering the body’s resistance to infectious agents that are already present. The crash reduced the ability of the economy to fight off the underlying sicknesses of unevenly distributed wealth, agricultural depression, and banking problems." The encyclopedia doesn't go into how promoting is like carrying a portable heater around with you. :>

Signing off,

 

Tile Plus 

 

 Tile Plus' Homepage

 

"Great Depression in the United States," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Despite these challenging times, what is now being referred to as "the new normal", Tile Plus is still a busy place to be. Our estimators are constantly placing bids and our staff is happy. Lunch was on David the other day! Business is thriving and we're trying out some new marketing techniques. So far we've only received good remarks from them and we'll see where that takes us.

Come do business with us!

Sincerely,

The Tile Plus Team

Our online marketing consultant recently shared a personal do-it-yourself story that we think you and your clients will appreciate. Roberto and his wife Sami decided to take on a master bath improvement project for their current home. They managed to pull off a beautiful improvement that looks like it could have been done by pros.

While Roberto and Sami did a great deal of work on their own, they had some trepidation about prepping their new shower for ceramic tile. "We did great deal of work on our own, including demolition, insulation, drywall, cabinetry install and the tile floor; but I really wanted to make sure that our tiled shower walls were water tight," said Roberto. They decided to bring in a professional for the shower wall prep, and were extremely pleased with the end result. Roberto and Sami are friends with a couple who did a master bath improvement that ended up with a tragic leak beneath their intricately stone tiled shower. Roberto took the advise of this same couple, and considered the help of a professional for this step in their bathroom tile. The professional tile installer was hired to prep the wall and install the tile for the shower walls. The grout work and curved curtain rod pictured here were left for Roberto and Sami to work on.

Hiring a professional, in this case, allowed the homeowners of this story to finish the job knowing that the shower was water tight. Find out how Tile Plus can help you begin or complete a complex tile project. Whether it's ensuring that shower walls are water tight, or that intricate section of your tile project turns out exactly as you envision it, you'll be happy that you chose Tile Plus to help out. Afterall, we are the place where tile becomes an art.

David

With the ongoing news about economic hard times, we thought we'd take time to give you our pick for the best do -it-yourself sites. Anything to save a few bucks, right?

While we did consider site rankings based on visitor traffic, we also looked for sites that provide quality content, based on our own humble opinion. We also admit bias toward sites that discuss flooring and tile topics. Here's the list we came up with.

1. Home and Garden Television HGTV
2. BobVila.com
3. About.com's Interior Decorating Site
4. Ask The Builder
5. Home Tips
6. Old House Web
7. The Natural Handyman
8. eHow
9. The Tile Doctor
10. Lowe's How-to Library

There's a DIY site for just about anything, and fortunately home improvement categories are extemely poplular. If you're up to the task, one of these sites has the tips you need.

The Tile Plus team