Hi again, sedonaaz!
When I moved from the East coast to the Phoenix, Arizona area, I
felt like I had moved to another country! Many homes have air
conditioners on the roof, gravel instead of grass in the yard, cactus
in place of trees, and tiled roofs instead of shingles. I?ve since
come to appreciate the geographical differences here in Arizona,
though I do miss greenery and snow at times.
Most homes in Arizona have tile floors, even small modest homes
have tile flooring. Other homes have carpeting over a cement slab.
While termites exist in abundance in Arizona, these pests are not the
reason wood floors are not much in use. The real reason? Humidity, or
I should say, the lack of humidity. The lack of humidity will cause
the wood to dry out, shrink and split. The casual lifestyle in Arizona
does not call for an elaborate labor intensive floor maintenance
schedule, hence tile is the floor covering of choice in Arizona. I
understand the new laminate pseudo-wood flooring such as Pergo, does
well in Arizona. If you have nice wood furniture, expect to apply
linseed oil once or twice a year to lessen drying out of the wood. My
antique china cabinet has really shrunk, with gaps where the wood
meets at joints. (I set small bowls of water inside to raise the
humidity inside)
Pergo
http://www.pergo.com/SplashDefault.asp
Other laminate flooring
http://www.laminatewoodfloor.com/
Tile floors ARE harder on the feet, legs, and back than wood,
carpet or linoleum. Some people use anti-fatigue mats at the sink,
stove and the laundry room, as these are areas where people stand for
long periods of time. I found using soccer sandals or plastic clogs
while doing chores, along with a spongy anti-fatigue mat at the sink
and stove makes a significant difference in foot, leg, and back
tiredness. These mats are regularly in stock at area Target stores.
Tile floors are so much easier to care for than carpeting or wooden
floors. Stone floors are much more costly, and are often not level,
making walking uncomfortable and cleaning harder. If you have no pets,
a quick pass with a Swiffer will pick up most dust, and a wet mop with
a mild cleanser as needed will suffice. Your floors will dry in no
time in the dry Arizona air.
As far as kinds of tile, I believe that would be a personal choice.
There are thousands of varieties to be found in Arizona. If you don?t
find what you like in Sedona, make a short trip to the Phoenix area
and make your purchase. Some of the most popular are Saltillo tile and
ceramic tile, and yes, there are many stone or rustic looking tiles
available. Saltillo tiles are gorgeous if you like the rustic look.
Terra cotta colored, these tiles are some of the cheapest to purchase,
but installation is more expensive as they need more layers of sealer
than ceramic tile. For some Mexicans, saltillo tile making is a family
business, the backyard being the ?plant?. Because the tiles bake in
the sun, in the yard, some have residual animal footprints in them.
This became so chic that some makers now stamp the tiles with paw
prints, if a batch is missed by the family dog!
Routine ceramic tile care and maintenance
===========================================
·Tile and floor covering stores sell cleaning products developed
specifically for cleaning ceramic tile and stone. These specialized
cleaning products generally outperform products available in
supermarkets or hardware stores.
·Remove soil with a broom, non-oily dust mop or vacuum
·Damp mop or spot clean as necessary, using Armstrong Once ?n Done
floor cleaner* or a pH neutral tile cleaner.
·Thoroughly rinse all areas with clean, warm water.
·Ceramic tile floors, like other types of smooth floors, can become
slippery when wet. Allow time for floor to dry after washing.
Immediately wipe up wet areas from spills, foreign substances or wet
feet.
·We recommend protecting your floor against abrasive dirt at entrances
to buildings with dirt catching floor mats.
http://www.armstrong.com/resceramicna/maintenance_and_care.jsp
About tile
http://www.ceramic-tile-floor.info/
http://www.carpetcorneronline.com/ceramic_tile.htm
Purchasing Tile
http://www.infotile.com.au/features/purchasing/index.shtml
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/flooring/thoughts.htm
Ceramic or Stone?
==================
Ceramic is a man-made product and is generally homogeneous in
construction. In other words, each and every tile has the identical
composition and therefore has predictable qualities. On the other
hand, stone tile is a product of nature and can differ in composition
from tile to tile and therefore has unpredictable qualities.
Ceramic tiles are generally non to slightly porous with a very low
absorbency. Stone tiles can be very absorbent and for this reason can
cause several different setting problems. Test data is available for
many common stones and should be requested by the consultant. Ceramic
tile is generally light weight and relatively thin. Stone tile ranges
from 3/8-inch thick to as much as 1 1/4-inch thick and can be very
heavy. A 12-inch square stone tile can weigh as much as 10 pounds or
more.
The backside of a ceramic tile is cast with many different corrugation
designed to provide the proper bonding of the tile to the setting bed.
The backside of a stone tile has no corrugation and is generally
saw-cut or smoothed. Ceramic tile is generally resistant to acids.
Certain stone tile, marble for example, is very sensitive to acids.
http://www.ceramic-tile-floor.info/choosetile.htm
Illustrations of tile:
=======================
Terra Cotta
http://www.bettini.com/manetti.htm
Saltillo Tile
http://saltillotilecompany.com/floor.html
Arizona Tile has lots of information
http://www.arizonatile.com/
Termites in Sedona:
====================
AREAS OF HIGH RISK IN ARIZONA include Apache Junction, Avondale,
Bullhead, Casa Grande, Chandler, Cottonwood, Douglas-AZ, El Mirage,
Eloy, Flagstaff, Florence-AZ, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale-AZ,
Goodyear, Kingman, Lake Havasu, Marana, Mesa, Nogales, Oro Valley,
Paradise Valley, Payson-AZ, Peoria-AZ, Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott
Valley, San Luis, Scottsdale, Sedona, Sierra Vista, Surprise, Tempe,
Tucson and Yuma.
http://www.termite.com/termites/arizona.html
Wood Floor Maintenance:
========================
?Wood damaged by subterranean termites is often not noticed because
the exterior surface usually must be removed to see the damage.
However, galleries can be detected by tapping the wood every few
inches with the handle of a screwdriver. Damaged wood sounds hollow,
and the screwdriver may even break through into the galleries.
Subterranean termite feeding follows the grain of the wood and only
the soft springwood is attacked. Unlike dry wood termites or other
wood boring insects, subterranean termites do not push wood particles
or pellets (fecal material) to the outside, but rather use it in the
construction of their tunnels. This debris, along with sand and soil
particles, is used as a form of plaster.?
http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/faqs.html#11
http://www.finishingwoodfloors.com/technical_help/maintenance.html
Tile Retailers in Sedona, AZ
://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&c2coff=1&q=tile&near=Sedona%2C+AZ&btnG=Search&sc=1
Tile Retailers in the Phoenix metropolitan area, 27 pages
://www.google.com/local?q=tile&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&safe=active&sa=X&near=Phoenix,+AZ&radius=45.000000
Crabcakes' Own Tips (from my own experience):
=============================================
Purchase a tile or two of tiles you like. Some retailers will give
you one tile. Take them home and look at them at different times of
the day. Consider the colors of your walls and furnishings.
Try to install the tile before you move in. This is much easier!
Wet tile is very slippery. Wipe up spills immediately, and never run
across a freshly mopped floor! (I told you this was from MY
experience!)
Don?t use the tile installer the store recommends, unless budget is no
problem. Ask neighbors for a good tiler. This sounds odd, but, ask an
Hispanic landscaper for a recommendation. Ask an Hispanic who is
looking for tiles in a Home Depot or Lowe?s. Most worthwhile
independent tile installers have a photo portfolio and will be very
proud of their work. You can call or visit previous customers for a
reference. (I did this with excellent results) Look in the paper for
independent tillers.
Buy more tiles than you need. You may need to replace one in the
future and have difficulty finding matching tiles. Also, plan on some
breakage.
Tile with a rustic or ?stone? look shows less dirt, and is very attractive.
Tile floors will keep you home cooler in the summer. A few area rugs
will help warm up your home in the winter. I have never felt my floor
tiles too cold to step on though!
If you or a family member has allergies, tile is the way to go!
Most tile does not stain, but some do, and stone definitely does. Ask
the merchant about stains.
Seal your grout. Even of the tile seller says you don?t need to do so,
seal your grout. There are plenty of time saving seal applicators in
the hardware stores. Reseal every year or so, depending on traffic.
Remember, tile floors are HARD. When you drop a can or a tool, the
tile may chip or shatter. My husband installed a two inch strip of
wood on our pantry shelves, painted to match. This was to prevent jars
from crashing to the floor. I take a few extra precautions with
fragile items. I purchased several sample tiles of my final choices,
and laid them on my floor. I next dropped a 16oz can of pumpkin pie
filling on each one, to see if they would chip or shatter. The
toughest tile won!
Select a complimentary grout color, one you LIKE. Don?t let people
tell you light colored grout will turn dark. I chose a mauve grout,
sealed it and resealed it every two years. It is still light in color
and I like it so much better than dark grout. Some tile stores will
have grids depicting grout color that can be placed next to tile so
you can see how it contrast with your tile. Buy 2-3 extra bags of
grout, extra?s can be returned, but keep ONE. Purchase a few tubes of
squeezable grout for future repairs. Grout around areas that sustain a
lot of motion may suffer hairline cracks, and the squeezable grout is
wonderful for quick repairs.
To save money and have a more rustic look, consider having the tiler
use a tile cut in half as ?molding? instead of more expensive
bull-nose tile. You will need something up the wall a few inches to
prevent staining the wall when mopping. Speaking of wet mopping, use a
string mop, or one of the newer strip mops. Don?t use a sponge mop as
this kind of mop shoves the dirt into the grout.
Purchase ?sliders? at the local Target to place under dining room
chairs, and furniture. This makes moving furniture a breeze, and save
your floors. Your dining room chairs will glide in and out from the
table, silently and smoothly.
Tile inside closets and pantries too, for a smoother look.
Consider tiling the sidewalk outside your front door, for 2-3 feet,
with the same tile. This looks elegant and is much easier to clean
than cement. We tiled our back porch and step, and it looks lovely.
You can purchase a pray that will add a light texture to the tile if
you are afraid of falls when the tile is wet.
Hope this answers all your questions! Please request an Answer
Clarification, before rating, if I have left anything uncovered (Pun
intended)! Happy Flooring!
Sincerely, Crabcakes
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