We’re excited to announce our new recycled glass tiles are now available for sale in our online store! Since the launch of Cove Finishings we’ve been looking for a recycled tile that’s not only eco friendly, but also looks good! We think these tiles will meet all expectations.

Shortly after receiving them we got in touch with the design team at the Richmond, IKEA. We couldn’t wait to give them a sneak peak of the new tiles. They loved them, and we’re happy to say they’re now on display in one of their beautiful kitchens in the showroom at their store!

Shadow Eco Recycled Glass Tiles

We currently offer this series in 3 colors Shadow, Sterling, and Unity. Each sheet is 12″ x 12″ x 1/4″. The individual squares pieces are 5/8″ x 5/8″. Each sheet contains approximately 50% recycled glass waste. This is a great choice if you’re looking for an environmentally friendly backsplash option .Within each tile it’s self there’s little bubbles that give the tile a very cool 3 dimensional feeling. It adds an extra pop that you just don’t find in other recycled glass tile.

For more information check out our online store today!

Colin Wharton
www.covefinishings.com
info@covefinishings.com
1 888 408 1688 ext 1

Janek had a Dry Waller come in and build a beautiful fireplace surround that has a shelf that extends to the left of the unit. It incorporates some really nice angles in it to give it a nice modern look. To say the least, it is a ‘one of a kind’ job.

Janek also hired a professional tile setter to come in to install the mosaics. I must say the finished look is stunning, and the quality of the work is second to none! As a former tile setter I love seeing a job well done. The spacing, and cuts we’re perfect! To top it off, he had custom tile trim made to match the fireplace hearth he had selected. This really tied the unit together giving it a very coordinated and finished appearance.

Using glass tile around fireplace units is becoming increasing popular. It looks great and makes for a fantastic focal point in a living room. We suggest using a modified thin set rather than mastic for a fireplace surround. There’s going to be some extra heat coming off the fireplace. This can put pressure on the tile which could possibly cause a crack in one of your glass pieces. A good modified thin set with some extra flex will help with expansion and contraction issues you might experience. This should deal with the problem.

We often get questions from people concerned about the heat

You shouldn’t have any problem using glass tile around a fireplace. However, if your fireplace surround gets really hot you might want to consider going with a stone finish. For the majority of fireplace surrounds you just fine!

Colin Wharton
http://www.covefinishings.com
colin@covefinishings.com

Small Works customer Akua Schatz came to us on her own approximately 2 months ago in search of a good deal on glass tiles for her new kitchen backsplash.They chose our Beach series glass mosaic subway tile for their home. After doing some looking around in the usual tile shops in Vancouver, Akua found us online and decided to come by our warehouse for a look at our deigner tile collection. The look was right, and the price was within budget! The photo below was take by her partner Brendon. They did a great job with the installation.

Akua and her partner hired Small Works to build their new lane home. Small Works got all the bones in place. Akua and her partner Brendon arranged to complete all of the finishing work by themselves! Throughout the adventure Akua regularly updated her blog buildsmall.blogspot.com . The blog was dedicated to the project! It turned out to be a smash hit and grabbed the attention of people from all over the world.

Recently Akua’s new home was featured in Canada national news paper, The Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/architecture-features/a-vancouver-home-to-blog-about/article2063365/singlepage/#articlecontent

COPY AND PASTE THE ABOVE LINK TO SEE THE ARTICLE IN THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Congratulation to Akua and Brendon on completing their new home!

Colin Wharton
www.covefinishings.com
colin@covefinishings.com
1 888 408 1688 ext 1

The reason for this is the glass required to make a white tile is more expensive than the glass used in other glass tiles.

White glass tiles are made with a product called Starfire. This is a type of glass that is 100% lead free, and very low in iron. As a result, the glass is very clear and free of any colors that might influence the white paint backing. If you want to get a true white you have to use Starfire glass.

Take a look at the above photo. The piece of
glass up top is Starfire. The piece below is float
glass. You’ll notice the bottom piece has a
green appearance along the side profile.

Most glass tile is made with a product called float glass. It has a slightly greenish/blue tint to it. It doesn’t have much influence over other colours such as Blue or Green, but it will cause a white tile to look icy.

Super White 3″ x 6″ Glass Subway Tile
From Cove Finishings. Made with
Starfire glass.

If you’re concerned about color make sure you ask your tile dealer what type of glass they use in their white tiles. You’ve probably spent a lot of money on your new bathroom or kitchen and want it to turn out just right!

Colin Wharton
http:www.covefinishings.com
colin@covefinishings.com
1 888 408 1688 ext 1

Ask a Friend

Chances are you already know someone that knows a good contractor. If you are part of a social network such as FACEBOOK you might want to consider sending out a group email to friends in your town to see if they know someone reliable.

Google Business Directory

The google business directory is a great resource for contractors. Not only that, Google allows people to leave reviews from other customers on their business profile. This might give you some insight as to what you can expect from this contractor. Take the time to visit their website. Look for photo galleries that include shots of their work. See if they show before and after pictures as well as shots of the work in progress. This can authenticate their work! Seeing photos of the work in progress also shows how they keep their job site. Is it clean? Are their tools and garbage laying around?

Craigslist

Craigslist is a great place to find contractors. However, you should be careful! There’s a lot of fakes on here that are not qualified to do the job. Craigslist has a section each contractor must complete when posting an advertisement that asks whether they are licensed or not. If they say no I wouldn’t suggest using this contractor.

A few last pieces of advise…

Liability Insurance

Ask the contractor to provide the name of the insurance company they use. If they are a professional business they will have liability insurance. This protects you if anything goes wrong. If they busy a pipe and there is a flood there insurance will cover any damage.

Workers Compensation

If the contractor has employees they should be WCB covered! If one of their employees falls and hurts them self on your property you could be responsible. Make sure the contractor has WCB for his employees.

References

Do not be afraid to ask for references. Making a couple of phone calls only takes a few minutes and it’s worth it!

Here’s a few questions you can ask the reference…

1) Did they go over budget?
2) How long did it take to complete the project?
3) Did they show up on a regular basis?

Get At Least Four Quotes I suggest getting at least 4 quotes on costs for materials and labor. You don’t want to hire the cheapest guy! This is a mistake people make often and it comes back to haunt them eventually. I suggest hiring someone that comes in somewhere in the middle. Renovations are not cheap! They are privilege you earn with hard work. If you are going to hire someone consider the fact that they have a lot of expenses and they deserve to be paid for their work. They have skills that you don’t and this is why you are hiring them. Make sure you pay them fairly. This is why I suggest going up the middle when getting a quote.

Hopefully these tips will help you find a reliable contractor for your next project! If you have any questions feel free to email me at info@covefinishings.com

Colin Wharton
http://www.covefinishings.com
colin@covefinishings.com
1 888 408 1688 ext 1

If you’re shopping around for a new kitchen backsplash or tile for your bathroom  you might be considering using glass tile for your project. There’s literally thousands of different options out there and it can be difficult to know whether or not you’re getting good value for your money!

As a former contractor with plenty of experience installing glass tile and mosaics, I can tell you I have had my fair share of good and bad experiences with mosaics.

On one occasion my customer found some small black glass tiles at a clearance sale in Vancouver. She was thrilled that with the low price of $5.99/Sq Ft she paid at the local tile shop. Luckily for me I was being paid by the hour. I wasn’t happy about installing them, but she insisted. As a contractor I’m always more interested in the job going smooth than I am working extra hours.

These tiles ended up taking twice as long to install. They were placed on a loose mesh backing, the grout lines were terrible, and on top of that they had a paper backing. Trying to line these up was next to impossible. As soon as the mesh made contact with the mortar base it started to stretch. Consequently, the grout lines were very difficult to manage. If there’s one thing that will wreck a tile job it’s the grout lines. Unfortunately the customer ended up spending a lot more money as a result of the difficulty these tiles presented during installation.

Examine your tile for these qualities before purchasing!

Mesh Backing

If available try and find a tile with a fiber glass mesh backing. It’s firm, and much easier to work with when you are lining the sheets up side-by-side. Getting the grout lines even is crucial when using mosaics in a kitchen backsplash or tub surround. As soon as you start to stray it’s very difficult to get lined up again. It can be a real eye sore that wont go away.

FIBER GLASS MESH BACKING SHOWN ABOVE
PAINTS ARE KILN BAKED WITH A SPECIAL
COATING SPRAYED OVER THE PAINT TO AVOID
ANY TRANSPARENCY ISSUES

Even Grout Lines

Take a good look at the spacing between each tile piece. Is it even? Are some of the tiles crooked? This is a tell tail sign that the manufacturer isn’t too interested in quality.

EVENLY SPACED GROUT LINES SHOWN ABOVE
AND KILN BAKED PAINTS

Kiln Baked Paints or Paper Backing

Any decent tile manufacturer will tell you to stay away from paper backed mosaics. This is an older method that is not often used these days. Over time the sun will bleach the color. For example, you might start with a nice bright red tile, but down the road it could be a lovely shade of pink! The chemicals in mortar and tile glue can also eat away at the paper over time.

Kiln baked paints are the way to go! They’re stronger, and meant to last. They wont bleach over time resulting in a nice bright color for years to come.

There’s no need to over spend either!

Tiles come in a variety of price points. Some mosaics cost as much as $50.00/Sq Ft. This is complete over kill. If money is not an object for you, feel free to go nuts and get exactly what you want. If you’re on a budget I’d suggest looking for a mid priced tile. Examine the quality first and then decide if it’s the right tile for you.

Colin Wharton
www.covefinishings.com
colin@covefinishings.com
1 888 408 1688 ext 1

Firstly, not all diamond blades are created equal! They come in different sizes, levels of quality, and are built to cut a variety of tiles including stone, porcelain, ceramic, and glass tile.

To cut glass tile your going to need a glass cutting diamond blade.

The difference between each type of blade comes down to the number of synthetic diamonds positioned around the outside perimeter of the blade. Glass is very dense and requires a higher number of diamonds to cut the tile smoothly. In addition, these diamonds are considerably smaller than the rough diamonds found on other blades! General purpose blades tend to have larger and fewer diamonds. This is fine for cutting porcelain tile or slate, but it’s likely going to cause chipping if used to cut glass, resulting in a very rough unpleasant edge.

Glass cutting blades come in a variety of sizes and price points

If you’re a home owner and your not planning on using the blade again I’d suggest buying a cheaper blade. They can be purchased for as low as $35.00, or as high as $200.00! You don’t need a professional blade if you are only going to use it once or twice.

Make sure you buy the correct sized blade for your saw

Diamond blades come in a variety of sizes that are determined by the outside diameter and the arbor (The whole in the middle). If you don’t know what size of blade your tile saw requires I’d recommend checking the manufacturers website for specifications.

Colin Wharton
www.covefinishings.com
colin@covefinishings.com
1 888 408 1688 ext 1

It is new, and we can tell you’re excited, we are excited too!

Come back soon and we’ll have intersting articles, useful tip and fascinating stories to share with you!

In the meantime please visit www.covefinishings.com to check out our current selection of Glass Tile.