For a good introduction to what you can do with tiles, check out Artwalk Tile on the corner of University and Atlantic avenues, where owner Joe Ventura and his staff can give you ideas on how to perk up your digs. Every conceivable space - inside and out - of the 10,000-square-foot, two-story, gallery-esque showroom is covered in all colors, textures, and combinations of tile materials. Floors sparkle with mosaics and guide your feet with wooden chevron darts; the walls, archways, and balconies are swathed; the windows are framed, the entry ways are paved. There's no way you could leave with designer's block.
Artwalk also specializes in decorative art projects, like Ventura's personal favorite, the shimmering mosaic replica of Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss," located on the exterior wall at the parking lot entrance. Klimt's piecey, geometric art is a great choice to be reproduced in mosaic, since the tiny square stones capture the expressive clasping embrace. But doing something similar in your own home won't come cheap: Ventura says that the installation process was "very involved," and estimates that it would cost $2500 to $5000 for something similar.
Pricing for tile itself ranges according to material and company. You can expect to pay $7 to $12 per square foot for glass, limestone falls into the $9-$10 range, and marble costs more, at $20-$30 per square foot.
Have cold feet about tile floors? Consider floor-heating products, like the Honeywell Electric Floor Warming System, a thin mesh mat with electric wires installed under tile and stone that uses radiant heat to warm the chilly surfaces. This will set you back a bit - for 213 square feet, you can expect to pay over $2300 at a store like the Home Depot. Or you could just stick with slippers for those chilly Rochester mornings.
For the eco-conscious crowd, a variety of green products are now available in the tile market, including cork, bamboo, and recycled tile, like Ergon Green Tech tile, made with 40 percent post-industrial recycled materials. It comes in an array of natural colors, from ivory to sage.
Cork is a natural wood product from the outer bark of the cork oak (no trees are destroyed in the harvesting of this material), and ranges from $3-$7 per square foot. It comes in easy-to-install interlocking tiles, and the benefits include the comforting softness underfoot, a high level of sound and heat absorption, and the longevity and resilience of the material. The mention of cork may evoke the boring, beige wine-stoppers, but cork is available in a variety of colors and finishes, include marbled and wood-grained cork, with various luscious, dark wood stains. A protective gloss can change the color and add shine.
Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, harvested at maturity every five to six years, available for $4 to $6 per square foot, in a rich range of wood stains. Some kinds are specifically designed to work with radiant heated floor systems.
Cork floor
Photo above: ArtWalk Tile showroom, 28 Atlantic Avenue, Rochester, NY. Cork tile is easy to install, earth-friendly, and comes in enough styles to suit any taste. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
Jeff Springett
The installation expert Jeff Springett in the midst of a job. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
Precise cut
A tile is precisely cut in preparation for installation. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
Laying floor
Laying a tile floor requires patience and accuracy, but results in a beautifully transformed space. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
TV border
A natural look is created with uneven rock tile for a television border. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
Not just for floors
Outdoor mosaic bar by Joe Ventura. PHOTO BY MATT DETURCK
Artistic tiles
Choose from a wide variety of artistic patterns to reflect your personality.
