A Guide to Choosing Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain originated from China many thousands of years ago. It is a mixture of clay, sands and other materials that are heated to temperatures up to fourteen hundred degrees Celsius. Besides porcelain tiles, this material has many different uses, because of its decorative nature it is often used to make pottery items such as figurines and bowls and has also been used by dentists to make false teeth, caps and crowns. Porcelain has many different properties and because of its strength, hardness, glassiness, translucence and high resistance to chemicals it is an ideal material for the production of decorative floor and wall tiles.

Porcelain tiles will vary in price depending on quality and strength. They can be produced to emulate many different natural stone effects, making them an ideal alternative to natural stone tiles for someone on a slightly tighter budget. Porcelain tiles are essentially a unique type of ceramic tile which are fired for longer at higher temperatures, making them much stronger than standard ceramic tiles and harder than granite tiles, too. Porcelain is a completely non-porous material, which makes it the perfect tiling material to be used in areas which require a high standard of hygiene, especially wet rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry areas and utility rooms.

Porcelain tiles are available in glazed, double-glazed, unglazed and full bodied varieties. The cost of the tiles is determined by the materials used, the manufacturing processes and the country of origin. The main differences between natural stone tiles and porcelain tiles lie in the practicality of porcelain, which does not require any special sealants during installation and very little maintenance after the material is installed. This makes porcelain an ideal material for bathroom and kitchen floor tiles. Porcelain floor tiles will also perform superbly in any other area which receives high domestic use.

Great Tips for Decorating Sunrooms

When you have a sunroom, you can have loads of fun with the decorating. Decorating sunrooms involves not only the choice of furniture but the lighting and the accessories you place in the room. You need to make it an extension of your home, but at the same time it needs to be a place where you can enjoy the outdoors without actually being outside. You can make this room look elegant without spending a lot of money. Even though you want resistance from the sun and weather, you also have to take steps to prevent the buildup of moisture that.




Since sunrooms have a lot of windows and glass, you need to factor in the kinds of shades you will have at those windows. Rattan rollup blinds or slim matchstick style blinds will provide some shade from the sun and protect your furniture. You might want to take a look at sunscreen shades that will block the ultraviolet rays of the sun while at the same time allow a breeze to blow through the open spaces. If you want privacy, you might want to consider have fabric blinds or Roman shades.




The flooring choices for sunrooms are also quite vast. Since this is a room in which you will be entering directly from out of doors, you don’t want to choose flooring that can become damaged by small rocks. Slate, tile and concrete work well. You can choose to paint the concrete with one of the brands that add a decorative touch to the floor and look as if you have granite or marble. These flooring types also require the least amount of care. Add an elegant touch to the floor with a rug that will resist moisture, such as one made of hemp or sisal. Indoor utdoor carpeting is also an excellent choice is floor covering for a sunroom.




Choose cushions and pillows for the furniture that work well in outdoor patio furniture. If they get wet, the water drains through and they dry quite quickly. You can get laminated fabric for covering the pillows that looks and feels like real cloth.




When you have the proper lighting, your sunroom can become a place of repose after dark, making it more versatile for your use. Unless you have the sunroom directly connected to your house, you should avoid using conventional indoor lighting. In a sunroom that is separate, you have the option of using outdoor ground fault circuit interrupters to provide you with the light you need.




Try to use the same style of interior decorating in your sunroom as you have in the rest of your house so that they complement each other. Don’t forget that adding planters and wall decorations and greatly enhance the atmosphere of this room as well. You do have to think about the amount of traffic the sunroom will receive in deciding where to place the furniture so that it is easy to move around. Create small areas at each end if your door opening to the home is in the center so that you have this central space clear for those moving in and out.

Choosing a good sofa: 10 tips

How often we stand in the middle of a furniture store, listening to magnetic seller’s chirrup, touching an expensive sofa helplessly…

Unsuccessful furniture purchase is a serious mistake, which consequences can affect many years (it will collapse soon, not fashionable, is harmful to health, and in general, you feel sorry for your money!). To avoid these mistakes, we offer following ten commandments:

1. If you are a private buyer, be sure to sit on the model you like and try to lie down on it. If sofa is folding, try to transform it several times. You will have to do this many times later!

2. If you are a wholesale buyer and came to the factory for furniture, be sure to see how they make furniture (or at least from what). If you are not allowed to do this, choose other manufacturers.

3. The frame of a sofa is made from well-dried timber. (Some CPD elements are allowed, but they must be covered with a protective paint - to avoid releasing formaldehyde resins, hazardous to human health.

4. Your sofa may be soft through a spring block of polyurethane foam. It is difficult to decide what is better. It depends on your feelings. But there are some patterns.

The softer foam is, the easier it is crumbed. Cushions with sintepon or polyurethane foam lose their shape very quickly. Use of a single piece of polyurethane foam is a sign of good manners. Firms that care about their prestige, provide all sofas with zipper, so that buyer could, firstly, learn what he will be sit on, secondly, change stuffing over time. In properly designed models cushions are placed under a small angle, slightly support a sitting man under knees, not allowing him moving.

5. Folding mechanism - one of the most important elements in a sofa. It is divided into three types: book, cot and sliding. Most factories already refused books. You have to choose between a bed and sliding.

6. If you opted for a cot, find out what “sleeping” leg folding mechanism is made of. Support from lat (these are spring plates of veneer) is considerd the best, if they are about 12, and it is desirable that armor would be located across the bed.

7. Do not forget that sofas usually are not used as beds. It is more like a bed for guests and hosts have already chosen orthopedic mattresses for themselves.

8. If you prefer a retractable mechanism, check out what boxes for clothes are made of. Roller mechanism is a problem place.

9. Upholstery. Flok (fabric with pile caused by electrostatic napylitelem) is already boring, but it is easily cleaned. Large factories never use flok and try to avoid flok with “dry” dust, because of very strong electrostatics. Upholstery of tapestry, shinils or jacquarette is very popular now. The problem is that jacquarette, for example, is exposed only to dry cleaning. Fabric with teflon coating is considered ideal: water, tea, coffee just flow off a sofa, upholstered with such cloth, leaving no traces. But the price! Price leaves traces …

10. And, finally, culture of production. There are things which immediately can clearly tell you who did this sofa. Self-respecting companies upholster back with same cloth, as front. And use the same cloth between bottom and pillows. You can see how accurate seams are, how smooth a number of staples is. These are little things, but they say how long your soft quadruped friend will serve you.