Posts tagged ‘eco-friendly tile’
We love it when our tile gets noticed!
The entire crew here at modwalls tile company loves it when we get a kind word from our customers or a bit of notice in a fabulous magazine.
Right now there are two great publications giving us a little shout out.
We love Dwell magazine and have been loyal advertisers ever since they gave us a mention in their new products section during our early days, several years ago. Our Lush Poppy glass subway tile is shown in the TILE section of Dwell’s Spring 2013 special issue “Renovate Today!”. We are honored to be included among some great tile manufacturers.
Though we didn’t make it to Neocon this year, fortunately our CorkDotz cork mosaic tile was chosen to be featured in the Materials Pavilion there. In addition it got a mention in the “Neocon issue” of Interiors & Sources Magazine 
For more information on modwalls tile and all of our unique and colorful collections go to: www.modwalls.com.
Buy online 24/7. Samples with free shipping and discounts to the trade.
Putting the LUSH in Luscious :)
Are you in the process of selecting the perfect Lush® color for your project?
Selecting the right glass subway tile color can be difficult - especially from a computer screen! We find ourselves regularly attempting to describe the nuances of similar Lush® colors over the phone, and trust me, it’s not easy!
In an effort to help make this process a little easier, we’ve taken these pictures to compare the subtle variations of our most popular Lush® colors.
Enjoy!
- Cameo is our latest neutral addition. We would describe this as a rich, creamy color. It evokes a real warmth – like coffee with lots of creamer in it. Yummmmmy!
- Almond is slightly more golden-beige than Cameo. Goes well with lots of earth-tone granites.
- Driftwood is a gray-ish beige color with a faint hint of green. It’s definitely the chameleon of our neutral colors and tends to go with all sorts of materials and design aesthetics.
- Dune is the most golden of our neutral colors. We often say it’s more peachy/beige/buttercream-y.
- Reef is a rich brown color…like a freshly roasted coffee bean. In some lighting conditions, it appears to have a hint of green.
- Taupe is a gorgeous warm gray color. (One of my personal favorites actually
).
- Cloud is our white-est white possible in our Lush® line. Made of clear glass, this is truly a white glass subway tile (which we know is hard to find!)
- Breaker is a beautiful light and bright medium aqua blue color.
- Vapor is our most pale, watery blue color.
- Sky is a true sky-blue color. Think of how the sky looks on a clear and bright Spring day. A very cheerful shade of blue…
- Rain is tranquil blue gray. It reminds me of a lighter shade of denim as well…or indigo.
- Bluebell is a super fun and vivid periwinkle-blue color.
- Pool is a nice balance of aqua + blue together. It’s more saturated than the previous blue colors above. Pool Frosted has a softer and somewhat lighter appearance because of the frosted surface finish.
- Surf has more green than aqua coloring and it’s one of our most popular Lush® colors. Goes beautifully with a variety of design aesthetics.
- Seagrass is a more saturated version of Surf.
- Peacock is a lovely jewel toned turquoise/ blue/ green color.
- Rain is tranquil blue gray. It reminds me of a lighter shade of denim as well…or indigo.
- Fog Bank is one of our most popular gray colors. It has a cooler base tone to it so the tile can sometime appear more blue. It’s a very calming color.
- Storm is a darker gray color. This also has a cooler base tone to it like our Fog Bank.
- Taupe is a gray beige color. Warmer by comparison than Fog Bank.
- Inkwell is a beautiful saturated inky-blue color.
- Wasabi is a very wasabi colored green . Still bright and vivid, it’s one of our softer looking greens by comparison.
- Surf has more green than aqua coloring and it’s one of our most popular Lush® colors. Goes beautifully with a variety of design aesthetics.
- Bamboo is a fresh medium spring green color. When comparing to Lemongrass, we say it has less yellow to it.
- Seagrass is a more saturated version of Surf. When comparing Seagrass to our other greens, it appears to have more blue in it. I’d also describe it as a celedon green color.
- Lemongrass is our most bright and vivid lime-y green color.
- Peacock is a lovely turquoise/ blue/ green color.
- Moss is an earthy olive green color.
One last look at all these beautiful colors….
Plus Design + Plus Design + Plus Design…
Clayhaus for Modwalls® Plus Design Mosaics are now available in both 2″ and 4″ sizes!!!
PLUS, we couldn’t be more thrilled to add our Wheatgrass color to this super fun mix.
100% handcrafted in the USA, each individual tile is a unique piece of functional art. What size do you prefer?
Modwalls 2″ Plus Design Mosaic shown in Milk, Splash, and Brine.
Modwalls 4″ Plus Design Mosaic shown in Milk, Splash, Brine, amd Wheatgrass.
Maybe you prefer solid colors?
But the colorful regulated mix is so fun!
Loving all the different color combinations and pattern possibilities! Depending on the colors you wish to chose, we can assemble a blend or pattern just for you! By the way, custom colors are also available.
2″ Plus Design Mosaics are $52.95* per 1.06 square foot sheet
4″ Plus Design Mosaics are $45.95* per 1.06 square foot sheet
*Trade pricing available by phone @ 877-439-9734*
Modwalls® is making tile modern™ with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com
Introducing New Products In-Stock NOW!!!
We seriously couldn’t be happier to spread the news about our latest additions to modwalls®!!!
Take a few minutes to check them out, order samples, or make a mental note for later.
We know you’ll love them as much as we do!!!
New ModDotz™ Colors!!
From top left: Spa Blue, Sherbet, Lemon, and Key Lime
Find all these mouthwatering colors here for only $7.95 per sheet!
New Lush® 3×6 Colors!!
From top left: Poppy, Blue Bell, Storm, and Inkwell
Find these colors as well as many other Lush® colors for only $19.95 per sheet!
ALL New Lush® Weave™ Subway Tile!!
From top left: Cloud, Vapor, and Fog Bank
All 3 of these Lush® Weave™ colors are available for only $19.95 per sheet.
ALL New Harvest Bamboo Mosaics™!!!
This gorgeous collection is made entirely from eco-friendly and sustainable bamboo.
Find all mosaic patterns here for only $14.95 per sheet.
The one and only…Real Penny Mosaic™!!!
Now available for custom order in 3 ways: ALL HEADS, ALL TAILS,
or the most popular MIX.
Click here for more Real Penny Mosaic™ info.
Modwalls® is making tile modern™ with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com
Need Some Eichler Inspiration?
Eichler Homes are distinctively known for their amazing Mid-Century modern style (which is probably why we and so many others still love them so much)!!!
Little Eichler history (per Wikipedia): Between 1950 and 1974, Joseph Eichler’s company, Eichler Homes, built over 11,000 homes in nine communities in Northern and Southern California. They all came to be known as Eichlers or an Eichler. During this period, Eichler became one of the nation’s most influential builders of modern homes. The largest contiguous Eichler Homes development is ‘The Highlands’ in San Mateo, built between 1956 and 1964. Basically, Eichler defined what “California Modern” really is or what it’s perceived to be. Read more Eichler history here.
On a recent browsing sesh on Pinterest, we found a link to a great site featuring our Brio tile in one of our customers’ gorgeous Eichler residence. All photos are courtesy of Hunter Lewis Wimmer of redneckmodern.com. We hope you are inspired as much as we are by this stunning post-mod home!
This is what the homeowner Mary-Peyton said:
“We spent HOURS on the custom mix configurator (Modwalls Tile Blender). The floors in the kitchen are black and in the dining area they are grey. There is a ton of wood in the house so we wanted to include all those colors to tie it together. Throw in some mid-century orange, turquoise and apple green and we were good to go. I wish we had more wall space to show off the tile!”
Because we love this Brio blend so much, we wanted to share Mary’s perfect custom blend recipe:
-
25% Bright White
-
20% Dry Ice
-
9% Sleet
-
9% Marigold
-
9% Tarragon
-
8% Teak
-
7% Marina
-
6% Black
-
4% Cool Breeze
-
3% Orange
__________________________________________________________________
Modwalls is making tile modern with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com.
FB Quarterly Photo Contest Winners Announced!!!
Modwalls Facebook Quarterly Photo Contest WINNERS!!! These 3 lucky owners get $50 cash or $100 store credit – and all they had to do was show off their gorgeous tile!!!
Next quarterly contest has officially started!! Enter your pics now for a chance to be a future winner! Send your pics to service@modwalls.com and LIKE us on facebook to stay in the loop and place your votes (the most ‘likes’ per pic will win!).
HELPFUL TIPS FOR TAKING THE BEST PICS:
- Switch all your lights ON
- Clear your counters or area of distracting accessories and clutter
- Clean tile photographs the best – wink wink
- Take your pics when it’s daytime – you’ll get better lighting and won’t get any weird glare from dark windows
- Think like a photographer and ask yourself…what’s the best angle here?
- Avoid capturing yourself in the bathroom mirror
- Don’t rush it! Wait until your space is completely done so we can all enjoy the results
- Send us actual size /high resolution images – 300dpi is ideal
- Have fun with it!!!
Modwalls is making tile modern with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com.
Playhouse Design Group + Greenleaf Construction, could they be any cooler?!
We get totally BLOWN AWAY every time we are blessed with amazing install pics of our modwalls tile in such impressive spaces – especially when we get them from Playhouse Design Group & Greenleaf Construction!!! Seriously can’t get enough of them!!
We recently did a designer spotlight blog on Playhouse Design Group (find it here), a spectacular design firm making good design happen on a daily basis in the Pacific Northwest.
Had to share these pics since we feel truly honored to have our products installed in such amazing spaces! Enjoy!
Modwalls Corkdotz installation.
Gorgeous kitchen with our Brio Clear Red mosaic glass tile as the backsplash. Love how the lighter grout of the backsplash truly makes the red mosaic tile pop!
Another Brio Clear Red installation – notice the impact of a darker grout instead of the white grout. Love it!
Brio Tarragon mosaic glass tile flows over the vanity and around the tub area beautifully.
Have you installed or specified our modwalls tile? If so, we would love to see your best pics! Email them to us at service@modwalls.com and share the love.
Modwalls is making tile modern with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com.
Did you know that all grouts are NOT created equal?
Seriously…All grouts are not created equal.
More often than not, grout becomes an overlooked element within the tile installation process (why is that btw?). We believe it’s just as important as finding the tile that’s right for you! Grout is what seals everything together – literally. Don’t go through all this time to find the right tile only to not think about what grout you will grout it with.
Since we have the fortunate privilege of chatting daily with wonderful people like yourself about their tile installations, we are in the know as to what people are planning and what they are…well…not.
Grout can either be something that you have to do OR it can be something that makes your tile look even more amazing when it’s complete! Like we have mentioned in the past, we are extremely passionate about StarGlass Grout paired with most of our modwalls tile. It’s kinda like the perfect marriage of tile and grout. And we want to encourage you to specifically ask yourself, “What type & color of grout would look best with this tile [I've selected]?”…and “When is sanded grout most appropriate?”…
Since most of us are visual learners, I had this super cool idea to photograph our ModRocks Recycled Glass Pebbles in both StarGlass Grout and regular sanded grout. The visual speaks for itself…one is “clearly” better AND it’s better for the environment.
Helpful hint = whenever you are installing glass or any translucent tile, the surrounding grout has a major impact on how your tile will appear once installation is complete.
On the left- Diamond Starglass Grout and on the right is a standard white sanded grout.
Note: Both of the above images are taken with the same digital camera in the same lighting conditions.
In the application on the left, the StarGlass grout allows light to enter in and through the grout and also the clear glass pebbles – making the whole area appear more illuminated. The sanded grout application, shown on the above right, does not allow light to flow through the grout and therefore makes the pebbles appear much darker overall. Same exact pebble tile, but with different grouts.
Here are some other examples of StarGlass Grout paired with our Lush® modwalls tile:
Modwalls Lush Blend installed with Opal StarGlass Grout
Modwalls Rex Ray TYPE White Tile grouted with Diamond StarGlass Grout
Modwalls Lush Glass Subway tile grouted with Diamond StarGlass Grout
Now lets get a little more in-depth on the StarGlass specifics…The actual product description is Translucent Grout for Glass Tile.
For all you eco-friendly peeps out there, you’ll be happy to know that this product is made from post-consumer recycled glass – a truly revolutionary one-of-a-kind product!
The recycled glass is reduced down to teeny tiny beads (texture totally resembles the consistency of sugar) and is mixed with a translucent urethane binder that allows light to pass through the grout itself. So cool! This waterproof, stain-proof formula won’t crack or break down over time, emits little to no VOCs, and eliminates jobsite waste since it’s pre-mixed and stored in a resealable container. StarGlass long lasting, easy-to-use formula provides unmatched stain resistance, ultimate color consistency, crack resistant flexibility, mold/mildew protection and UV stability (aka it won’t yellow over time). Plus, it comes in these fantastic 15 colors: diamond, onyx, opal, aquamarine, topaz, hematite, jade, amber, moonstone, aventurine, palm wood, citrine, copper, silver, and bronze.
One final benefit we want to be sure to point is how the StarGlass Grout has the ability to minimizes the look of grout lines – if this is your goal. Check out these two kitchen backsplash installations below where both purchased Lush® 3×6 Sky tile, but one kitchen grouted with Aquamarine StarGlass grout and the other with regular sanded grout. The images truly speak for themselves.
Left – Lush 3×6 Sky with StarGlass Grout and to the right is Lush 3×6 Sky with white sanded grout.
StarGlass also offers benefits of a traditional Urethane grout:
• Pre‐mixed, ready to use
• Excellent chemical, stain and mildew resistance
• Semi‐flexible, low shrinkage and high crack resistance
• No color fading, streaking or shading – Even when wet!
• Fast, easy clean‐up when compared to epoxy and cementgrouts
• Innovative, proprietary coloring system
• Excess product can be saved and used later
• UV stable colors (non‐yellowing)
• Self‐sealing – no sealing required
• Non‐sag formula for vertical surfaces
• Free of BPA (bisphenol‐A) found in epoxy grouts
• Dust‐free mixing
• Fast, easy installation ‐ installs up to 50% faster than othergrouts
• Superior to cement grout
• Contributes to USGBC LEED Credits: MR 4.1 & 4.2(Recycled Content), MR 5.1 & 5.2 (Regional Materials), and EQ, 4.1 (Low‐Emitting Materials).
• Contains over 80% post‐consumer recycled content.
Overall, all these features and benefits are sure to minimize life cycle costs and provide a translucent, three-dimensional, reflective appearance that you can enjoy for years to come!
Where can you use StarGlass grout you ask? StarGlass Grout can be used on vertical or horizontal surfaces in a variety of interior and exterior installations of ceramic, porcelain, glass, and natural stone tiles in a range of grout joint widths.
When is sanded grout appropriate?
Sanded grout is appropriate in many installations. I think sanded grout looks great with natural stone, ceramic tile, porcelain tile, etc. – basically any solid tile aka non-translucent. Below are images of a some modwalls products installed with neutral sanded grout. As you can see, sanded grout can be used as a design element to add heavy contrast and definition to the tile and/or the pattern.
Example where sanded grout is totally acceptable = with ceramic, porcelain, or other opaque tile products.
Modwalls ModDotz Confetti grouted with a sanded grout
Brio Blend Palisades grouted with a neutral sanded grout
ModDotz shower installed with white sanded grout for high-contrast.
Now what???
It is our hope that you would soak up all this information and spend some time to select the best grout for your tile – whether that be StarGlass Grout or sanded grout!
Have more questions? Feel free to call or email us with any related or unrelated tile installation questions.
We’d love to help!
Modwalls is making tile modern with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com.
We ♥ Butter!!!
Yes, everything is better with butter! Modwalls Lush 3×6 Butter that is……
We can’t help but notice that our beautiful butter color is popping up in the most cheery of places and spaces: making normal things seem way more fun!
This delightful color adds the unexpected element to the average household items, accessories, and of course tile. Who doesn’t love a pop of color??
Modwalls is making tile modern with colorful and unique designs that are in stock and available for purchase online 24/7 at modwalls.com.
Inspired By…
“Dew” it aww-natural per modwalls.
Our ModRocks™ Recycled Glass Pebbles are an extremely unique, 100% post-consumer recycled glass tile.
These cloudy clear dew-drop-sized pebbles reflect light and surrounding colors beautifully. To create this tile, recycled glass is tumbled with low heat until smooth glass pebbles are the result. The pebbles are then mesh-mounted for easy installation and sold by the square foot for $25.95. Here’s an amazingly gorgeous installation on our houzz page.
