Innovative tile design
If you’re thinking about tiling your home, but don’t like the tile designs available on the shelves, create your own tiling design.
Water jet cutting
Water jet cutting technology offers you the ability to cut intricate designs and complex shapes onto a host of different materials ranging from granite, limestone, engineered stone and travertine, as well as porcelain and ceramic.
The technique transforms an ordinary tile into a personalised décor piece.
Water cutting technology cuts patterns and designs into tiles at high speeds without any breakage. This gives you complete creative control regarding the design on the surface of your tiles.
As Liza Watermeyer, retail display coordinator at Tile Africa, explains: “This technology allows one to create unique designs and it gives the allure of exclusivity by making an ordinary tile a custom-made décor piece.”
You can expect to pay R75 per tile scored or scribed, but it can cost a bit more depending on the inserts and intricate designs you require.
Crystal inserts
Water jet cutting paves the way for another bespoke tile offering, considered to be the next big trend in tiling - crystal décor tiles, which feature crystal inserts.
At Tile Africa Swarovski crystals are used and each order of such tiles comes with a special Swarovski ‘crystal elements’ label from Tile Styles, which is the only Swarovski approved tile supplier in the country, guaranteeing the crystals used are genuine Swarovskis.
“Your Swarovski crystal tiles can be as intricate or simple as you want them to be,” says Liza. The crystals range in size from 4mm-50mm.
They are available in both round and square shapes with a vast range of colours to choose from.
Pricing for these tiles depends on three factors: The cost of the base tile that will be used to either place the design on or insert the crystals in; the cost of the type of crystal selected (shape, colour and the amount of crystals used in the design); and the intricacy of the design or pattern incorporated.
These one-of-a-kind tiles are ideal for feature walls in the home. Areas to consider include the entrance of a home, behind the stove, and perhaps even above a kitchen sink as an interesting splashback.
Liza recommends that tiles with Swarovski crystals not be used in damp areas or cleaned with strong chemical detergents such as ammonia or tile cleaners.
For more information on Tile Africa contact 0800-002-783 or visit Tile Africa
