Affordable Vinyl Graphics

There is a new business in Owasso and online. Affordable Vinyl Graphics has a very cool website and an awesome project. It is not directly tied into mosaics but the owner of this company, Heather Rodden, is a very nice person that will go out of her way to get you exactly what you need.

In case you don't know, these vinyl graphics can be installed anywhere including painted walls, metal, plastics, etc. They won't damage the surface that you put them on. So you can hang your mosaic art on your living room wall and then have Heather do a cool graphic that includes the name of your piece. She can do it in any font and tons of colors! You then stick the vinyl under or around your finished art while it is on the wall.

Imagine creating a round piece then having Heather do the name of the piece so that it archs around your art. Cool effects! So hop over to Affordable Vinyl Graphics when you get a chance and make sure to look at their Photo Gallery.

Your Grout Color

This is the most common question for me...what color grout should I use? This is a very tough question since this can ruin your project if the wrong color is chosen.

Remember the rule of thumb:

• Mostly warm colors...use brown grout
• Mostly cool colors...use gray grout
• Mostly vivid colors (all very bright)...black is a possibility
• All white...use white grout

I have people that do a piece where the focal point is all in blue and the back ground is all in brown. Since blue is a cool color they think gray but imagine gray grout with brown tiles...Yuck! You want to choose a color that will make the entire work flow. Brown would be best in this case. What if your focal is all blue and the background is all orange. In this case you will want to use gray to keep your focal from being fractured. Gray would look fine with the orange tiles too.

Don't forget the correct intensity. If your piece is mostly dark then use a darker tone. If it is mostly light use a lighter.

So the rule of thumb is just a guideline. Always do the grout test to make sure of what color to use. Simply don a mask and sprinkle a little of each grout possibility into the grout joints of your piece. See what looks best then vacuum the dry grout out before mixing the real batch.

Tulsa Home & Garden Show

Hello everyone! The Tulsa Home & Garden show is now over and life can start getting back to normal for the Tile Shack crew. It was a huge success and I wanted to share some of the pics of our booth.

We put together some great displays that show our tiles installed.

We also had some great artwork. Carriera and Artemesia were created by Tish Busking. The shoes and aquarium were done by Sean Busking.

We also got in some rest and play time with some our builder friends.

Tulsa Granite and Middleton Construction of Tulsa also featured our tiles in their booths.

Finishing Edges on an Art Project

Finishing edges on a work of art has always been an issue. There are several ways that will complete your piece and make it gorgeous.

Try:

1. Build a frame out of wood. This works especially well when thin backerboard or Wedi board has been used as the substrate.
2. Do a grout rub on the edges. The grout won't stay in bulk but will leave a fine layer of grit and color that will blend well with the rest of your piece. Just rub down the edges while grouting the rest of the piece. Make sure to pick up your piece and wipe off the excess build up before it sets up. This works well with wood and Wedi board.
3. Use stained glass copper foil. This stuff has an adhesive backing so it sticks well on the edges. For this to really work you will need to make sure your edge is clean of all grout. The adhesive doesn't stick well to dried grout. I use this when I do a piece on backerboard but it can be used on all surfaces. For a silver edge, use the tape that is used on duct work that you can buy at your local hardware store.
4. Paint those edges. This is really only a good technique if your work is done on wood. Be sure to tape off the edges before grouting. Pull off tape before grout has set and paint in a couple of days.
5. Brass foil is a great edging for wood. This is a metal band that is nailed onto the sides of your piece before you grout. Here is a link to a company where we buy our's. We buy brass foil that is .02 mm. Be sure to buy the width that you will need for your surfaces. Go the extra penny and buy brass nails to use on this stuff. It will give a nice finish.

Although you can lay tiles on your edge, I never recommend it. If your piece gets bumped or falls those edge pieces have a good chance of falling off.