Tessellated Tiling

Design

Tessellated floor tiles involve a combination of ceramic pieces that form a geometric pattern to suit any space required. Their use in commercial and domestic architecture in the 19th century was due to their strength, durability and diversity of design. Due to the nature of tessellated patterns they offer good slip resistance and can be used in wet areas.

Tessellated patterns are supplied as loose pieces (not on sheets). This is done to ensure that the product is aesthetically pleasing. Joint sizes between tile pieces can vary from 1mm to 3mm. This enables the tiler to open and close up the joints to ensure patterns and borders fit seamlessly together.

Installation

It is important to employ a tiler experienced in tessellated tiling as it involves time setting out the pattern effectively, and understanding of how to turn borders correctly.

 Maintenance

· Pre-sealing: This is recommended for red vitrified clay ONLY. Prior to exposing the red vitrified clay to water, pre-seal the top surface to prevent watermarking. This will also help to reduce efflorescence (salting which can result from the mix of water, sand and cement).

· Acid Wash: After the tiles have been laid and grouted, wash them with a phosphoric acid cleaner to remove any excess cement and grout residue.

· Neutralise: Rinse the floor thoroughly with water to remove all acid

· Penetrating sealer: Apply penetrating sealer to provide resistance from staining and oil.

· Cleaning: Tessellated tiles can be cleaned with scrubbing brushes to remove any built up dirt

Things to consider before renovating your kitchen

       Research your design elements

It is important to research and collect samples of the materials and colour schemes you plan to use for the project. This will enable you to create a "mood board" that will allow you to visualize how the various design elements will look together. 

              Embrace innovative trends

Contemporary interior design trends are dynamic. Do your research! This could help make unique additions to your kitchen space. Magazines such as HomeLife or Grand Designs Australia provide great insight to interior design ideas.

           Attention to detail

Attention to detail can make or break the appearance of a new kitchen. Make sure you consider styling features such as splashback choice, undermount or top skins, draining solutions, and edge detail selection to create a space that represents your lifestyle.

        Design around your appliances

It's important to research your choice of appliances such as oven and cooktop, dishwasher and microwave as their dimensions will play a fundamental role in the overall layout of the kitchen. Be sure to allow for just the right amount of space to avoid frustration when your new fridge doesn't quite fit in its space.

Value-adding

It might be tempting to keep costs down by opting for cheaper appliances and materials but it's important to think long-term. A renovation is an investment that adds value to your home. Using products from reputable brands creates a quality finish that will appeal to future potential buyers. 

Common Air Conditioning Problems

One of the most prevalent air conditioning problems that arise is improper operation. If your air conditioner is turned on, isolate the room from the rest of the house to ensure that you are using the air conditioner efficiently.

Problems with existing air conditioners often result from poor installation, poor service procedures and inadequate maintenance. Improper installation of a central air conditioner can result in leaky ducts and low airflow. Quite often the refrigerant charge is not congruent with the manufacturer’s specifications. If proper refrigerant charging is not performed during installation, the performance and efficiency of the unit is impaired and this is likely to cause damage.

Refrigerant Leaks

If your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, either it was undercharged at installation or it is leaking. A technician should fix any leak, test the repair, and then charge the system with the correct amount of refrigerant. The performance of your air conditioner is maximized when the refrigerant charge is neither undercharged nor overcharged.

Electric Control Failure

The compressor and fan controls can wear out, especially when the air conditioner is turned on and off frequently. Because corrosion of wire and terminals is common in many systems, electrical connections should be checked on a regular basis.

Sensor Problems

Room air conditioners contain a thermostat sensor, located behind the control panel, which measures the temperature of air coming into the evaporative coil. If the sensor is knocked out of position, the air conditioner could cycle constantly or behave erratically. If you notice that the sensor is out of place, adjust its position by carefully bending the wire that holds it in place. 

How to improve home efficiency

There are numerous ways you can improve efficiency in your home. In particular, efficient heating and cooling solutions are vital for saving money on energy bills.

Passive Design:

Passive design can help you maintain the interior temperature of your home with little mechanical heating and cooling. Passive design includes:

·         Insulating the ceiling, walls and floor

·         Sealing draughts around doors and windows

·         Using natural airflow to help with cross-ventilation

Mechanical Heating:

The type of heater you use, how you use it and even its position in your home can make a dramatic difference to your heating expenses.

There are many different types of heating, with different levels of efficiency. Central heating can often heat a whole house, whereas space heating heats the one or two rooms that are in use. There are many options for both types of heating:

·         Gas heaters and efficient reverse-cycle heat pumps are cheaper to run than standard electric heaters and produce one third the amount of greenhouse gases.

·         Reverse-cycle heat pumps are the most energy efficient type of electric heater.

·         Heat shifters have a fan and ducting to direct warm air to unheated parts of your home. They can be cost-effective to install and low-cost to run.

Mechanical Cooling:

When preparing for a hot summer, cooling options may include:

·         Fans: the cheapest and most sufficient option

·         Evaporative coolers: work well in low-humidity areas

·         Air conditioners

Always ensure that you clean the filters on your chosen heating and cooling systems at the beginning and end of each season to ensure that it runs smoothly. Also use timers to make sure that you are not wasting energy.

Bamboo

With increased consumer environmental consciousness, interest in bamboo flooring, building materials and furnishings has soared. As an attractive and viable alternative to hardwood flooring, bamboo is tough to beat.

Strength & Durability

The superior strength and durability of bamboo has earned its successful use as a timber for flooring and bench tops. In particular, bamboo flooring is stronger and more stable than many hardwoods. Janka ratings have demonstrated strand woven bamboo to be approximately 13% harder than maple and 27% harder than red oak. Moreover, bamboo expands and contracts 50% less than timber and is 99% termite-proof.  

Bamboo fibers are vertical which reduces the opportunity for moisture absorption compared with traditional woods where the fibers are round. 

Convenient Installation

Bamboo timber is similarly priced to quality tongue and groove hard timber flooring, but has an advantage in that sanding and sealing is not required after installation. It is ready to walk on immediately.

Reducing your carbon footprint

There’s no denying that bamboo is a renewable alternative resource for environmentally sustainable development. Research has indicated that bamboo helps reduce CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere, so if you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint, bamboo timber is the way to go. 

Uninvited Guests

Termites are responsible for causing an incredible amount of damage to Australian homes each year, with one third of Australian properties reporting damage caused by these uninvited guests. 

Unfortunately, the damage caused by termites is normally not covered by household insurance. On the flip side, you can protect your home by undertaking regular inspections and trying to make your household unattractive to termites.

What attracts termites?

·         Moisture (i.e. damp ground)

·         Decaying timber framework

·         Mulch

How to prevent termites:

·         Fix plumbing problems

·         Seal leaking showers

·         Increase ventilation underneath your floor

·         Don’t leave wood lying on the floor! This is their source of food and will be the number one cause in attracting a colony of termites.

·         Ensure the ground is well drained

·         Keep mulch away from the house perimeter as it holds moisture in soil and serves as a shield for termites

·         Expose concrete slab edges by at least 75mm so you can inspect the house perimeter to detect the presence of termites