With so many types of tile available, the most exciting (and difficult) part of a tiling project can be choosing the tile. Kitty Bartholomew, host of HGTV's Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home, meets Susan Kent, a tile expert with Country Floors, for a look at the wide variety of styles available. Country Floors is a premier source of tile for both floors and walls, specializing in hand-crafted decorative, traditional and contemporary art tiles, antiqued and tumbled marble and limestone, mosaics and terra-cotta floor tiles. Current trends in tile include natural materials and matte finishes. Terra cotta continues to be a perennial favorite. The antiqued look of tumbled marble, available in several muted colors, is also popular. Intricate mosaic-tile patterns give a room an Old World look. A mosaic-patterned wall or floor is much less work than you might think. Mosaic tile is available in 12" by 12" mesh-backed sections, which takes some of the labor out of this labor-intensive job. Prefabricated mosaic-tile borders (a single tile that looks like many tiles) are also available. Natural elements -- animals, twigs and acorns -- abound in muted green and brown arts-and-crafts-style tiles, a popular addition to mission-style bungalows. Tile can be used in many ways, not just on walls and floors. A juvenile-motif tile is generally not used in permanent installations but is great for decorating mirror frames and tabletops. Bits and pieces of broken tile can be used to embellish urns and flowerpots, and tile detailing can add an inventive decorative element to stair risers.
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