Moroccan Tiles

We have spent many months trying to source the perfect tiles to fit in with our ever-growing range of beautiful tiles and we have now found just the ones! You may have seen on our social media pages that we have now launched two exciting, new tiles; Buccella Tumbled Limestone and Mill House Blend Limestone. Both of these stunning tiles have been sourced from Morocco, close to the Atlas Mountains so I thought now would be a good time to introduce them both a bit more to you.

Firstly, I will introduce you to the Buccella Tumbled Limestone which everybody at Floors of Stone loves! The chalky, pale grey tones and softly tumbled edges help to give such a timeless feel to this stone and gives the impression of a floor that has been laid for many years. There is a lot of interest to these tiles with subtle black veining and mineral deposits running through the stone which adds even more natural beauty! The tiles are available in either an opus pattern or a freelength pattern so, depending on the look you wish to achieve, would depend on which pattern you feel would be best for you. The opus pattern is an assortment of smaller and larger rectangles and squares whereas the freelegnth pattern is a mix of tiles all with the same width but varying lengths so there is something to suit every space. The hard-wearing nature of these tiles means they are well suited to busy home environments and are ideal for use in kitchens, dining spaces and even external patio areas.

Now, onto our brand new Mill House Blend Limestone. There is something so special about this limestone and something so different from other products that are on the market. The tiles range in colour from a pale grey to a warmer oatmeal tone with a lot of colours in-between, making them truly unique! The tumbled edges and pitted surface provide a very authentic feel to the tiles and we know they would work perfectly in period properties such as cottages or barn conversions. The tiles come in a slightly different size to the rest of our range as they are available in a 200xFL (freelength) size but this means they lend themselves well to smaller areas, such as utility rooms and boot rooms, as well as large, open spaces. The Mill House Blend is an extremely hardwearing stone meaning it can be used outside for patios or pathways.  We can just picture these tiles being laid on a lovely courtyard space!

Both of these tiles are now available to view on our website but if you would like a quotation or a sample sending out of any of our products, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our lovely sales team on, 01509 234000, who will be more than happy to help. There are lots more exciting products to be introduced soon so keep an eye on our social media pages for more information!

Article reference Moroccan Tiles

Special Offer – Vintage Bronze Tumbled Limestone

Floors of Stone are excited to offer our Vintage Bronze Tumbled Limestone at a great price of £62.00 per sq.m for a limited time only. For the month of September, we have decided to reduce the price of this stone, but you must act fast if you want to secure the material as we have a limited amount of stock at this amazing price. Be sure to take a look on our website and see if it takes your fancy.

The Vintage Bronze is one of my favourites and below are a couple of photos which have been sent into us by our lovely customers showing how beautiful it looks once it’s been laid.

If you would like a sample of the Vintage Bronze or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly and knowledgeable sales team on 01509 234000 or email enquiries@floorsofstone.com.

 

Article reference Special Offer – Vintage Bronze Tumbled Limestone

Welcome Back to the Mill!

Well…what a crazy few months that was! We’re not out of the woods yet, but it’s certainly good to be getting back to some sort of normality.

After weeks of working from home and trying to keep everything going as efficiently as we could, it’s great to be back in the office and have the doors of our beautiful Cotes Mill showroom open again. As a small close-knit team, it’s lovely to all be back in the same office, albeit with social distancing and Perspex screens in place to make it safe. We’ve really missed being at the Mill, having our lunch by the mill pond and catching up with each other.

We’re so happy to be able to welcome customers back as well! We’re currently running an appointment-only system in the showroom, which is working well and means you have plenty of time to browse and you have a dedicated member of our sales team to help with any questions you may have. If you do want to visit our showroom, please call or email to book an appointment. Upon arrival, we kindly ask that you sanitise your hands with the sanitiser provided before entering the building and you maintain social distance whilst in the showroom. We’re also providing gloves if customers wish to wear them, and you are encouraged to wear a mask if you would like, but these will not be provided.

We’re still able to deliver the majority of our products within 3-4 working days, however, due to various lockdowns and factory closures we are still waiting for some products to come in. We’ve got plenty of stock on order, and it’s going to be a busy July as we get back up to full levels again. We are taking backorders, so customers can receive their orders as soon as they come into stock. Please speak to a member of our sales team for more information or to check stock levels on any products you’re interested in.

We’ve been overwhelmed by your support and kind comments. Our customers have been so understanding throughout this strange situation we have all found ourselves in and we want to thank you so much for your kindness and patience. If there’s one good thing that has come out of this global pandemic it’s that it’s made us all a little wiser, a little more considerate and a little more compassionate with one another.

If you would like to come and visit our showroom, please get in touch. Or if you’re not able to make the trip, remember you can order up to four free samples of our products here: https://www.floorsofstone.com/sample-request

As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly, knowledgeable sales team with any questions you may have or if you would like to book an appointment on 01509 234000 or enquiries@floorsofstone.com.

Article reference Welcome Back to the Mill!

Open all hours!

Everyone is having to spend more time at home during the COVID-19 epidemic and, if you’re like me, you are looking around the house or garden to see what little projects need doing to make the most of this time. Why not take this opportunity to get some ideas together and plan for the future.

Floors of Stone are still open and ready to help with any questions or queries that you may have about any of our products. Our friendly sales team are now working from home and are on hand to answer your calls and to respond to your emails. If you would like to see some samples then please don’t hesitate to get in touch or feel free to request them online: http://www.floorsofstone.com/sample-request. Our samples are being sent out twice a week so please bear with us as they are taking a little longer than normal.

We are still able to deliver most of our products, so we are able to get material to site, whether it be for your DIY project or to finish a project off. We’re also happy to hold orders so that if you don’t need your floor right away, we can store it until you are ready to call it off.

Please rest assured that all of our warehouse and office staff are following the strict government health guidelines when it comes to a working environment and staff health is our main priority. The transport companies that we are using are delivering through a contactless service, meaning they are keeping interaction to a minimum. We are working with reduced numbers in our warehouse so although orders can be safely packed, they are taking a little longer than normal so please keep this in mind when ordering.

The most important thing during all of this is to stay safe. Stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

 

Article reference Open all hours!

COVID-19 Response

In response to the challenges we are all facing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to reassure you that Floors of Stone are strictly adhering to advice from the government and we are doing all we can to protect both our staff and customers.

Our Cotes Mill showroom remains open, with all necessary precautions with regards to regular cleaning of the mill; staff frequently washing hands with soap or using anti-bacterial gel; separate customer toilets with soap for handwashing, etc.

We politely ask that you do not visit the showroom if you are feeling unwell, and our staff will maintain a safe distance when chatting in the showroom. We are available as normal via phone and email to help with orders and any questions you may have. We are also still sending out free samples to help customers with their decision.

Currently, we are not experiencing any supply issues but as this is a fast-moving situation, we will endeavour to let customers know as soon as possible if anything changes. Customer service has always been of the utmost importance to us and we are doing all we can to maintain our high standards and keep things running as smoothly as possible.

Thank you for your support and let’s continue to be safe and look after one another.

The Floors of Stone Team x

Article reference COVID-19 Response

Getting Creative: A Day in the Ceramics Studio

Christmas time is always a busy, exciting period in the year – especially here at Cotes Mill in our Ceramics Studio! While it was a little quieter in the office, I was lucky enough to go and spend a day in the studio and help out our ceramicist Hannah, who had been working tirelessly to fulfil all of her orders before the end of the year.

The Ceramics Studio is our little creative hub here at Cotes Mill. It is full of talented makers creating the accessories for our sister company, deVOL, and the birthplace of our handmade tiles.  As you can imagine, it was an exciting shake-up in my daily routine and gave me a better insight into the more creative side of our company.

In the Morning

I got to the studio in the morning, with my packed lunch tucked under my arm, whilst wearing a few layers of scruffy clothes, and the arty side of myself ready to play with clay. Hannah greeted me and gave me a tour around the ceramics studio.

First, she showed me the corner where they keep the minerals and oxides (which look like flour). She explained that these are used for the glaze. The minerals act as a base and the oxides give the tile colour. The minerals and oxides react with the heat once they’re in the kiln. Hannah also showed me her own formula with oxides resulting in her uniquely coloured handmade tiles!

Rolling the Clay

We then moved on to the next stage (what I would be doing that day) – rolling the clay! As you can imagine, rolling clay is nothing like rolling pastry, it takes a lot of prep, a little bit of muscle and use of a slab roller.

After rolling a few slabs with Hannah’s help, I was left to my own devices, repeating my new skill to roll as much clay as possible. The trick was getting it neatly on the slab to reduce the number of offcuts. It was fun to be involved in the initial phases of the process – learning the intricacies of how the raw material goes from a lump of clay to a beautiful tile ready for installation.

Whilst I rolled, Hannah took a trip to the kiln to fire the slabs she had glazed the day before. Hannah explained that her tiles need to be fired twice, initially to dry the clay, and the final time after the tiles have been glazed. I also learnt that after each firing, the slabs need four days to cool. So, you can imagine how much juggling Hannah needs to do.

Adding the Print

After lunch, Hannah showed me the next phase of the process – adding the print. I started off by sprinkling a parting powder on the rolled slabs and began the printing process. This involved using a 3D block printer with Hannah’s beautiful Whitechapel design. This was a really fun part of the process as it was rewarding to see her design come into fruition. Once these were completed, they were put to the side ready for Hannah to cut into tiles the next day.

Packing an Order

For the final part of the day, I packed an order for one of our lovely customers. Starting with a quality control check to ensure that our customers only receive the best of our handmade tiles. After this, I began to pack the order. Hannah has recently cleverly changed her packaging to corrugated cardboard as an eco-friendlier alternative to the previous foam pouches.

It was rewarding to see the final product in their box ready for shipping.

That was my day in ceramics complete! I left with a new perspective on the effort and care that goes into our handmade tiles. It was interesting to learn more about the creative side of our company. It was also fascinating to learn how a lump of clay evolves into Hannah’s beautiful handmade tiles ready for customers to install in their homes!

If you have been inspired by this article and would like to know more about our Handmade Collection, please contact our sales team on 01509 234000 or email us at enquiries@floorsofstone.com.

Our Handmade Tiles are also live on our website which you can access here: https://www.floorsofstone.com/our-tile-range/handmade-tiles

Article reference Getting Creative: A Day in the Ceramics Studio

Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020

You may remember my blog from a few years back about Pantone’s colour of the year. For those who haven’t heard or read about this, I will give you a brief explanation. The Pantone company is based in New Jersey and is best known for its colour matching system which is used across graphic design, fashion, interiors, printing and manufacturing. For the past 20 years, Pantone has chosen a colour which they declare as the ‘Colour of the Year’ and a colour which they feel will be a real feature of that year. So, I thought I would share this year’s colour with you – Classic Blue. A simple, yet elegant colour which works so well in a whole array of ways which we have plenty of evidence of here at Floors of Stone.

The first product we have which ties in beautifully with this year’s colour are our gorgeous Indian Peacock Blue Handmade Tiles. These charming tiles contain a variety of blues ranging from a lighter, jewel-like blue to a deeper, classical blue – perfect, right?! Our very talented ceramicist, Hannah, makes these tiles on-site in our ceramics studio here at Cotes Mill and has developed the glaze recipe herself after much careful thought and consideration. The lead times on orders for our handmade tiles is between 4-6 weeks so if you are interested in purchasing these, or would like to see a sample, feel free to email us at enquiries@floorsofstone.com.

Indian Peacock Blue Handmade Tiles

Cotes Mill Ceramics Studio

In spring 2019 we introduced our exquisite Raku tiles which we feel are different to anything else on the market. These beautiful splashback tiles are created using traditional Japanese techniques which consists of a low-firing process whereby the ceramics are removed from the kiln whilst still extremely hot and quickly transferred to a container containing combustible materials. It is this temperature change which causes the cracking and crazing across the tiles. If you would like to fit in with the Classic Blue colour this year, then our Raku Sienna tiles are a perfect choice. With rich shades of navy, amber and chestnut, these cosy colours will bring a real sense of warmth to your home. Due to the traditional methods used, each tile is hand finished making each one of them truly unique. As well as the Raku Sienna, we also stock the Raku Aurora and Raku Georgette – priced at just £6 and £7 per tile respectively.

Raku Sienna Splashback Tiles

As well as our range of tiles to fit in with Pantone’s colour of the year, our sister company, deVOL Kitchens, have the perfect option if you’re considering purchasing a new kitchen this year. Their Pantry Blue shaker kitchen colour is one of my personal favourites but also seems to be very popular amongst customers too. A truly classical colour which complements almost all of our flooring options ranging from light travertine, to grey limestone to dark parquet blocks. One of my favourite deVOL projects is the ‘Leicestershire in the Woods’ kitchen which featured a Pantry Blue shaker kitchen. They decided to go for a fairly simplistic look but kept a wonderful and authentic ambience. They paired their Pantry Blue kitchen with our timeless Worn Grey Limestone for that added character. They chose to lay the tiles in our free length pattern which offers a mixture of lengths to add to the look of a time-worn floor. To view more images from this beautiful project, you can find them here.

Pantry Blue shaker kitchen with our Worn Grey Limestone

Pantry Blue shaker kitchen with our Light Tumbled Travertine

Pantry Blue kitchen with our Chatsworth Oak Parquet

I hope you feel a little more inspired for the upcoming year after reading this blog and maybe even considering adding a little bit of blue to your home. If you do have any queries or questions about our products or projects you are about to embark on, please do not hesitate to contact our sales team on, 01509 234000.

Article reference Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020