Tile for an outdoor oasis

School has started (sort of), the nights are getting a little cooler, and Fall will be upon us before we turn the calendar. While this strange year has already made us think a lot about ‘outdoor living’; this Fall will reinforce the beauty and enjoyment of porches, decks, sunrooms, and open spaces.

Are you ready for it? You’ve still got time to give us a call about tiling your porch or renovating your deck before it gets cold. North Carolina Falls host some of the best porch-sitting weather, and in 2020, we’re all appreciating any great space that’s safe to share.

During the quarantine, we finally finished our long-awaited, personal porch project, and we can say it’s probably the best renovation we could have done for our family. We’ve eaten dinner together on the porch almost every evening since April, and it’s a perfect place for morning solitude.

All the porcelain tiles available today give you plenty of options for an outdoor space, and we’ve got systems that allow us to tile over concrete, deck boards, enclosed spaces, and even roof decks.

We are always passionate about using experienced tile installers, but it’s absolutely essential when dealing with outdoor installations that you select a team who has both the product and installation knowledge to stand up to the weather. Give Neuse Tile a call today and let us help you create an outdoor oasis to carry you through this Fall and well into the years to come.

Heat up those toes with a tile floor

Maybe it’s because the ground is covered in snow and ice, but the idea of a heated tile floor is sounding extra wonderful today! Stepping out of the shower onto those warm tiles started my day off in the best way possible.

Many forward-thinking builders are adding heated floors to their projects these days, but the idea of under-floor radiant heating actually dates back to prehistoric times. TILE magazine reports that archeologists digging in the Aleutian Islands have solid evidence of inhabitants channeling smoke from fires through stone-covered trenches dug under the floors of their dwellings. “The hot smoke heated up the floor stones, which then radiated into the living spaces. The principle behind this process was – and still remains—quite simple, the floor radiates heat to a person’s feet, warming that person all over,” Arthur Mintie reports.

Today’s electric radiant floor heating uses that same concept, and is an affordable addition to any tile installation. An electric heating element is incorporated into the materials laid beneath the tiles and can be directed to specific areas in the room. With their high thermal mass, tile and stone retain the heat (controlled by a wall thermostat), and the warmth radiates from your feet throughout your body. Several of our customers say they’ve actually lowered their room thermostats because their floor heat made them feel so much warmer. One customer even said her favorite spot to watch it snow is on her all-season porch because her warm floor keeps her so cozy.

So, instead of starting a fire on these next cold nights, how about turning up the floor? Ask us about it for your next project.