FAQ's
IS YOUR CHECKOUT SECURE?
YES! We have a secure socket layer certificate that encrypts the personal information you enter on this website. When you click to check out you will notice that the address of the site changes to https:// and also that a lock symbol will appear either at the end of your address bar or at the bottom right side of your screen (depending on the version of IE that you are using on your computer). These are indications that the connection between your computer and our server is secure and the personal information you now enter is encrypted to guard against anyone else viewing your personal information as you check out. You can click on the lock to view the security certificate status. We use Authorize.net to process our credit card transactions so you know your personal information is handled with the strictest confidence.
DO YOU HAVE A PRINTED CATALOG?
Because there are nearly 2000 designs to choose from, we do not keep a printed copy of a catalog. Designs come and go frequently and it would just be impossible to keep up with a hard copy catalog. All of the available designs can be found throughout the website.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KILN FIRED AND THE OTHER DESIGNS?
The kiln fired design images are pre-made artwork and therefore the images cannot be resized. The images are applied to the tiles and fired in the kiln at over 1400 degrees for several hours. The firing process allows the design to sink into and become a part of the glaze of the tile. The designs are completely UV and scratch resistant. You can treat your kiln fired designed tiles just as you would any plain tile. You can clean them daily with a sponge or soft cloth and any normal household cleaner such as glass cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner or soft scrub.
The digital tile murals and accents are produced from original artworks painted by well known and inspiring artists. Since the artwork has been digitally scanned, usually images can be resized to fit the area you intend to tile. The image is printed with sublimation dye onto sublimation paper using one of the best Epson 8 color photo printers available. The printed image and the tiles are then put into a heat press and we apply heat and pressure to the tile and printed image to transfer these images to the tile. The dye of the printed image flashes from solid form to gas form (much like dry ice) under the intense heat and pressure of the heat press machine. The gas formed dye permeates the tile surface and becomes permanent to the tile. You cannot wash the image off. You can clean them daily with a sponge or soft cloth and any normal household cleaner such as glass cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner or soft scrub. The colors in the digital tile murals and accents are usually more vivid than the kiln fired designs. Both methods of transferring the images to the tiles are permanent and are safe to use as a kitchen backsplash (behind a stove or sink or anywhere on the wall) or on the wall of your shower or tub surround.
WHERE CAN I INSTALL A TILE MURAL OR ACCENT?
You can install your tile murals and accent tiles permanently to any interior wall such as a kitchen backsplash, tub and shower surround or as a fireplace surround or mantle (temperature not to exceed 350 degrees).
Kiln fired tile murals and accent tiles can be installed to any of the above plus on countertops. The kiln fired tiles can be installed outdoors in direct sunlight in non-freezing areas.
DO YOU PICTURES OF THE DIFFERENT TILE TYPES?
Click here to view all of the tile types available for your tile mural and single accent tiles.
WHAT ARE MY TILE CHOICES FOR KILN FIRED MURALS AND ACCENTS?
You have several options:
The tile type choices are ceramic, Rialto porcelain and your own custom tile.
For ceramic tiles you can choose glossy (shiny) or matte (not shiny) finishes. You also choose the color, either white or biscuit (a very pale beige).
For Rialto porcelain you can choose the color, white, beige or noce. All the Rialto porcelain tiles for the kiln fired designs have a matte finish.
You can also choose to send us the tiles you want decorated. Any kiln fired design can be made on any glazed ceramic or porcelain tile. If the customer supplied option is chosen then you must send us the tile that you want the design made on. Your tile dealer can tell you if your tile is glazed or if it is ceramic or porcelain. Please note that the lighter the tile the better the design will appear. Darker tile has a darker glaze and since the kiln fired design will "sink" into and under the glaze during firing, if the glaze is dark it will hide some of the detail of the design. If you choose the customer supplied option as the tile color we will give you our address to ship your tiles to when we confirm your order.
WHY DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE A COLOR FOR KILN FIRED DESIGNS? I want the color that is shown on the website.
Since many of the kiln fired designs do not cover the entire tile area you will see the tile color of the blank tiles we use surrounding the design. The white or biscuit colored tiles won't change the colors of the design. You want to choose a tile color that coordinates with the other colors you are using in the area you are tiling.
WHY IS THERE NO COLOR CHOICE FOR THE OTHER MURALS AND ACCENTS?
You have several options for these tiles as well.
Since the digital artwork reproduction covers the entire blank tile surface there is no need to choose a tile color. You only need to select the type of tile you want us to use.
Since the tiles that we use for the digital artwork reproductions are sublimated, the tiles need to have a special polymer coating on them. The coating is applied to the tiles by companies who specialize in coating tiles for the industry. The coating is applied to the tiles and then the tiles are heated in large ovens to permanently adhere the coating to the tiles. We cannot coat regular tiles therefore the customer supplied option is not available for the digital artwork reproduction tiles.
You can choose from ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles and marble tiles.
The ceramic tiles have a smooth surface. The ceramic tiles have built in spacers to allow room for the grout between the tiles. If you want to use ceramic tiles you also choose the finish for the ceramic tiles - glossy, satin or matte.
The porcelain tiles have a satin/matte finish. These tiles have a texture (to make them look like stone). The texture has pits and nicks on the face of the tile where the color of the design will not penetrate. This will give your tiles an "old world" weathered look. The porcelain tiles do not have built in spacers. For a thin grout line, just butt the tiles against each other when installing. If you prefer a wider grout line use wall tile spacers between the tiles.
The marble tiles are a tumbled marble and have a textured matte finish with nicks and pits on the face where the color of the design will not penetrate. The marble tiles also have chipped and uneven edges and corners. Using the marble tiles will give your mural that "old world" and weathered look. The marble tiles need to be sealed by you using a stone sealer BEFORE you grout. You can find the sealer at most hardware and tile stores and at your local home improvement warehouse in the tile section. The marble tiles do not have built in spacers. For a thin grout line, just butt the tiles against each other when installing. If you prefer a wider grout line use wall tile spacers between the tiles.
WHAT BRAND OF TILES DO YOU USE FOR KILN FIRED MURALS/ACCENTS?
For the kiln fired tiles we use American Olean tile that is found in stock and off the shelf at most Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and most tile stores. We use this tile to try to make it easy for our customers across the country to match any tile they need to finish the project with our tile.
The Lowe's product numbers for the American Olean ceramic blank tiles are as follows:
White gloss 4 ¼" #1224 6" #1249
White matte 4 ¼" #1267 6" #1272
Biscuit gloss 4 ¼" #1263 6" #1266
Biscuit matte 4 ¼" #507 6" #1299
The Lowe's product numbers for the Rialto porcelain blank tiles are as follows:
White 4" #115512 6" #88836
Beige 4" #115516 6" 160078
Noce 4" (not available) 6" #65107
You can log on to Lowes.com to check the availability of these tiles at a store near you.
WHAT BRAND OF TILES DO YOU USE FOR THE OTHER MURALS AND ACCENTS?
The ceramic tiles are standard smooth surface 4 ¼" tiles with built in spacers that have had the special polymer coating applied to them. They are comparable to American Olean and Dal Tile. Since the image covers the entire area of the tiles it is not important to match the tile color. The porcelain tiles are Rialto white tiles that have the special polymer coating as well. You will not see the color of the tile since the image covers the entire blank tile surface. The texture will be the same as the Rialto tiles carried by Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse. The marble tiles are a tumbled natural stone that has had the special polymer coating applied to them. They are typical of tumbled marble tiles you'd find elsewhere. They have a texture with pits and nicks on the face and uneven edges just as any other tumbled marble tile would have.
ARE THE OVERALL DIMENSIONS ON THE WEBSITE THE EXACT DIMENSIONS OF COMPLETED MURALS?
Please use our overall dimensions as guidelines only. Our overall dimensions include space for grout lines but you may want larger or smaller grout lines for your installation than we have allowed for. Depending on the size of your mural there could be a difference in our overall dimensions and yours from less than an inch to several inches for the larger murals. You should choose a design size that is smaller than the space you are tiling to allow for any overall dimension size difference.