Tile is considered to be easy to care for and requires very little maintenance when compared to other flooring options. By taking a few preventative measures and following simple routine cleaning tips, you can easily keep your tile floors looking pristine.

Ames Tile – Nepal Slate Random Sticks

Routine Care for Porcelain and Ceramic Tiles

• Vacuum and sweep regularly to remove dust and debris.
• Clean your floors weekly with a neutral PH cleaner that does not contain ammonia, acid, or bleach.
• Change mop water frequently while cleaning floors.
• Glazed ceramic backsplashes in bathrooms can be cleaned with multi-purpose bathroom cleaner as long as the cleaner is also suitable for grout.

Grout Sealing

• Cementitious grouts should be sealed after installation to prevent staining.
• Epoxy grout does not need to be sealed since it is already chemically cured.
• Neither sealing or using epoxy grout is a 100% perfect solution to prevent grout staining and discolouration.

Routine Grout Cleaning

• Use a grout compatible or neutral PH cleaner to clean the grout.
• Deep cleaning with professional strength grout cleaner is recommended every 6-12 months. More frequent cleaning is recommended for areas with heavy exposure to soap and grease.
• If deep cleaning does not remove grout stains, try an epoxy-based grout stain to return it to the original colour.

Natural Stone

Since natural stone products are porous and soak up liquids, they require more maintenance than ceramic or porcelain tiles. Following proper maintenance guidelines is necessary to keep your natural stone beautiful.

Ames Tile – Filed and Honed Travertine

Natural Stone Sealing

• Sealing is strongly recommended for all natural stones. Since fine grout particles can stain tiles, it is recommended to seal both before and after grouting.
• Sealers will not make your natural stone stain proof. They will provide a temporary barrier that allows you to clean the stone before stains can penetrate the stone.

Natural Stone Routine Maintenance

• Vacuum and sweep regularly to remove dust and debris.
• Only clean using a neutral PH cleaner designed for cleaning stone. Cleaning products that use acid, ammonia or bleach can etch or discolour natural stone.
• When trying out a new cleaner, it is highly recommended to do a test spot in an inconspicuous area such as under appliances.
• Clean up all spills immediately to prevent them from penetrating the stone’s surface

For this edition of the MIRA Wine Club we let a few staff favourites take centre stage. We hope our staff favourites become a couple of your favourites as well.

Cassini Cellars 2012 Sauvignon Blanc
Nominated by: Kelsey Myers, Marketing and Sales Support Manager

Cassini Cellars is a BC-based winery located in the Golden Mile bench between Oliver and Osoyoos. The winery has developed a reputation among BC wine lovers for producing bold and flavourful wines. This Sauvignon Blanc hold true to their signature style. Highly recommended for those who love the tropical flavours and acidity of popular wines like Kim Crawford or Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc’s but want to try something local instead. Beautiful aromas of passionfruit and grass prepare you for flavours of apple, tropical fruits and citrus zest on the palette. It finishes with the crisp acidity classic Sauvignon Blanc’s are known for. This is an easy-drinking wine that would be great on its own or paired with seafood or chicken dishes.

Therapy Vineyards 2011 Freud’s Ego
Nominated by: Kelsey Van Dam, Sales

It’s another Okanagan based winery – can you tell we have a tendency to buy locally? Therapy Vineyard has made a home in beautiful Naramata Beach. Taking cues from the winery name, all the wines are named with humourous references to common psychology terms – freudian, rorschach, ego etc. While the winemaker may have fun with the naming, he is serious about their wines. Freud’s Ego is a blend of grapes harvested from all over the Okanagan. The types of grapes used in the blend are the proprietor’s secret. It boasts an inviting nose of black currant and white pepper. It’s an easy drinking red wine with soft tannins, a smooth finish and a complex blend of red fruit flavours. Therapy Vineyards provides a great technical description of how the wine was made on their website: Freud’s Ego winemaker’s notes

Last week we visited the Shaw Floors Market Show here in Vancouver. As one of the world’s largest flooring manufacturers, Shaw Floors stays on top of the latest flooring trends. The market is an opportunity for us to peruse new samples and discover the next big things in flooring for 2015.

Waterproof Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Floorté

This innovative new product from Shaw has the potential to change the luxury vinyl plank marketplace. Why is the vinyl plank so revolutionary?

• It’s completely waterproof. Floorté is made from an EVP polymer plastic that can withstand being submerged in water. Most vinyl plank flooring on the market is just water-resistant.
• A new locking system similar to a Tupperware lid. Thanks to the locking system, it’s easy to install and keeps water out of the joints for up to 48 hours.
• Unmatched realism. Since Floorté is more rigid than glue-down LVP, it feels more like hardwood underfoot. The bevelled edges add to the realism.
• No underpad is needed for Floorté.
• Wear layer features durable Armourbead nano-ceramic particle finish.

Shaw Floors Floorté Classico LVP colour Colori

Grey tones taking over

Grey is the trendy neutral colour in interior design right now. Flooring colour palettes are changing to keep up with the trends. Colours with names like sand, honey and coffee are being replaced with new colours names like fog, silver and concrete. Expect to see even more grey options available in carpet, laminate and hardwood. Here’s a few of our favourite grey options from the show:

Castlewood Oak Hardwood
The Castlewood Oak collection exudes old world charm. The natural beauty of the wood shines through with knots, mineral streaks and natural splits. Four rich grey-toned options give the grey-lover plenty of options to choose from.

Shaw Castlewood Oak Hardwood colour Armory

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Hearth

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Drawbridge

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Tower

Truly Relaxed Carpet
This luxurious nylon loop carpet is the redesigned sibling to one of our best-selling carpets. With many grey options to choose from, you can find the perfect shade to compliment your decor.

Shaw Truly Relaxed loop carpet

The resurgence of random width hardwood is inspired by the days when hardwood flooring was hand sawn. At the time, random widths weren’t a design choice. It was done to use as much hardwood as possible and prevent unnecessary waste.

Today the random width look is making a comeback in homes looking for a rustic or vintage inspired aesthetic. Random width floors can be custom made to your specifications or you can pick from the many pre-finished options available. While custom hardwood offers more design flexibility, it also brings more decisions and costs. With so many pre-finished options now available, it is easiest to see if your dream random width hardwood is available in pre-finished option. If it is not, then a custom hardwood solution would be best.

We have a collected a couple of our favourite unique random width hardwood options.

Mannington Pacaya Mesquite 3″/5″/7″

The hand-crafted Pacaya Mesquite random width hardwood is a truly unique find. Mesquite is known for its natural character with mineral streaks and small irregular cracks along the grain. Pick your favourite of the six volcanic-inspired colours.

Laurentian Berkshire 3″/5″/7″

Hickory, maple, white oak and American walnut – this random width hardwood has options from a wide variety of hardwood species. The planks are full of character, embracing all the natural imperfections of each wood species. Heavy bevelling and handscraping add to the overall worn, rustic look.

Anderson Elements 3″/5″

This pine floor exudes old world charm. The handscraped planks have a unique texture that suits either a cozy wilderness cabin or a beach house.

Vinyl flooring is considered to be one of the easiest to maintain flooring options on the market. There are a few tips and tricks to learn that will help you spend less time cleaning your floors. For a quick run-down, read our quick vinyl flooring maintenance tips below or watch this video from worldwide vinyl supplier Armstrong.

Maintenance tips

• Sweep your vinyl flooring regularly – at least once per week.
• Wipe up spills as soon as possible to prevent staining.
• When sweeping is not enough to get your floors clean, occasionally wash your floor using the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner. Do not use detergents, abrasive cleaners, mop and shine products, paste wax or solvent based polishes.
• Use a mop or cloth to clean your floor. We do not recommend using a vacuum beater bar or abrasive scrubbing tools as these can damage your floor.
• If your floor begins to dull over time, use the manufacturer recommended floor finish polish to restore the floor’s original shine. The gloss level of each vinyl floor varies, so it’s important to check what your manufacturer recommends.

Preventative maintenance

• Use a walk-off mat at outside entrances to prevent dirt, sand and grit from being tracked onto your vinyl floors. Rubber or latex backed mats can stain your floors. Instead choose a non-staining vinyl mat or a woven colourfast rug.
• When moving appliances or heavy items, put down a piece of plywood or hardboard runway to protect your floors from damage. A runway is always recommended, even when using a furniture dolly or items with wheels.