Give Your Kitchen And Bathroom A New Appeal

Are you considering changing the tiles in your kitchen or bathroom ? Well, think no more. Brick-shaped tiles are very much in vogue at the moment . Retro ones are inspired by the type used in some London underground stations, and are ideal when thinking of a new look for a traditional home . But if that´s not your style, don´t give up on your brick-shaped dream. Stylish more modern tiles  mean that there´s something to suit everyone and at every price point .These tiles look especially attractive  surrounded by clean, contemporary  accessories. In the kitchen there are plenty of  of products  which work well with them, from a sleek chrome espresso machine, to the more basic   jars  for everyday items like bread, coffee and tea. Scented candles are also a great choice  with these type of tiles, all the more so in the kitchen or in the bathroon. A plain white brick shaped tile on the bathroom wall is the ideal backing  for a choice  of pretty coloured votice candles, especially if you decide to go for candles at the higher end of the market by brands such as yankee candles and true grace candles, to name but a few. Also in the barthroom brick shape tiles are great on the wall, where you can also fix towel rails and other storage items to keep things neat and tidy.




When you come to purchase tiles, ensure  all of them come from the same batch to avoid differences  in colour. Give them a through look over   to make sure they aren´t damaged at all  and then mix them up so any slight differences between boxes are evened out over the piece   It is worth buying  quite a few extra tiles than you actually need so that you have some surplus to take account of  mistakes, cutting and wastage. If you are loking to make your life as easy as possible  you could lay new tiles over existing ones, although this never looks quite as impressive as laying yoyur tiles on a pristine surface If you wish to avoid this, or you want to tile less or more of the walls, carefully remove the existing tiles and start from scratch. The most important thing is to make sure the are clean, dry and flat before you start the job.






If, while you are fitting the tiles, you see that some of them are a little uneven  prise them out, remove some   adhesive and replace  On the other hand, if you see that they are sunken, apply more adhesive. Another useful tip is to use coloured grout when fitting tiles near  the hob, and in other places if you live in a hard-water area, to avoid discolouration-grey grout goes well with white tiles. Cutting tiles can be problematic, especially if they are small . The best thing is to get a loan of an electric, water-cooled diamond wheel tile cutter. Measure and mark your tiles first, and always wearing goggles when cutting.





The author is owner of The Scented Candle Store which supplies a range of luxury home fragrances including scented candles by Yankee candles