How To Prepare Your Home If You Need To Sell It Quickly

Selling a home takes patience, but if you have to move out faster than you would like, don’t waste any time putting together an action plan. The first step is to figure out how much you can make from your current home so you can determine what you can afford for your next residence. However, if you need to sell quickly, you may have to be more strategic with your pricing. Lowering it slightly can provoke interest in more than one price bracket — otherwise known as the “herd mentality.” It can also be helpful to set a price that can be found in real estate searches, again keeping in mind that pricing too high may knock you out of the game.

 Of course, pricing is an ongoing discussion with your agent, and since it’s advisable that you make some upgrades before open house day — such as installing new ceramic or porcelain flooring to the bathroom — you may even be able to increase the value of your abode. When considering what projects you should tackle, try to differentiate yourself from your neighbors so that your home is more memorable — but that doesn’t mean you should neglect the inside. Here are a few ideas to get you started so you can be on your way.

Clear The Clutter

Clutter kills, so before anything else, remove anything you don’t plan on taking with you to your next home and start packing up items that have a more personal feel, including anything associated with a hobby, taste-specific decor, family photos, and superfluous knick-knacks. The goal is to create a home that appeals to the masses, so it needs to look as neutral as possible. Don’t stop at decluttering. Give your home a deep clean to really make it shine. You’re best off hiring a cleaning service for the job.

Create The Illusion Of Space

Space sells, but if you have a home with smaller rooms, create the illusion of space by painting your walls in a neutral shade — two-tone walls can also make a room appear larger than it actually is. Simply paint the top half lighter than the bottom to create an illusion of higher ceilings. If you’d rather hire painters, it’ll likely cost you around $400 to have a medium-sized room painted. 

Up Your Landscaping Game

While you want to create an attractive landscape, don’t make it too high maintenance, as it will only present a red flag to potential buyers (read: maintenance costs). Some effective, yet simple ideas include installing a patio so that there’s less grass to upkeep, adding mulch to fertilize plants and prevent weeds, planting lavender to banish bugs, filling the yard with low-maintenance perennials, and incorporating potted shrubs and blooms. In terms of basic maintenance, make sure you replace any patchy and/or dead grass, rake the leaves, and remove weeds.

Make Plumbing Repairs And Address Water Damage

A dripping sink, mold, or water damage is a surefire turn-off (especially since bathrooms and the kitchen are priorities for most buyers), so make an effort (hire a pro if need be) to make any necessary repairs. For example, replace tired toilet seats, freshen up the caulking around the toilets and sinks, replace shower curtains (mold alert), and consider replacing any chipped tiles or replacing tile flooring altogether -- explore the beautiful selection of tiles at The Galleria of Tile and enlist our efficient installation services.

Consider Larger Projects

In some cases, you might want to take on even larger projects such as kitchen or bathroom remodeling. But before investing the cash, make sure you talk to your real estate agent, as they are more apt to know exactly which features and updates will have the greatest impact on the buyers in your market and your ROI.

 If you want to up the ante on open house day, consider cookies and lemonade a thing of the past. The unique home-selling tactics of today include everything from throwing in extras (think: the leather couch you don’t want to take with you) to serving delicious snacks and drinks at your next open house. If you need to move quickly, try to be open minded when it comes to the selling process.

 Looking to add beauty and value to the home before listing it? The Galleria of Tile can help you select the right tiling projects for your needs. Contact us today!

Photo Credit: Pixabay

How to Plan the Perfect Tile Shower Niche

A tile shower niche is not only highly functional, but it can also add to the design and aesthetic of your bathroom space. It really is a must-have for your bathroom renovation.

Where to Start

When planning a shower niche there are several things to consider to make sure your shower niche turns out perfectly.

• First things first, how many bath and shower products is your niche looking to shelve? It is important to think about this when taking into consideration your niche’s height, depth and width.

• Following this what niche aesthetic are you looking for? Do you want to get creative with pattern, color and texture and create a niche that stands out? Or are you looking for something that will blend with the rest of the room?

These are all important questions that should be considered at the very beginning as they will influence the outcome of the niche you create.

The Necessary Foundations

The foundations are often overlooked for the more exciting parts of a renovation or new build, like choosing the tiles, but they are probably the most important part. It is vital that the waterproofing system for tile shower is installed correctly to keep everything watertight. We at The Galleria of Tile recommend the Schluter system for your tile shower. This tile shower waterproofing system will help protect the background from water damage and leaks, allowing you to relax and enjoy the other parts of the project.

The Right Size

Deciding how big your shower niche should be is an important part of the planning and there are a few factors to consider. First, think about what you want to use your niche for; if it’s just a razor or sponge then it doesn’t need to be large, but if you have big bottles of shampoo you want to store it is worth measuring them to get an idea of how big you need it to me. Another option is to have more than one, either stacked one on top of another or lined up – or maybe at different heights for different shower users – the options are endless! When thinking about size you should also start to think about tiles – a small niche will be hard to tile with larger pieces so keep that in mind.

Picking the Tiles

Once you’ve considered all the important questions and made sure your foundations are solid, then comes the best part – picking the tiles! Yes, may be a little biased, we believe that picking out your tiles and designing a space which is unique to you, truly is the highlight to any remodel or new build.

We at The Galleria of Tile have many tiles to suit any shower niche design aesthetic:

• Mosaics: We often recommend using mosaic tiles as their smaller size means they are well suited to shower niches. When choosing from our wide selection of mosaic tiles consider what you want your shower niche to be. Do you want to pick from the crushed glass range and add a pop of color to your bathroom? Or do you want subtle modern sophistication of natural stone? There is also the option of matching your mosaic to your larger bathroom tile and instead laying it in a different pattern, herringbone for instance. This adds depth whilst keeping your bathroom cohesive. Whatever aesthetic you want, we have a mosaic tile to match.

• Keep it Simple: Sometimes simple is best, so choosing matching tiles for inside your niche provides that classic look. You could use the same tile in a different size to make it easier to tile, or even the same style but in a different color for a subtle difference.

• Marble: Mosaic tiles are the easiest tile choice for a shower niche, don’t let this limit you – any tile can be cut to suit the size of your shower niche. Instead of mosaic why not choose a single slab of our marble effect porcelain tiles. The Calacatta range will give your bathroom that luxurious look for less. The shower niche tile can even be used to create a gorgeous backdrop for the plumbing fixtures.

• Playful Patterns: Why not make your shower niche a patterned cubby hole? Instead of a feature wall your shower niche can add that playful element to your bathroom – a niche really is more than just another shelf.

The options really are endless, so check out our tile choices today, and give your bathroom the niche it deserves. You are now all set to create your perfect shower niche, all there is left to do is to say good luck!

Four Ways To Use a Mosaic Tile Border

At The Galleria of Tile we love mosaic tiles. From non-slip wet room floors, to dazzling kitchen backsplashes, mosaic tiles have a range of uses in kitchens and bathrooms. One of the most popular uses for mosaic tiles is as a border or feature strip, so we’ve put together four ways you can use them in your home.

If you want to add color to your bathroom or kitchen without overdoing it, a bright glass mosaic tile is a great choice. From glittering glass and metal mosaic tiles, to vibrant colored glass – these tiles can be used in small doses to brighten up a room. But it’s not just shiny and colored mosaic tiles that are available; we also stock a range of natural stone and porcelain mosaic tiles which can be used to add a more subtle look.

Mosaic tiles are usually supplied on a mesh backing, and while the size and shape of the mosaic varies, the overall size is usually around 1 sq ft. When installed and grouted properly, you will not be able to see the join between the sheets of mosaic tiles, allowing you to create any size and shape area. The backing on the tiles is easy to cut, so you can trim any sheet down to whatever size you need – whether it’s a border for your taps or a feature strip.

Mosaic Edge Border

A range of trims are available to finish the edges of tiles, but mosaics can also be used as a more glamourous border to your field tiles. For a subtle look cut a single strip of mosaics, or widen the border for a bolder design.

Horizontal Feature Strip

A common use for mosaic tiles is to create a feature strip that sits within the wall tiles horizontally, and goes around the whole room – or the part of the room that is tiled. This is a great way to break up a block of single color tiles, and can be used to add a color scheme to the room.

Vertical Feature Strip

This is becoming a popular design choice in showers and wet rooms, as it creates a clear showering zone and looks modern and stylish. The vertical strip follows the flow of the water from the shower, adding interest where single color tiles are used throughout the rest of the shower. Often the same mosaic tiles are used on the floor – if you are planning on doing this make sure you choose non-slip porcelain or natural stone mosaic tiles.

Around Fixtures & Fittings

Small mosaic tiles can be used to border taps, showers and mirrors. This works especially well in fully tiled wet rooms, where the same tiles are used throughout the room.

How To Get The Modern Farm House Look In Your Kitchen

If the home is where the heart is, then the kitchen is our modern day heart is located. The kitchen is much more than the place where you store your food, it truly is the center of the home. It is where all the family, no matter how big or small, come together and connect. Classic farm house kitchens are often associated with, and invoke feelings of, warmth and welcome. They give off a rustic, homely ambience, which in recent years has seen a rise in popularity.

The ‘modern farm house’ style is a look that works in all property types from real country properties to modern townhouses. It is a look that is both traditional and contemporary, simply put, it is a timeless aesthetic. We at The Galleria of Tile have put together our tips on how you can transform your kitchen today.

Think Natural

The contemporary country look is all about making use of natural materials. Think wooden beams and cabinets, exposed brick walls and natural stone flooring. Unfortunately, natural materials can not only break the bank account, but also require constant upkeep – like the sealing and resealing of natural stone tiles to prevent staining. Luckily, we at The Galleria of Tile has the next best thing, realistic tiles that mimic natural materials. From brick to wood to natural stone, we have porcelain tiles that come with none of the costs of natural materials but still give your kitchen that same rustic feeling.

Brick walls: Beautiful brick feature walls will give any kitchen a country feel. At The Galleria of Tile, we have the realistic Cortina brick effect range. Available in traditional red, fresh white and cool grey these bricks will look great and transform any kitchen interior into a modern country aesthetic.

Wood: Wooden beams and cabinets clearly signal a country kitchen. It brings the outdoors inside with a cultivated elegance that echoes through the ages. However, wooden beams can be an expensive style choice. So, why not have wood effect floors, which give all the appearance of natural wood with the delightful ease of porcelain tiles? Our Reclaimed range is designed to look like distressed wooden floorboards to help you create that traditional feeling.

Stone flooring: A country kitchen isn’t complete without beautiful stone flooring. Our Flint range of porcelain wall and floor tiles have a riven slate effect, available in the multicolored mix, striking black, and more subtle sand & grey. What tiles like this do is help summon images of pastoral settings, even if you are living in the city, making your kitchen an idyllic escape from every-day life.

The Importance of Color

When designing a country kitchen, homeowners will often opt for white as a focus color. Whilst this can make the room look more spacious, don’t be afraid to mix things up. Country styles often favor more muted color palettes, think nature-inspired shades and playful pastels. However, bold pops of color can really liven up your kitchen and give it a distinctive character that is unique to you. Why not paint your cabinets in a different color to the rest of your kitchen space to add further depth and variation to your kitchen.

Embrace Patterns

Whilst natural materials and subtle colors can often seem to dominate most country styles, patterns play a crucial role as well. A patterned tiled floor is a great and simple way of creating that modern country feeling in your kitchen. If you are thinking of a patterned tiled floor, we have many great choices to choose from. When we say embrace patterns this doesn’t have to be an all or nothing experience. The amount and level to which you integrate patterns into your kitchen is entirely dependent on you. If you aren’t sure a patterned floor is for you, there are other ways to use patterns. Think pillows, throws, rugs, crookery, blinds, kitchen towels, the options to add pattern and character to your kitchen really are endless.

Keep it Traditional

To help create an authentic country look switch out your modern appliances for those with a more traditional feel. Brass Victorian taps, and rustic looking appliances like your lighting and kettle are just some of the items you can invest in for that traditional look.

Get Display Happy

Farm house kitchens are not supposed to be pristine and completely clutter-free in fact, to help create that rustic ambiance, which is vital for a modern country aesthetic, it is better to get display happy. It helps give a space that lived-in feel and can make a kitchen seem much homelier. There are a number of ways in which you can display things in your kitchen. Consider adding glass doors to your cupboards so your beautiful collection of plates, bowls, and mugs will be on display. You may also want to put up hooks where you can hang your oven gloves, tea towels and apron.

There you have it, all our tips and suggestions to help you achieve the modern farm house look in your home. So, get ready to transform your kitchen into the welcoming, warm heart it is.

How To Choose Bathroom Floor Tiles

Whether building a new property or renovating a current one, choosing the bathroom floor tiles should be one of the highlights. Tiles can transform your house into a home and bathrooms can really set the tone for your property. Are you looking for a sleek, modern finish? Or how about a vibrant colorful feature wall to start your day right? There are so many tiling choices to suit every tiling need that it can quickly become overwhelming, so use this guide to help choose the best bathroom floor tiles for you.

How to Choose the Material of Your Bathroom Tiles

To go natural or not to go natural?

Although natural stone has a distinct character that can bring a traditional flavor to your home, the material requires greater care to keep its natural effect from looking worn. Natural stone tiles need to be resealed over time to help protect the material from general wear and tear. The Galleria of Tile has a range of tiles that mimic natural stone in both appearance and texture, so you don’t have to decide between going for natural materials or not. These tiles, that mirror natural stone, give you the best of both worlds; less care maintenance to worry about, while still creating that desired natural aesthetic for your bathroom.

Porcelain or Ceramic, What’s the Difference?

There is often much contention between choosing porcelain or ceramic tiles. Although porcelain is more durable than ceramic both are excellent manmade material choices for your bathroom. Generally, the denser porcelain tiles are more hard wearing, so they are suitable for both floors and walls. By comparison, ceramic tiles are easy to look after but, as they are not as hard wearing as their porcelain counterpart, it is important to always verify whether the particular ceramic tile you are looking at is suitable for floor-use.

The wide selection of both ceramic and porcelain bathroom tiles available at The Galleria of Tile means that the right tile is only a click away. Browse our selections and see what tile material is right for you.

How Tiles Can Be Used to Enhance Your Bathroom Space

Each bathroom is unique in size, dimension and brightness and bathroom floor and wall tiles can be used to optimize the natural and artificial light to make a room seem even bigger and brighter. Tiles can bring life and happiness to a space which is vital in every property.

An easy trick to help enhance a space is to use the same pale colorway tile on the floor and walls of a bathroom. The effect creates a sleek sophisticated look, where the pale tile color reflects the light to give the illusion of a wider space. To create further depth when using the same tile use a different format for subtle variation. For instance, use square tiles for the floor and rectangle tiles for the walls, or vice versa.

Contrary to popular belief, bathroom size shouldn’t dictate a specific tile size. For a small bathroom large tiles can actually be room-enlarging. When coupled with a gloss finish a small room can seem transformed.

Although lighter colors can often enhance a space, don’t be afraid to contrast and play around with tile colors and patterns. In a larger space the mixing of tiles can create an inviting and interesting room, stimulating in its varying patterns.

Mosaics and patterned tiles can be used to make eye-catching feature walls or as decorative borders. Although using the same tile can be space-enhancing, mosaics and patterns can be used to create dimension and further enrich a space. Darker cultured bathroom tiles can be used to create a modern, ambient twist.

Don’t Grouch About the Grout

In the past grout was only available in the staple white color and so was often over-looked as just a necessity. Well now this necessity can also become an accessory. With a variety of cultured grouts available it is now possible to match the grout with a variety of tile colors for a clean and seamless look. Or why not contrast the grout color with the tile color to make a more complex pattern on the wall? A dark grout color can be used to highlight the color and shape of light-colored tiles through this type of application grout can now become an added feature in your bathroom.

Our grout color selection ranges from the classic white, black and grey to a more varied spectrum, which contains colors such as Spring Jasmine, Oyster Pink and Silver Shimmer.

Ready to Make a House a Home?

The wide selection of tile materials, textures, colors and patterns available means that no matter what type of space you are seeking to create, we’ve got you covered. So, get ready to watch your bathroom transform your house into a home with The Galleria of Tile, visit our showroom for a closer look.