Anthony Arculeo Inc

"Thanks for your review. I try to let clients select grout color by seeing the actual grout powered into a small area of the set tile. It's easier to select color that way than just from the chart. The spacing is also important. We always set the tiles with the smallest grout-joint possible- usually less than 1/8", because it's much easier to keep clean than a wider joint. And we always use Mapei grout. -Right now they have the best product available. Also never use bleach to clean. Bleach is an acid and while it may clean or whiten the grout temporarily, it leaves the grout porous and will get dirtier more easily afterwards. I always recommend an alkali-based cleaner like (clear) Ammonia or clear Windex, which is why they make a "clear" version now. -They know people use it on grout and that the "blue" version can stain especially lighter-colors. And the narrow grout-line with a "staggered" pattern of tile really makes the floor look more like wood (or stone)-the tile for which in overall appearance has come a long way in recent years. If we were to joint the tile with 1/4" or larger grout-joint, it's going to look like tile...Rather than wood or stone which would be jointed closer. I hope you like your floor and please let me know if you have questions, Thanks, Anthony Arculeo"

"Thanks for your review. The porcelain tile is perfect for a shower stall. Because it's not porous, it's easy to keep clean. Even if you were to let it get dirty, moldy, or have a tenant who never cleans, you could use some harsh methods, even take a wire-brush to it if you had to in order to get it clean. And they have a huge selection of porcelain now that really turns-out looking like stone (or wood) as long as we set the tiles close (1/8" or less). If you used a larger grout-joint it would look like tile rather than stone. We could have just as easily used the wood-look tile in your shower and it would look like a sauna -but way easier to maintain. They also make both stone and wood-look porcelain textured so you don't slip on a pitched floor. While the 8x8" tile you selected looks great and was easy to pitch, I have used as large as 20" (textured) porcelain on the shower floors. The trick to that is to start with four corners equal on the (square or round) drain, and work out from there, (so you don't end-up with any odd-cuts at the drain). This is the same way they used to set tile and stone before we had "thin-set" available. (We've been doing this type of work for generations.) For setting shower floor tile, the method's been the same since the Romans. I'm so glad you like your shower, it's going to be there a long time. Please let me know if you have questions. Thanks again, Anthony Arculeo"