Choosing Tile: Think Countertops, Style, Size/Shape, Edge Finish, Shower Pan
Feeling stuck when choosing tile? Follow Ken’s decision tree. Think of your countertops first. Then decide on style, size/shape, edge finish, and your shower pan. If you follow these steps, you'll find the perfect tile floor for your bathroom or kitchen. Learn more by watching the video above.
At Island Carpet, every home is different and every floor is custom. We offer the largest selection of tile floors on Aquidneck Island and our installers are trusted craftsmen who we've worked with for decades. We are proud to serve the areas of Middletown, RI, Newport, RI, Portsmouth, RI, Jamestown, RI, Tiverton, RI, Little Compton, RI, and Bristol, RI, as well as everywhere in southeastern New England. Visit our Middletown showroom to learn more and see our huge selection in person.
Tile walls and floors by our master installer Kasey Harkin—what a beautiful job!
Kasey Harkin has been installing tile since she was three years old. Yes — helping her uncle at age three! Her gorgeous work speaks for itself—floors, showers, pools, backsplashes and more.
We’ve trusted Kasey for more than a decade. See our conversation with her about her process.
Begin with the countertop. Countertops are very expensive and an important part of the bathroom. That will give you a good starting point to select other tiles and to coordinate everything.
Want an authentic stone look? You don’t need to buy stone. Consider porcelain tile with a stone look.
Porcelain has an advantage over real stone, as it is impervious to moisture, and therefore it’s almost impossible to stain. It’s also extremely scratch resistant. Increasingly, you can get the same look of natural stone in porcelain.
From waterproof wall panels to leakproof shower pans, Schluter makes sure your shower doesn’t dribble. The next time you have a tile job—ask for Schluter.
It's worth paying a little extra for a Schluter kit that's going to give you peace of mind that your shower is going to be waterproofed properly.
Remember, plywood is still wood. Wood expands and contracts. That movement breaks the bond between the tile and the subfloor and cracks the mortar. Don't put your tile installation at risk.
Cement board is both firm and dimensionally stable. You're not going to get that movement. It's better and safer for your tile.
If you're shopping for stone, you have to know about the non-WYSIWYG principle: What you see is NOT what you get. Natural stone looks different depending on the hole that you quarry it from.
There are a number of important steps to take when ordering natural stone to ensure that you're truly happy with the product. First of all, get all your stone from the same lot. Second, order a single box from the lot you plan to order. This helps ensure you like how that lot looks.
ColorBody is another way of saying through body. Basically, if you chip the tile, and there's any damage to the surface of the tile, you'll see the same color underneath.
Here's the problem: A chipped floor is a chipped floor! I don't care what color the chip is. Instead, save a few extra tile pieces and do a proper repair if you run into issues down the road.
695 West Main Road Middletown
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