May 1, 2010Subway Ceramics develops the Graystone accessory collection Prior to its demolition in 2008, this 18-room manor house in Perrysburg, Ohio overlooked the Maumee River, occupying the estate called Graystone. Built in 1927 for Carrie Ross Ford, widow of Libbey-Owens-Ford's Edward Ford, a glass industry titan (more...). Fortunately, a complete set of ceramic accessories were carefully removed by a local architectural salvage company before the wrecking ball. Faithfully reproduced for the Subway Ceramics collection, these Graystone accessories are now available in all of our glaze options. (go to accessory product page) |
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So what characteristics make the tile of the Paris Metro unique? Consider these special qualities that we have introduced in our Metropolitan Tile collection and be transported back to the right bank:
The Metropolitan Tile collection was introduced on the eve of the premiere of the movie Julie & Julia, a movie based on the life of "The French Chef" Julia Child and writer Julie Powell in Nora Ephron's adaptation of the Powell's blog, Julie & Julia , which (according to media press releases) "intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible". Subway Ceramics was pleased to be selected to provide the tilework on the movie set of the kitchens of le Cordon Bleu, the famous cooking school of Paris, for Julie & Julia, which opens in theatres on August 7.
March 13, 2009Subway Ceramics Exhibits at the Traditional Building Conference - March 13 & 14, 2009 - Boston, MA The Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference is the largest trade event dedicated to historic restoration and renovation and traditionally-inspired new construction. The theme for this year's Spring event was Smart Solutions for a Challenging Market. |
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Peter Miller of Restore Media, Inc. described the new emphasis on traditional building this way: "Conservation is back in vogue, historic restoration and renovation are more sensible than ever, “embodied energy” is a new household phrase, adaptive reuse of existing buildings is the market’s hot spot, and the United States Green Building Council, heretofore construction nouveau-philes, now understands the importance of LEED standards for historic and existing buildings."
Subway Ceramics will be back as an exhibitor at the Fall conference in Baltimore on October 23 & 24, 2009. We hope to see you there.
Subway Ceramics presents the historic 2x6 Subway Tile
| A less common variety of the classic subway tile, the 2" x 6" format may be a perfect fit for your project. Compared to the more conventional 3" x 6" subway tile found in early 1900's American tilework, this 'skinny' subway tile emphasizes the horizontal lines of the space, and adds to the vintage character of your period home. Reproduced with the same distinctive characteristics of the original tilework, this tile can be set with pencil-thin grout lines and a virtually flat surface.
Order samples from this classic floor mosaic tile collection using our convenient and secure online sample ordering system (click here) |
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Subway Ceramics announces the return of the Penny Tile
Come back around to the classic Penny Tile floor mosaic that is both authentic and avant-garde. These penny tile mosaics are made of the finest quality porcelain, and mounted closely on a sturdy fiber mesh. Installed in a similar fashion as the ubiquitous hex tile mosaics, these penny tiles are finding their second life in today's traditional American homes.
Order samples from this classic floor mosaic tile collection using our convenient and secure online sample ordering system (click here)
Subway Ceramics develops vibrant White Crackle glaze
The Subway Ceramics collection now includes a bright, vibrant, White Crackle glaze. All of our deep crackle glazes play with the downlighting in a kitchen backsplash to great effect, and this neutral white color harmonizes with any cabinet or countertop combination. This is the one glaze that will set the standard for the optimal kitchen backsplash tile.
Remember to order matching cover plates!
Order samples from this classic floor mosaic tile collection using our convenient and secure online sample ordering system (click here)
Subway Ceramics offers reproduction Hex Tile
The vintage floor tile of early 20th century American homes was, with few exceptions, an unglazed porcelain pattern of hex tiles or square mosaics. Subway Ceramics is pleased to offer these classic floor mosaic products with the same vintage character and historic authenticity as our faithfully reproduced subway tile collection.
Our vintage mosaic collection is available as pre-mounted, 1 square foot sheets in white and black. Typically, individual tiles are taken from the black sheets to replace white tiles to reproduce traditional floor patterns. Trim hex tiles are also available to square the edges of the hex tile sheets, saving time and installation costs.
Subway Ceramics is especially pleased to re-introduce the 2" unglazed hex tile option. Historically, this larger hex tile size was less commonly used and became unavailable around the time of the Great Depression. Consider this larger format when it is consistent with the scale of a room of greater proportions.
Order samples from this classic floor mosaic tile collection using our convenient and secure online sample ordering system (click here)
Subway Ceramics introduces new restoration glaze
The traditional tilework commonly found in early 20th century American homes has a unique character quite unlike our modern ceramic tile forms. The pencil-thin grout lines and flat tile surface of the original, period tile are the most obvious differences. But compare the color of the vintage tilework to a new glossy white tile and you will quickly discover that the vintage tiles have developed a slightly yellow cast. This is the patina of time, and virtually all tiles from this period have aged in a very similar fashion.
Restoration projects in these old homes will often require the removal of vintage tile in areas where plumbing improvements are needed or bathroom walls are extended. In many cases, preserving existing tilework on adjacent wall surfaces may be possible and desirable from an historical perspective. Adding new, white glazed ceramic tiles – even historically authentic tiles from the Subway Ceramics collection – would visibly contrast with these vintage surfaces.
To address this challenge, Subway Ceramics has developed the ‘Avalon white’ glaze option now available on all tile elements in the Subway Ceramics collection. Extensive research and testing on actual preservation projects throughout the US has resulted in an optimal glaze formulation that has proven to blend naturally with the original white glazed ceramic tilework of this period. While other naturally occurring tile features such as crazing lines may still contrast with the freshly installed tile areas, the overall effect is sufficiently homogeneous that the casual observer will not be able to discern where the vintage tilework ends and the new installation begins.
Using this glaze option to replace individual tiles on small sections of a single wall area is not recommended, however. In this case the ultimate result is likely to be less satisfying than replacing entire wall surfaces where the new tile and the vintage tile will coexist on separate but adjacent planes.
Order a sample of the ‘Avalon white’ glaze using our convenient and secure online sample ordering system (click here).
