Popular Ceramic Tile
Within the tile category, you can choose from ceramic, glass, porcelain, and natural stones like slate, granite, limestone, and marble.
Ceramic tile, probably the best known of the bunch, is possessed of the kinds of characteristics that shine in the kitchen: it is strong, hard, fire-resistant, and, perhaps most beloved among proponents, a snap to clean. Sporting the look and feel of natural stone, ceramic tile comes as glazed or unglazed, or you can have it hand-painted.
"Over the years and centuries even, ceramic tile has been a very comfortable, enjoyable, decorative, and classic look for backsplashes, countertops, floors, and walls," says Rich Maile of Maile Remodeling and Design in Crescent Springs. "From a purely decorative standpoint, it is a consistently popular choice for borders in the kitchen and bath."
Ceramic tile's only drawback in terms of aesthetics is a propensity for grout discoloration due to grime accumulation, but even this condition has improved dramatically over time.
"Grout gets dirty," admits Maile. "Lighter-colored grouts will darken a bit, but you shouldn't see the type of darkening and discoloration of years ago when a sealer wasn't applied or was applied very sparingly. Sealers are also better these days."
One solution to the grimy grout syndrome is to select a darker grout color. Another is to apply two coats of sealer. Of course, the way grout is mixed is important and should be done by a professional. Ceramic tilers can also limit the amount of grouting grooves by installing the largest size tile possible.
Maile sums it up: "Grout is like anything else. If you look real close at your carpeting and walls, they are not the same shade as they were the day you carpeted or painted. I guarantee that your brick is not the same color. Traffic, dust, dirt, moisture-these are all factors in a process that leads to discoloration."
The advantages of ceramic tile far outweigh issues of mottled grout. It resists heat, moisture, and staining, making it an excellent all-around choice for both kitchen and bath. Also, there are literally hundreds of options in tile sizes, glazes, textures, and designs for endless design possibilities.

Au naturel
Stone and kitchen countertops are a magnetic match made in nature. Beautiful, elegant, natural-these are a few of the endearing attributes of slate, granite, limestone, and marble. Although imperfections are inevitable (these are products of Mother Nature after all), when sleekly spread over a countertop or across a backsplash, each of these natural stones creates a visually stunning, richly textured presence.
A bonus that comes with granite is it is virtually indestructible. It won't crack or chip under normal circumstances. And you can literally remove a hot pot from the oven and place it directly on a granite countertop without fear of damage. With a distinctive surface quality that looks both stippled and sleek, terminally tough granite comes in an array of color families: black, brown, gray, green, gold, and white.
Slate features a finely grained, smooth surface in all hues of blue, gray, and purple. Rustic limestone is an ideal selection for a country- or European-influenced kitchen. Its main drawback is that while limestone is stain-resistant, it is not stain-proof and relies on products like Porous Plus to keep its pristine sheen.
Although a classic choice for bathroom vanities, marble on its own is not generally recommended for kitchen countertops because of its predisposition to spotting or staining. However, when combined with another material, marble makes a stunning statement in a variety of kitchen applications.

New Trend Tumbles Into Kitchen
Tumbled marble is a renegade material that defies easy categorization. It is at once roughly surfaced and smoothly textured-a porous material with a hard facade.
Jim Stegman of Stegman Kitchen Showcase in Newport explains the process that gives tumbled marble its contradictory characteristics: "Marble, and in some cases limestone, is put into a tumbler or drum and rolled around with different aggregates to make the tile look old and worn-out."
Stegman says tumbled marble is a particularly popular choice to express, among other design schemes, a southwestern flavor in the kitchen.
Adds Ralph Stanton: "Tumbled marble is softer than granite and gives kitchen counters an antique, Old World look. On backsplashes with undercounter lighting it presents a nice texture." The tile designer includes this industrious stone among his favorites for its inherent beauty and versatility.
Stegman and his wife, kitchen designer Cheryl Stegman, were so taken with the qualities of tumbled marble that they installed the stone in the kitchen of their new home. It was one way for Cheryl to achieve an "older home" integrity in keeping with the mature homes in her established neighborhood.
"We didn't want the house to look brand-new, even though we just built it," says Cheryl. "This tile really helps toward creating a seasoned appearance."

Other Tile Trends
As consistently fashionable as ceramic tile is, sturdy and steadfast granite is tipping the scales in its favor these days-especially when it comes to kitchen countertops. That's because the price of granite has dropped, making the material more affordable to more people.
The reason for the price decrease, according to Stanton, is buried in the mountains of Eastern Europe.
"Since the Cold War ended, these communist countries have opened their markets and we're finding all kinds of new stones and quarrying them out." Stanton says that the minerals in each country's mountains are unique because of the differing levels of heat and pressure.
"This has meant a real increase in the selection of stone."
Generally, ceramic tile is fancied for floors, walls, and backsplashes in the kitchen, and for floors, walls, and tub skirting in the bathroom. Granite is a top choice for countertops in the kitchen; marble is reserved for the same in the bathroom. For focal points, backsplashes shine in tile and tumbled marble.
"With the backsplash, you see something that is interesting and textured and colorful amidst all the flat surfaces in the kitchen," says Stanton. "Tiling just that little spot can enhance just about any home, especially an older one."
"Tile backsplashes are probably the thing that's had a rebirth in kitchen design and remodeling," notes Jim Stegman. "It's an area that is pretty and easy to clean and it creates a complementary backdrop for other components, like cabinets and counters, in the kitchen."
These days, designers are adding a stylish flourish to plain-Jane tile patterns in kitchen and bath with mosaic and medallion embellishments. Panels with raised scenes are inlaid in ceramic tile schemes to add textural interest in the bathroom.
Mirrors trimmed with a tile mosaic border, one of the premier designer trends in bathrooms, create dramatic contrast. "That's one of Cheryl's tricks when she's designing a bathroom," notes Jim.
Stegman says that one of the hottest looks in kitchen design right now is tumbled tile coupled with distressed furniture-look cabinetry.
"A new kitchen will have to look old in order to look new," he laughs.

Artist Draws on Horsey Background
From painting horse jumps to painting equine images on tile, artist and equestrian Olympics judge Robin Voorhees Harrison has followed a happy trail.
Growing up on a 155-acre farm in northern Kentucky, the avid horse lover took riding lessons as a child and young adult so she could compete at the Kentucky Horse Park. That led to a 14-year stint as a fence judge, for which she also painted the horse jumps. The Ft. Wright resident was a jump judge for the equestrian venue for the three-day competition at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; she also spent a month last year in Sydney, Australia, judging the equestrian events at the 2000 Olympics.
"All my life, I've loved painting and I've loved horses," she says.
Voorhees Harrison studied art in high school and college and took classes in New York and Florida to learn how to use different materials and finishes in her work. About five years ago, she began painting images other than equestrian-inspired designs on a variety of surfaces. Ceramic tiles, walls-even shoes-provided ready backdrops for Voorhees Harrison's seashells, sea horses, butterflies, fairies, storybook characters, and herbs.
"I'd gone to a home show several years ago. I saw some ideas, met a few designers, and it's been busy ever since," she laughs.
Recently she painted some sample tiles for a man who disliked the color of the tile in his bathroom.
"The bathroom tiles are green and white and don't go with the home's decor so, rather than having the tiles taken out and replaced, we're going to paint them."
The job involves cleaning and priming the old tiles in preparation of Voorhees Harrison's faux treatment. Applying sealer is the final step in the redesign process.
"I'm painting the tiles to look like slate," she says. "But the options are really kind of endless. You can have any design you can think of on just about any surface."

Tile's Popping Up Everywhere
Ceramic and natural stone tile isn't limited to kitchen and bath. Custom-made hearths, steppingstones, framed ceramic tile art-the timeless beauty and elegance of tile make it an ideal choice in many applications.
Kitchen designer Cheryl Stegman of Stegman Kitchen Showcase in Newport designed her hearth using ceramic tile. Stegman selected tile in muted shades of gray, green, purple, and rose, and offset the small, uniform squares in her fireplace surround with a border of textured tiles set in a diamond pattern.
Rich Maile of Maile Remodeling and Design in Crescent Springs says that tile setters routinely tile the stairwell going into the basement. It is an easy-to-clean and attractive alternative to painted drywall. Recently, Maile has noticed ceramic tile popping up in shower additions in laundry and mud rooms.
"In the last year, we've built five ceramic tile showers for the family pet. The showers are small-about 3 feet by 3 feet-and are equipped with a hand spray. We put in an eyelet so the dog's leash can be clipped to the wall."
While pet showers can range from simple to elaborate, they are all functional. Besides cleaning pets, the showers can be used to spray off muddy boots and other items while keeping the mess contained.
Ralph Stanton of Stanton Tile, a custom tile designer and installer from Louisville, has noticed more and more homeowners using natural stone outdoors: around swimming pools, on patios, or along and between landscaped areas.
Lately, Stanton has been working with metal tile and a new technology called water-jet cutting that slices tile or marble pieces out in a precise design. He continues to explore the myriad design possibilities in tile medallions and mosaics.
"Decorative tile creates interest," he says. "It gives a piece of tile a little more character."

Story Sources
If you're interested in contacting any of the designers and craftspeople listed in this feature, you can contact them at:

Rich Maile Remodeling
519 Enterprise Drive, Suite 102
Crescent Springs, KY 41017
(859) 578-8844
www.maileremodeling.com

Stegman Kitchen Showcase
517 Monmouth Street
Newport, KY 41071
(859) 581-8080

Robin Voorhees Harrison
(859) 331-1235

Stanton Tile
8815 Dawson Hill Road
Louisville, KY 40229
(502) 231-5335
www.stantontile.com