Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri: 8-5 / Tues 8-2 / Thurs: 8-7 / Sat: 9-1. Closed: 3/6 - 3/8/2023.
Design Trends and Ideas
October 29th, 2020
Patio for Socially-Distanced Get-Togethers
Posted in General, Installation, Stone, Tile
Project #1 is an outdoor patio to create ‘useable’ outdoor space that this house never had. The plans have been in the works for over a year, but with covid this spring, I had an obvious delay and lost the original contractor. A very talented friend stepped-up and said he would be interested in the our project after completing a simliar project at his house. Heavy equipment for minor excavation was delivered along with many tons on stone for the patio base. Yes, I will be using tile for my patio. The porcelain tile is 16″x32″x 3/4″ and meant to be used outside. Before photo, for reference:
First set-back – BEES! Two large bees nests were in the ground around the shrubs. All of the shrubs had to be removed before minor excavation could begin so we lost a few days while the bees calmed down and found a new home.
To be continued . . .
October 15th, 2020
Let the games begin!
Posted in Bathrooms, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Stone, Tile
These days, if you’re like so many of us spending most of our covid-time at home, you are seeing your slice of the world through a different lense. Whether an addition for more space, a bathroom or kitchen renovation, or an upgrade to outdoor real estate for more socially distanced get-togethers – these are all potential projects that could help to make being at home so much more enjoyable! With that said, I am about to embark on two major projects at my house to make my space more functional and enjoyable. I will be chronicling the projects here in the coming weeks . . . So “let the games begin!”
Project #1 – Outdoor patio using porcelain tile pavers . . . After all, tile is my thing . . . Stay tuned . . .
May 22nd, 2020
Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Porcelain Tile Floor
Posted in Bathrooms, Commercial Spaces, General, Kitchens, Mosaics, Stone, Tile
Concerned about disinfecting for Covid-19? Porcelain tile that is grouted with TruColor grout can be cleaned and sanitized with a simple mixture of water and bleach. Just follow the CDC’s mixing guidelines of five tablespoons of bleach in each gallon of water. Alternatively, the EPA has a list (<epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-cars-cov-2>) of registered household disinfectants that will do the job.
Caveat: natural stone is a completely different material and requires a completely different type of cleaning product and regime – please, please, please do not use bleach on natural stone! We will talk about cleaning and disinfecting natural stone in a future posting.
April 7th, 2020
Fast, efficient, and SAFE . . .
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, Floor Warming, General, Installation, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
We have instituted a variety of measures in an attempt to ensure that we do all we can to keep our clients and employees safe from Covid-19. Currently, we are keeping our showroom and warehouse are open by appointment — one person/couple at a time. Our doing so will allow us to clean and disinfect after one client leaves and before the next client arrives. Please call or text us at 518-227-0156, or email us at [email protected] to schedule your appointment. Ideally, before you come in, we can discuss your project and I will have some options waiting for you at your arrival.
October 9th, 2019
The Colors of 2020
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
It’s that time of year again when the color forecasts are revealed for the coming year. The paint manufacturers usually lead the way. Sherwin Williams recently annouced that ‘Naval’ (navy blue) is its color of the year for 2020. 
You see ‘Naval’ paired with carrara marble (white with gray veining) and brass fixtures and accessories in interior design print publications and on on-line platforms. Color, but not really . . . grounded and calming . . . Benjamin Moore, Pittsburgh, and Behr will all weigh in soon, but the Pantone Color Institute’s color of the year is the benchmark. The tile world has nodded to blues and navy blues in the last two years so Sherwin Williams choice is not really a surprise. So let’s wait and see what the coming weeks and months will bring for the new colors in our lives for 2020.
August 27th, 2018
Learning Every Day
Posted in Bathrooms, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Installation, Kitchens, Stone, Tile
You can learn something new every day. I was recently in Denver and visited the oldest Denver hotel still in operation: The Oxford on 17th Street, downtown. I love and appreciate the thoughtfulness, detail, and craftsmanship that went into the 127-year-old hotel. Below is a photograph of The Oxford’s lobby floor. The pattern on the tiled floor is a double pinwheel – the first that I have seen. Back in the day, the craftsmen even used locally-sourced stone . You will need a fairly large space to pull it off, but in the right space, such a double-pinwheel pattern would make a grand statement.
March 19th, 2018
TU Home Design Award Contest Winner
Posted in Bathrooms, General, Stone
Yesterday, in its Sunday edition, the Times Union announced its 2018 Home Design Awards contest winners. Meghan Baltich of Blairhouse Interiors Group was this year’s grand prize winner. We are happy to note that the winning bathroom design, as developed by Meghan Baltich and Patricia Richards of Blairhouse Interiors Group was created with stone tiles and borders provided by Albany Tile, Carpet & Rug. We are very grateful to Meghan and Patricia for letting us be a part of the gorgeous — award winning — bathroom they created.
July 25th, 2017
Adirondack Bath
Posted in Bathrooms, Commercial Spaces, General, Kitchens, Stone, Tile
Wood on shower walls? Not realistically possible, until the advent of wood-look, porcelain tile. Recently, we have worked with several clients who wanted to bring the warm look of wood into their showers. Check out these two photographs of a just-completed, Adirondack bathroom. Note the gorgeous, rustic, white-washed, wood-look, porcelain tile on both the shower walls and ceiling. Also note that our client selected a slate-look, porcelain tile for the bathroom floor. Rustic, coherent, beautiful and low maintenance.
February 9th, 2017
Future Interior Designers Come to Visit
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, General, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
Earlier this week, our own in-house designer, Sarah Carpenter, ASID gave Sage College Interior Design students hands-on experience with some of the tile, stone and wool carpet that they one day will specify. If you know of a group that would be interested in a similar presentation, give us a call.
February 1st, 2017
A ‘Green’ Success Story
Posted in Bathrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, General, Kitchens, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
We could sense it coming . . . Clients asking for ‘green’ . . . With very few ‘green’ selections available in the tile, carpet, or rug world right now, it has been a challenging color request to fulfill. But here’s a ‘green’ success story! It’s not Pantone ‘Greenery’ (2017 Color of the Year), but ‘green’ nonetheless . . . This is a semi-polished porcelain with a metallic-look glaze and lots of color variation and drama . . .
