Designer's confessional: I don't get Halloween

OK, I'm taking a break from my usually scheduled reruns to make an earth-shattering confession.

 I don't get Halloween.

I liked it well enough when I was a kid but after the age of about 12 I just stopped understanding its appeal. I like who I am and I like the life I lead. So why should I dress up like somebody else for a night?

Autumnal re-runs: How to clean a grout joint.

Let's get practical, practical. I wanna get practi-cal. Let's get into practical, practical... OK apologies to Olivia Newton-John. This post ran originally on 13 April 2009. Cleaning white grout joints is never fun but this trick may work. Along the way I thought it would be a good idea to lay some household chemistry on everybody. There's never a bad time for a little chemistry lesson, you know?




I get asked how to clean white grout all the time and my answer is usually, "Don't have white grout." Seriously, short of regrouting your tile every six months, white grout joints are nearly impossible to clean and keep that way.

However last weekend, I came across this article in the St. Pete Times. It's written by Tim Carter, a general contractor and syndicated columnist. Carter runs a website called AskTheBuilder.com and it's chock full of advice and how-to videos. He tackled the problem of white grout joints in a way I'd never considered.

His method involves the so-called oxygen bleaches that seem to be all the rage. Oxygen bleaches do use oxygen to power away organic and some inorganic matter, so I suppose I shouldn't use the expression so-called. However, how they're pitched is so laden with inaccurate descriptions of how they work I feel compelled to continue to use the so-called moniker for them.

So-called oxygen bleaches are made with sodium percarbonate. When sodium percarbonate is dissolved in water It breaks down and releases elemental oxygen that then bonds to whatever it can grab. Sodium percarbonate is hardly a benign substance. If it were benign it wouldn't work. As it breaks down, it leaves behind oxygen and carbon it's made from. These elements are less harmful than the leftovers from other cleaning compounds, but still, none of this stuff is non-toxic. While it's true that you need oxygen to live, pure oxygen will kill you believe it or not.

File this under the for what it's worth column, but chlorine bleaches also use elemental oxygen to do their thing. Household bleach is a solution of sodium hypochlorite and water. Sodium hypochlorite is made from table salt. Dissolved in water, sodium hypochlorite breaks down into elemental oxygen and hydrochloric acid. The atomic oxygen is what does the bleaching, but the hydrochloric acid goes looking for carbon bonds to break. This is not always a bad thing, hydrochloric acid is also the active ingredient in your stomach acid. The hydrochloric acid left behind by chlorine bleach may help you digest your dinner, but it does the same thing to the grout joints on your floor. That's why using chlorine bleach on masonry, concrete or grout is a bad idea.

Anyhow, here's what Tim Carter recommends to clean grout joints.

To clean floor tiles, all you need to do is mix any high-quality oxygen bleach with warm water and stir it until it dissolves. The next step is to pour the solution onto the floor tile so the grout lines are flooded, as if you had spilled a glass of water. It's best to apply the oxygen-bleach solution to dry grout so the solution soaks deeply. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the oxygen bleach to work. If it completely soaks in, add more solution, making sure there is always plenty on the grout.

The longer you let the solution sit, the less work you have to do. The oxygen ions work for up to six hours. To get maximum cleaning results, scrub the grout lightly after 30 minutes. Always pour new solution onto the grout as you scrub. You have to always scrub a little, but that's how anything gets clean.

Once you have clean floor tiles, keep the grout looking good by adding oxygen bleach powder to your mop water. Apply a liberal amount of mop water to the floor, scrubbing the tile surface with the mop. Leave the mop water in the grout joints without rinsing the floor; the oxygen ions will clean the light dirt in the grout without scrubbing. Come back 30 minutes later and rinse the floor with clean water. Do this each time, and you can avoid scrubbing the floor altogether.

Don't worry if your tile floor is installed next to carpeting. The oxygen-bleach solution will not hurt the carpet and can clean it. In fact, to clean carpeting with oxygen bleach, simply mix up the solution and use a sprayer to saturate the carpet fibers. Let the solution soak for 30 minutes, and then use a regular carpet shampoo machine to finish the job.

You also can mix up small amounts of the solution to handle small spills, such as wine or cranberry juice. It's always best to work on stains while they're fresh, but tile floors that have been dirty for years will come clean in no time with oxygen bleach.

I was over at a previous client's yesterday and he'd read the same article. In a miracle of timing, he was in the middle of cleaning his floors with Oxy Clean so I had the chance to see this at work. And it did work. If you have a dirty grout joint problem, give this a try. Sodium percarbonate doesn't work as quickly as sodium hypochlorite, but it does work.

Welcome to the blogosphere JAX Does Design!

A great friend of mine and a great friend of this blog is Kelly James, the premiere residential designer in Ottawa. Kelly was one of the founders of Design Ties back in the day, but she's recently gone out on her own with the blog JAX Does Design.

Kelly has a rare combination of great design sense and a great sense of humor. I should spell that "humour" in deference to her Canadian-ness.

So if you're looking for a new blog to read, check out Kelly's new endeavor and join me in welcoming Jax Does Design to the blogosphere.

Fitting in isn't all it's cracked up to be

Amazing stop-motion video with a timeless cautionary tale. Don't look for a happy ending.




Creep (Radiohead) - Scala & Kolacny Brothers from Alex Heller on Vimeo.

Coverings' Project: Green is calling for entries for 2011

LS3P Architects' Center City Green; Charlotte, NC. 

Coverings is on the hunt again for outstanding tile and stone projects where sustainability was a chief mission.

Installations judged worthy of recognition will earn a spot in Project: Green at Coverings 2011 in Las Vegas. Project: Green is a joint program with Environmental Design + Construction magazine that's returning to Coverings in 2011. Projects selected for this distinction will enjoy exposure in a centerpiece display at the March 14-17th international trade show and conference at The Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. An added benefit is subsequent feature in a 2011 issue of ED+C.  Entries for Project: Green are now being accepted with submissions due by Friday, January 14, 2011.

In 2010, Project: Green honored 12 entrants. They ranged from the USGBC’s own headquarters in Washington, DC; to a Whole Foods Market in Dedham, MA. Also among those recognized were a healthcare facility in Moderna Italy, and a residential project in British Columbia, Canada. In fact, Project: Green is open to both domestic and international projects. The key criteria are that they use tile and stone in a way that yields an aesthetically distinctive as well as environmentally responsible site, and qualify in one of the following categories:  Residential New, Residential Remodel, Commercial New, Commercial Remodel, Institutional New, Institutional Remodel.  Only projects completed between January 2009 and December 2010 will be considered.

The entry requirements include at least four photographic illustrations, along with two narrative essays. Essay #1 asks for detailed information on the tile and stone used in the project area, where it was applied and how much was installed; Essay #2 must describe how the project meets the judging criteria. There is no fee to enter, and it is open to architects, designers, builders, contractors, distributors, retailers, manufacturers and installers. Multiple entries are accepted. You can find all of the information you need on the Coverings 2011 Website.

To better get into the spirit of things, here are some highlights from last year's Project: Green. Since this is a blog about residential design (usually), I'm going to show the top picks on the residential side.

First up is a kitchen renovation by Harris Welker Architects in Rollingwood, Texas.

Why's it sustainable?


• Reutilization of existing space, no additional square footage added to kitchen area due
to large oak trees outside kitchen breakfast window

• Existing kitchen oak cabinets were deconstructed by Habitat for Humanity and resold/
reinstalled at another location; Cardell cabinets fabricated locally in San Antonio, TX

• Energy Star Kitchenaid appliances

• Vetrazzo recycled glass countertops

• T5 energy efficient cove lighting and LED undercounter lights

• Grohe Faucet and Kohler cast iron sink

• Sherwin WIlliams Harmony No-VOC paint

• Marazzi 13”x13” glazed porcelain floor tile

• Back-painted glass at cooking area backsplash; recycled glass “pool” tile
at wet area backsplash

• Waste management program

Next up is a new home in Winter Park, Florida. The architect and builder is Phil Kean. Phil's a friend I've known for a longer than either of us want to admit and it's a thrill to see him honored like this.

Why's it sustainable?


• Stone walls are pre-consumer recycled quartz panels from RealStone Systems
• Driveway pavers cut from salvaged terrazzo flooring
• Sherwin-Williams Duration Home low VOC paint
• Gammapar bamboo flooring
• Stained concrete floors
• Shaw Green Label Carpet and Triple Touch Green Carpet Pad
• Locally manufactured custom veneer cabinets using low formaldehyde plywood and
water-based stains
• Alternate Energy Technologies solar water heating panels from AllSolar
• NCFI Sealite Polyurethane Spray Foam insulation — organic based
• 95% recycled-content drywall
• Hurd, Low-E, double pane, aluminum-clad wood windows
• Versico reflective roof membrane (minimal heat gain, recycled-content and Energy Star-
labeled)
• Carrier high-efficiency heat pump with 16.3 SEER
• Fresh-air intake; Infinity air purifier with a 15 MERV air filter; dehumidifier
• Dal-Tile ceramic and glass recycled-content tile
• Compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs) in 95% of lights
• Danze, Grohe & Hans Grohe high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
• Toto dual-flush toilets
• Thermador Energy Star appliances
• Bosch Axxis high-efficiency washer and dryer
• Drought-tolerant turf grass: Zoysia Grass
• EcoSmart fireplace

As if the house weren't enough, Phil won a separate award for the bathroom too. In addition to winning Best Bath for Project: Green, it was also named Orlando Bathroom of the Year in 2009. Bravo Phil! Check out the rest of his projects on his website.

Why's it sustainable?


• Dal-Tile ceramic recycled-content tile
• Danze, Grohe & Hans Grohe water-conserving and high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
• Toto dual-flush toilets
• Granite-remnant vanity countertops
• Locally manufactured custom veneer cabinets by Frank Bennett of Longwood
• Low-formaldehyde plywood
• Low-VOC stains and finishes
• Sherwin-Williams Duration Home low-VOC paint
• Stained concrete floors
• Alternate Energy Technologies solar water heating panels from AllSolar
• NCFI Sealite Polyurethane Spray Foam insulation — organic based
• Concrete blocks salvaged from previous projects
• Exterior wall concrete block cells filled with concrete
• Concrete made of fly ash, a power plant by-product that increases durability
• 100% recycled-content drywall
• Boracare for termite control
• Hurd, Low-E, double pane, aluminum-clad wood windows
• Versico reflective roof membrane (minimal heat gain, recycled-content and Energy Star-
labeled)
• Carrier high-efficiency heat pump with 16.3 SEER and sized appropriately at 4 tons
(approximately 750 sf/ton)
• Fresh-air intake
• Infinity air purifier with a 15 MERV air filter
• Quiet and timed bath exhaust fans
• Dehumidifier
• Energy Star lighting package
• Compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs)
• Lutron sectional lighting control system

And finally, the best bath renovation from Project: Green 2010 wasn't designed and built by Phil Keane, it's by Sandra Khalil Interior Design in Surrey, British Columbia.

Why's it sustainable?


• Porcelain floor tile 23.5”x23.5”

• Glass wall tile 12”x22”

That may not sound like much but the tile used in that bathroom is is from Mirage in Italy. Mirage, like all Italian tile manufacturers, adhere to a standard of sustainability that's one of the most rigorous in the world. This floor tile , Black Lines from their Fabric collection, proves that sustainability can be breathtaking.

So, if you're a designer or an architect with a sustainable project you're dying to show the world, Project: Green is your golden opportunity. It's open to entries from anywhere int he world and you can enter as many projects for consideration as you'd like. Go to Coverings 2011's website for full details.