Pebble Tile (buyer beware)

Everyone knows the old saying ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery‘.

This might very well be true except when the offender is trying to mislead or “pass off” imitation products using our Trademarked TOEMI™, TOEMI™ ISLAND ROCK™,  and TOEMI™ name and logos.

Sunshine Stone Products, located in Ocala Florida is one such offender. This company is not a customer, client, or distributor of Toemi™ or Toemi™ Island Rock™ products. This company is not authorized nor has our permission to use our Trademarks. We have contacted them insisting they immediately stop all misleading advertising, promotion, and sales using our Trademarked names and logos.

Unfortunately, this is not the only company misleading the public by infringing on our Trademarked name and logos. Apparently, there are a few other companies, primarily in Florida, who either knowingly or unknowingly are also infringing and trading on our good name. We are in the process of contacting these companies too!

There are no doubt good reasons for unscrupulous companies hoping to mislead customers and trade on our name and reputation. Started in 1995, Toemi™ continues to be a leading manufacturer and supplier of  Toemi™ Island Rock™ natural stone mosaic products. With sales and installations around the world, Toemi™ is a preferred choice and a top international brand.

Bottom line: When adding pebble tile to your next project, make sure you are getting genuine Toemi™ products…You and your project deserve the very best quality and the absolute best price!

Toemi™… often copied-Never Duplicated!

Quality, Style, Innovation!

Pebble Tile Instalations

People know what they like when they see it!

After nearly 15 years in the pebble tile business, I am inspired almost daily with the wonderful and truly creative uses for pebble tile products. Sharing pictures and ideas has always been a bit of a clumsy and somewhat inefficient task… But not anymore!

Introducing: Toemi™ Inspirations 2009

Toemi™ Inspirations 2009 is a magazine format, “flipping book”, dynamic way of sharing over 30 fantastic pebble tile installations.

Zoom in/Zoom out; Turn the pages and get motivated and stir your imagination as we share the many creative techniques for using pebble tile products. To view Toemi™ Inspirations 2009, Click Here

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Toemi™ Island Rock™imagination through discovery!

Introducing…Toemi™ Smart Deals™

Add a designer look to your next project while saving time and money with the all new, Toemi™ Smart Deals™

Toemi™ Smart Deal #0001

Toemi™ Smart Deals™ are low price, factory direct, “package deals” combining Toemi™ Island Rock™ mosaic products together with stunning, handcrafted, stone vessel sinks. And, Toemi™ Smart Deals™ always include *free shipping and your satisfaction is guaranteed!

Smart Deal #0001 includes:

10 boxes (107 sq. ft.) pebble mosaic tile.

2 boxes (66 ln. ft.) matching pebble mosaic boarders.

1 color coordinated, solid stone vessel sink

As an industry  leader and innovator, we are always looking for new ways to offer more value to our customers. Don’t miss out on the next… Toemi™ Smart Deal™

Get more information and all the details:

Visit Toemi™Smart Deals™

Compare Pebble Tile Pricing (easy to use tool)

First, I want to thank all of you for the great response to our new, factory direct pricing program!

Getting the very best price on top quality pebble tile can be difficult and time consuming. I recently found a very helpful, comparative pricing tool from “where2lookonline.com”. This website will compare pebble tile pricing from Ebay, Home Depot, and many others.

See this tool in action, visit our all new (click here) → Toemi Forum

where2lookonline.com

We are so confident our factory direct prices can’t be beat I wanted to share this handy comparison tool. Search for pebble tile then compare our factory direct prices to nearly 150 pebble tile items from various companies and online venues.

As you shop, keep in mind our unbeatable, factory direct pebble tile prices:

Minimum Order: $2.15 Sq.Ft. + Freight

Full Pallet Order: $1.91 Sq.Ft. + Freight

Container Order: $1.61 Sq.Ft. + Freight

As always, thanks again for your continued support since 1995!

TOEMI™ Island Rock™ Factory Direct Pricing!

For the first time ever, save money on all Toemi™ Island Rock™ pebble tile products shipped factory direct.

The first question you may have is why? Why sell Toemi™ Island Rock™ products factory direct? Since 1995, Toemi™ Island Rock™ products have been sold exclusively through dealers and distributors. Frankly, as the economy has turned down, so too have distributor orders. Additionally, in recent months, several distributors, dealers, and retailers have gone out of business resulting in confusion and unhappy customers. Finally, it is no secret Chinese factories have jumped on the pebble tile band wagon with cheap pebble tile. For these reasons, we have decided to change our business model and offer our products fully priced and factory direct.

Let me answer some questions about our new pricing programs:

Container (900 to 1080 box) Pricing ($1.61 + Freight):

Q. Ocean freight charges can differ depending on the delivery point. Can I get a firm, delivered price?

A. Yes. Please email your request and I will provide a firm “door to door” quotation. To receive a “door-to-door” quotation: Click Here → Quotation

Q. Can I mix products and sizes on my Full Container orders?

A. Yes. You can choose (mix and match) any of our products and sizes on your order.

Q. What are the payment terms?

A. We require a 50% deposit with your purchase order and the remaining 50% balance must be paid prior to shipping.

Q. How do I pay?

A. All payments must be made via bank-to-bank transfer. Details will be provided in a formal pro-forma quotation/invoice.

Q. What is the lead time for Full Container orders?

A. The standard lead time for production is 3-4 weeks. Please add 4 weeks for the ocean transport.

Full Pallet (54 box) Pricing ($1.91 + Freight):

Q. Why do I need to buy 54 boxes?

A. Our Pallet Pricing program is designed to provide exceptional shipping discounts together with maximum product. Working closely with a local cargo company, we have engineered a wooden crating system designed to hold 54 boxes while at the same time getting the absolute best shipping rate.

Q. Ocean freight charges can differ depending on the delivery point. Can I get a firm, delivered price?

A. Yes. Please email your request and I will provide a firm “door to door” quotation. To receive a “door-to-door” quotation: Click Here → Quotation

Q. Can I mix products and sizes on my Full Pallet order?

A. Yes. You can choose (mix and match) any of our products and sizes on your order.

Q. What are the payment terms?

A. We require 100% prepayment when you place your order.

Q. How do I pay?

A. There are 2 payment options for Full Pallet orders

1. Bank to Bank Transfer: Complete payment details will be provided in a formal quotation.

2. Paypal: Complete payment details will be provided in a formal quotation.

Q. What is the lead time for Full Pallet orders?

A. The standard lead time for production and delivery is 45 to 60 days.

Minimum (16 box) Order Pricing ($2.15 + Freight):

Q. Why do I need to buy 16 boxes?

A. Shipping less than 16 boxes costs exactly the same as shipping 1 box via ocean freight because of a minimum shipping charge. Working closely with a local cargo company, we have engineered a wooden crating system designed to hold 16 boxes while at the same time getting the absolute best shipping rate. Our Minimum Order pricing program is designed to provide exceptional shipping discounts when buying the minimum 16 boxes.

Q. Ocean freight charges can differ depending on the delivery point. Can I get a firm, delivered price?

A. Yes. Please email your request and I will provide a firm “door to door” quotation. To receive a “door-to-door” quotation: Click Here → Quotation

Q. Can I mix products and sizes on my Minimum order?

A. Yes. You can choose (mix and match) any of our products and sizes on your order.

Q. What are the payment terms?

A. We require 100% prepayment when you place your order.

Q. How do I pay?

A. There are 2 payment options for Full Pallet orders

1. Bank to Bank Transfer: Complete payment details will be provided in a formal quotation.

2. Paypal: Complete payment details will be provided in a formal quotation.

Q. What is the lead time for 16 box Minimum Orders?

A. The standard lead time for production and delivery is 45 to 60 days.

Our ground-breaking, factory direct pricing program is without question the most affordable way to buy first quality, Toemi™ Island Rock™ pebble tile. But don’t take our word, please compare our pricing to your local home improvement center, your neighborhood tile store, importers, distributors, Ebay, Kaboodle, and even Craigslist before you buy. Don’t miss this opportunity to buy Toemi™ Island Rock™ products at our lowest pricing ever!

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to visit our all new Factory Direct Pricing Forum: Click Here →   Toemi™ Forum

Toemi™ Island Rock™

Nature Under Your Feet!

Quality, Quality, Quality…Did I mention quality?

From time- to-time, I get a chance to surf the web looking at “competitors” pebble tile products. Frankly, I am amazed at the absolute junk that’s marketed and no doubt sold.

First, let me share with you my simple, straightforward criteria for evaluating pebble tile products:

• Quality should be obvious.
• Will my pebble tile project look like an artisan laid each pebble one-by-one.
• The price should be competitive.

With this simple criteria in mind, lets look at some of the products I found on the web and then compare and contrast:

This is a “competitors” sliced pebble mosaic. This mosaic is horrible!

Competitors sliced pebble tile

First, notice the stone spacing and orientation of each stone.  After this product is installed and grouted, I can not imagine any project looking like an artisan installed each stone one-by-one. Next, have a look at the netting. It is crudely trimmed and unless properly trimmed (I guess by you) it will no doubt cause “strings” being visible in the grout. Although this is an interlocking tile, the poor quality will know doubt produce a very unsatisfactory installation with visible and obvious joint lines. What’s the point of buying a interlocking product if it doesn’t interlock properly?  Finally, saw marks are clearly visible due to improper tumbling. After sealed and grouted, these saw marks will become more exaggerated and obvious. Ok, maybe it’s not perfect but it’s less expensive right…wrong. It was priced on the high-end.

In this next example, the product is much better but has serious issues.

Competitors pebble tile

The biggest issue with this tile is the large gaps between each pebble. After this product is installed and grouted, these gaps will be painfully obvious and a real eyesore. Again, the main purpose of interlocking pebble tile is to have a final project look like an artisan laid each pebble one-by-one. The next obvious issue is the interlocking pattern. From the picture, one can visualize how this tile interlocks: The “tabs” are inserted into the “slots”.  But look closely, the slots look to big for the tabs. And they are. This is a common problem with pebble tile. They simply do not interlock properly.

So what does quality mosaic look like?

Toemi™ Island Rock™ Pebble Tile

In this example, all the pebbles are spaced correctly and the overall appearance is good: No large gaps and the interlocking pattern is tight and one can visualize it will interlock correctly. The netting is properly trimmed and overall the quality is obvious.

Ning Collection™ Sliced Pebble Tile™

In this Sliced Pebble mosaic example, all the sliced pebbles are spaced correctly and the overall appearance is good. It’s easy to believe this product will interlock correctly.  The netting is trimmed and there are no visible saw marks.

So what makes for a quality tile? Is it price? No, not really. The truth is, Pebble Tile is a very competitive product and pricing varies slightly whether buying from an importer or an authorized factory distributor/dealer. The difference is the manufacturing standards, quality control processes, and attention to detail of the factory producing the product.

Basically, there are 3 important (fundamental) items one should look for when shopping for pebble tile products.

• Perhaps one of the most important issues when buying Pebble Tile is making sure the pebbles, on each tile, have been sorted (or gauged) for thickness. The maximum thickness differential should be no more than 1/8”. Height differentials greater that 1/8” can cause “high” and “low” spots, water pooling, drainage problems, and very disappointing installations.

• Another very important part of choosing quality Pebble Tile is to understand whether you’re buying from an importer or an authorized factory distributor/dealer. Importers come and go and are a dime a dozen. Buying from an authorized factory distributor/dealer has the built-in protections of quality, consistency, history, and reliability.

• Finally, price is always important. But again, Pebble Tile is a very competitive product and pricing varies slightly whether buying from an importer or an authorized factory distributor/dealer so focus on quality! Shop around, touch and feel the mosaic, place it on a flat surface and check the height differentials of each stone, and ask questions.

Following these simple steps and your project will thank you!

Sliced Pebble™ Mosaic…The Very Latest in Pebble Tile Design

Why “slice” a beach pebble?

As more and more beach pebbles are used in mosaic products, we began to notice the pebbles were not as rich and colorful as in previous years. This led us to wonder: Is the inside of the pebble richer in color and character? As you can see, Sliced Pebble™ Mosaic products are truly majestic!

Luxurious and original, Sliced Pebble™ Mosaics are made from natural beach pebbles sliced into 1 cm (3/8”) sections. These sections are expertly tumbled then painstakingly placed within the mosaic by our staff of artisans then bonded to a double nylon scrim matt, creating a stunning easy-to-install design option. Enjoy the natural shape and outline of natural pebbles in a completely flat mosaic.

Installation and grouting are as easy as installing ceramic tile or other stone products. As an alternative to cutting the mosaic during instalation, simply pull off and place stones as needed to fill any voids within the installation.

Sliced Pebble Mosaic™ is available in standard pebble colors as well as several designer choices. See more of this great collection at http://www.ningcollection.com and discover the inner beauty locked inside each pebble!

Sliced Pebble™ Mosaic is a Trademark of CV Ning Collection™.  All rights reserved.

Pebble Tile: DYI and Save!

It is no secret the housing market, and by association the home improvement market, has changed. One thing that has not changed is a underlying desire to make our homes as beautiful and luxurious as is affordably possible. Perhaps now more than ever before, there is more focus on DYI and minor remodeling projects. In fact, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently reported a “slight increase” in minor remodeling projects in its third-quarter 2008 Remodeling Market Index.

You have no doubt seen Pebble Tile products used on HGTV, Bob Villa, Extreme Home Make Over, and nearly every magazine from Architectural Digest to Sunset. But did you know, Pebble Tiles are very simple to install, even for a layman. The inherent versatility, color choices, and ease of installation make Pebble Tile one of the biggest bangs for the tiling buck.

How easy is it to install Pebble Tile?

1. Measure the area you want to tile. Calculate how many tiles you will need.

2. Apply the stone cement to the applicable surface (Thinset or Quickset dry the fastest).

3. Lay the squares next to each other vertically & horizontally and firmly press into the cement.

4. Once the cement has dried, wet the stones or simply apply a coat of sealer with a cloth (although the stones are very hard, any stone has some degree of porosity and will unnecessarily absorb some of the grout). Apply the grout over the top of all the stones and including the alternating open spaces at the edge of the rows.

5. Wait approximately 30 minutes and then sponge off the grout from on top of all the stones….thus the grout will remain between all the stones and at the end of rows.

6. Once the stones have dried completely, apply the sealer of your choice (retaining “natural appearance” or changing visual of stones using a semi-gloss, high-gloss or stone-enhancer).

Pebble Tile adds a truly unique style and atmosphere to any your project. Kitchens, bathrooms, patios, and pools are only a few of the endless possibilities for this great product. Perhaps one of the very best features of Pebble Tile is how easy it is to install over existing surfaces such as old ceramics and plain concrete saving time and money. Another important feature is the built-in “green” utility of Pebble Tile.

OK, so you’ve decided to use Pebble Tile, now what? Like anything, it is buyer beware!

The quality and value of Pebble Tile can vary tremendously. Perhaps one of the most important issues when buying Pebble Tile is making sure the pebbles, on each tile, have been sorted (or gauged) for thickness. The maximum thickness differential should be no more than 1/8”. Height differentials greater that 1/8” can cause “high” and “low” spots, water pooling, drainage problems, and very disappointing installations.

Another very important part of choosing quality Pebble Tile is to understand whether you’re buying from an importer or an authorized factory distributor/dealer. Importers come and go and are a dime a dozen. Buying from an authorized factory distributor/dealer has the built-in protections of quality, consistency, history, and reliability.

Finally, price is always important. The truth is, Pebble Tile is a very competitive product and pricing varies slightly whether buying from an importer or an authorized factory distributor/dealer so focus on quality! Shop around, touch and feel the mosaic, lay it on a flat surface and check the height differentials of each stone, and ask questions. Your project will thank you!

Want more inspiration? Visit these web pages:

http://www.hgtv.com/designers-portfolio/room/transitional/bathrooms/2321/index.html

http://www.hgtv.com/designers-portfolio/room/eclectic/bathrooms/310/index.html

http://www.decorltd.com/PebbleRockDecoration.asp

Hello Pebble People

Hello “pebble people”.

So, you might be asking, why would anyone create a blog about pebble tile?

First, for the benefit of non-pebble people, let me take a minute to explain what pebble tile is: Pebble tile (or pebble mosaic) is a handcrafted mosaic “tile” product made by arraigning real beach pebbles into an interlocking pattern then gluing them to a `scrim netting creating (what should be) an easy to install (and what could be) beautiful floor, shower, feature wall, pool, back splash, etc.

Ok, back to the question: why create a blog dedicated to pebble tile? The answer, “what should be and what could be”.

I have been in the pebble tile business since 1995. In fact, I was one of the very first people to introduce pebble tile into the United States and the UK. I started as an importer/distributor and eventually moved to owning and operating our own factory.

Over the years, I have seen ongoing misrepresentation and deterioration of this truly great product. Like any great idea, copycats and scoundrels are mainly to blame. In the beginning, there were only two companies making and marketing pebble tile: Toemi™ Island Rock™ and Island Stone™. Today, anyone who can “fog a mirror” seems to be in the pebble tile business and what should be a simple-to-install, truly lovely product has for some, become a disappointing and expensive experience.

The main objective of this blog is to share,  not only my knowledge and experiences, but also invite others to share experiences, projects, stories, and results. Hopefully, together we can separate the good from the bad and assist anyone who has a question, problem, advice, or wants simply show off their pebble tile projects. I invite you to make this blog your own.

I look forward to sharing all I know while learning from all of you “pebble people”.

Just to kick things off, here are a couple of my favorite pebble tile installs:

Need more inspiration?

See what just might be the largest collection of pebble tile installation photos anywhere!

http://www.toemi.com