Mathew Vegos Tile & Stone

We are wishing everyone well during these trying times! Our hearts go out to those that have been directly affected by COVID-19. We are an essential business. Therefore, we are still working every day to meet our customers needs. Every season passes. This one will too. Stay strong!

During the COVID-19 Stay at home order, we remain OPEN as an essential business! Give us a call if we can help with your home’s tile and/or stone needs. 714-801-5449 And please stay safe and healthy!

This is a multi level shampoo niche. The first two compartments are for his and her shampoos and the bottom one is for soap and a razor. We get a lot of questions on how niches are shelved.

Here’s another little creation! Merry Christmas from Mat Vegos Tile and Stone! May we have a great 2020! Thank you all my valued customers and friends

Your powder room should always be interesting. It’s the bathroom that everyone uses, friends, guest family!! Make it fun!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! To all my Mat Vegos Tile and Stone customers and followers! Thank you for your continued business and support, it is much appreciated! Thank you!

Here is a glass shower. Very difficult to do. It requires skill not to see the thin set trowel lines behind the glass and proper browning cement of the walls. This is a mixture of vertical running bond and herringbone design.

We have many questions about what is hot mopping. The hot mop acts as a capsule to keep water in a concentrated area to force it down the drain. There cannot be rips, nails or cuts. The hot mop acts as a barrier to stop damage to your home. Many people don’t know that Tile is water resistant not waterproof!!

Here is a picture of a contractor that worked for an elderly widowed woman who thought it would be a good idea to nail down his waterproof membrane with 60 nails. The damage was extensive, We cut out the floor and quite a few studs and repaired all of the damage. If you refer to the previous post about hot mopping. Hot mopping capsules all water and keeps it going down the drain. Tile is only water resistant not waterproof. The membrane can’t have nails, rips or cuts.

Many people ask about what sealer to use. This sealer has been on the market for many years. You can find it at many DIY centers. Sealing is based upon usage. When the water doesn’t bead up (like wax on a car) then you are due for sealing. This sealer can be applied with a cotton cloth until a haze forms. Then wipe off the haze. Usually takes about 15 minutes or so.

When fabricating stone if you have a good fabricator they will make the edges appear that it’s one thickness Here is an example of veins continuing through the folded section making it appear that the material is 2 inches thick when it’s really only 3/4 of an inch thick. The edge apron is mitered so that you do not see the seam. Some fabricators will do what they call sandwiching the seam. Trust me, it does not look as good as this! The seam runs through the middle and is visible to the eye.

This photo is my inspiration for this post. An unlicensed worker felt like this was a proper installation for a shower stall! I won’t bore you with details! Instead of getting 25 or 30 more years of enjoyment out of their shower stall, this job would last maybe a year! The California State Licensing Board was put in place to protect homeowners. Yet, it is surprising how many times homeowners go around their own protection. It is California state law that contractors be li...censed, bonded, & insured. And, if they have employees, they are to carry Worker’s Compensation insurance as well. The Contractors License Board is set in place to mediate and to educate. Mediate to resolve an issue if it’s the contractor's fault and educate to prevent failures and future problems. In most cases, unlicensed workers charge the same or close to the same as licensed contractors ( it’s true). Yet, it leaves you unprotected and you have, technically, no recourse whatsoever. If an unlicensed worker gets hurt on your job, you are liable for their health bill and anything that they decide to sue you for (work lost etc...depending on the severity of the injury). So, essentially, what the state and the courts have set in order, you, by hiring an unlicensed worker, relinquish all of your rights that the state has set up to protect you. In most cases, unlicensed workers will not call you back and will not pursue making you happy due to the fact that there is no repercussion for doing wrong. So, the unlicensed worker would have to have a good conscience even though they followed no rules to get to where they are. In my experience, (30 years of fixing unlicensed workers jobs), in most cases, you will find that they will not call you back after they have collected the money. What about this! An unlicensed worker ruins the piping in the walls or a gas line! The homeowner becomes liable for all those repairs and pick up. A licensed contractor is supposed to have general liability insurance to cover such issues. So you may save a little money, (maybe in some cases) or the home owner pays the same, yet you are 100% liable for anything that goes wrong with no recourse. This may be the reason why prices for an unlicensed worker could be lower than a licensed contractor's. It is costly to pay for all of the insurances, state licensing, and all the city licenses needed to work in our state and citiesto protect you, the homeowner. And, rightfully so! You have worked hard to make your house a home!!! My advise to you is make sure you are hiring someone who is actually a licensed contractor with all of their insurances. It may cost a little more in some cases but it is for your own protection and safety.

Here is an inexpensive way to help ensure your investment's longevity! We recommend using an "anti-fracture membrane" for your installation! This product will waterproof, suppress moisture and minerals that are in today’s concrete slabs, and not allow stone floors to have salt rings, moisture spots, or deterioration of the top of the stone. It also allows cracks that form in your concrete slab not to transfer into the stone. It acts as a plastic, elastic barrier that allows the concrete slab to crack and move on the under side of the Red Guard while the top side remains intact. Thus, not allowing the tile or stone to crack. The Red Guard membrane sticks directly to the concrete slab extremely well and allows adhesives to stick to it. This is a good sound investment to protect your project and waterproof it.

Our wish for you! If we can help make your home a place that’s warm and inviting, give us a call or send us a message!