On a global scale, oil is the world’s most important commodity.This means that each country that has the largest supply of oil, has a large influence over the world. The supply of oil in the world market has an impact on its price, and these fluctuations affect consumers, especially if your country uses a lot of oil, such as the U.S.

 

Furthermore, oil has a lot to do with the price of commodities and services. Oil is used to power the vessels it takes to bring products across the world. Therefore, the shipping industry needs to keep a close eye on oil prices. When fuel prices are low, it’s a great time for oceanic travel. The cost is low and earnings go up. But, when oil prices soar the opposite happens. Fuel costs represent 50-60% of the total shipping costs. So, when these costs rise it has a massive effect on the shipping industry. 

 

Currently, oil prices are rising because of a high demand in Europe. Meaning retailers are paying more than they would for the same amount of energy. This is leading to retailers having to raise prices to meet their profit margins; or take a profit cut.

When it comes to natural gas storage, the UK is running low. The way that the UK gets its energy is not very diverse; this means when there is a low level, we tap for more in the North Sea. The problem with that is supplies are running low now. Leaving the UK in a hard situation.  

 

As natural gas fields become lower on supplies we have to turn to other sources of power. Unfortunately, coal plants are uneconomical and nuclear energy is out of fashion. Meaning the European market is left reliant on intermittent renewables and natural gas.

One reason for these and other price fluctuations is the price of oil. The price of oil affects individual spending choices. It forces companies to make difficult decisions. It can even change relations between countries. Oil is perhaps the world’s most important natural resource and impacts the daily lives of people worldwide.

Natural gas is a byproduct of drilling for oil, so you would expect the two markets to work similarly. The truth is far from that, they work as totally independent commodities which are subject to different forces. Therefore, you can’t say when one raises in price, the other will. But what is happening right now is that. Natural gas prices are rising because of low supply and oil is rising because of the post pandemic energy boom.

All of these price increases in energy are having a knock effect on us as a company. We are a business that imports products and ships products. This is why we have had to raise our prices previously and why we are under strain to get stock into the UK. Nevertheless, we work tirelessly to find new and innovative ways to get our stock into us and back out to you. We stay committed and passionate about what we do. We appreciate all the continued custom from you and we look forward to continued growth in the future.

For more information on how we are dealing with shipment and energy prices, feel free to call us (0113 390 8800), email at info@tilesforever.co.uk or come into our showroom.

Underfloor Heating (UFH) uses radiant heat technology to gently warm the people and objects in the room directly. It works from the ground up, facilitating a much more energy efficient heating system. 

 

There are two types of UFH; electric and water. Water systems run hot water through pipes laid under the flooring. Electric heats wiring beneath the floor to generate the heat.

Traditional radiators need to be heated to 65° in order to heat up the room. Compared to underfloor heating, which needs to run at around 29°, this means the UFH runs effectively; keeping your energy bills down. 

 

Continuing, radiators produce ‘cold spots’ which create chill in the middle of the room. UFH provides radiant heat from the floor up, throughout the whole room; avoiding these ‘cold spots’ and allowing the room to be warm throughout.

A key benefit of underfloor heating is that once it is installed, the whole system  requires little to no maintenance. They should also be all controlled by a system-dedicated thermostat which allows you to control the whole heating system functionally and instantly. 

 

Other things to think about when choosing UFH is installation time and cost. It will usually take 1-2 days to install and a labourer will cost you around £200-300 a day. You will also need to hire an electrician to connect the system. All of these raise your initial costs to begin with, but UFH is cheaper to run long term compared to radiators. 

 

Wet systems are more expensive to install but cheaper to run. Electric systems are cheaper to lay but are more expensive to run. Meaning the two systems have their good sides and bad; it really is personal preference.

Because of the properties of porcelain tiles, they conduct heat evenly and efficiently throughout the space, allowing your UFH system to work to the best of its ability. 

As long as your floor is level and you have an adequate sub-floor, it is very easy to install any type of tile on top of your underfloor heating system.

Here at Tiles For Ever we sell ‘Warm Toes’ UFH. This system is electric and controlled by a voice controlled thermostat. It only adds 3mm to the floor depth which allows it to be applied to the majority of jobs. When purchased it comes on a sicky matt which allows the installer to just roll it onto the surface.

For more information on how we are dealing with the freight crisis, feel free to call us (0113 390 8800), email at info@tilesforever.co.uk or come into our showroom.  

 

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Pre World War 2, residential floor plans consisted of a hallway with rooms branching off. The kitchen was usually at the back of the property; this is because it was seen as a service area, not a socialising space. It wasn’t until Frank Lloyd Wright started designing open plan living areas that people started to think differently about socialising. 

An open floor plan, including the kitchen, offered design flexibility for families who were changing and growing, allowing parents to keep an eye on the kids during meal preparation and cleaning, which offered huge advantages for modern families. 

 

The open floor plan also allows for more space in the same square footage. Which helped construction companies fit more houses into the same space; this also accommodates the growing families of the 21st century.

By the 1990s, open floor plans became the norm. But with its popularity growing, disadvantages started to emerge. The popular layout does mean everything has to be organised or else the house becomes cluttered. Furthermore, closed- off rooms allow you to cut off noise and be separated, which is becoming more and more popular. Even with these disadvantages, open plan layouts are prized in real estate and are still popular to this day.

Zoning is an important tool to help make open plan living work for you. 

 

1. Invisible walls: when designing the space, it is useful to imagine there were walls separating the spaces up. Using rugs and floor changes to help carve up the space will accentuate the zoning. Just simply moving the sofa around to cut up a space can make such a massive difference. Doing this also means you focus on the practicality of each ‘room’ or zone. Which will allow you to see proper circulation through the space. 
2. Broken plan: Don’t be afraid to really separate a ‘quiet zone’ or office space from the open space. You can put semi-permanent walls up, internal glass or bi-folding doors to really break up the space. Also, anything like this will change the air and light movement through the space, which can create really dynamic areas in your home. 
3. Create zoned spaces: this is one of the most common tools used. People put islands in their kitchen, or breakfast corners. These offer great functionality as extra storage, or places to eat and work; but it also cuts up the space. 
4. Decoration: Use visual room tricks. Choose different colours for the walls, or tile certain parts of the floor. For example, use tile in the kitchen, but wood in the dining room.

A big trend in living space in the 21st century is the indoor/outdoor space, with most home renovations being kitchen extensions and glass folding doors into the garden. You can’t miss this trend. 

When it comes to bringing this space to a reality in your own home, there are lots of tips and tricks you can use to pull it off.

1. Tile Floor: The great thing about tiles is you can carry them through to the outside. You can have the exact same tile in your open plan kitchen/diner, as you do on the patio. This creates a smooth free-flowing look to the living space. Which creates an amazing socialsing space. 
2. More Glazing: Adding skylights and windows help to add unexpected views of the garden which helps bring the outdoor deeper into the inside. 
3. Add a canopy: In the UK especially it helps to be prepared for quick weather changes. Adding an extended roof to a patio allows you to keep the doors open even in bad weather.

Here at Tiles For Ever we have lots of tiles that can help you achieve all these design features. We have an extensive range of outdoor tiles, and anti-slip tiles which are all perfect additions to your open plan living space.  

 

For more information on how we are dealing with the freight crisis, feel free to call us (0113 390 8800), email at info@tilesforever.co.uk or come into our showroom.  

 

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Currently, globally, we are dealing with massive disruptions to freight, shipment and transportation. There are a wide variety of reasons why we are experiencing these delays. From the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to the shortage of drivers.

In March 2021, the Megaship called the Ever Given, blocked the Suez Canal for about a week. This resulted in a massive misalignment of cargo, as they were blocked and delayed. Similar to being stuck on the motorway. This caused a surge in container rates which had a knock on effect on trade costs. This poses a continued challenge for businesses that need to get stock in from across the world. Most businesses are unable to bear the brunt of higher rates. 

 

Demand for containers has grown during the pandemic. This has been caused by a change in consumer habits, increasing the demand for manufactured consumer goods. This leads to a shortage of containers as businesses scramble for stock in anticipation for new waves of the pandemic.

At the beginning of the COVID pandemic demand for goods was high, but economies worldwide shut down in various lockdowns. Manufacturing and sailing was shut down and workers displaced. As we came out of the lockdowns, manufacturing changed to online retailers and workers and trade could continue. But in the process of this restart, the supply chain was fractured. 

 

A shortage of shipping containers emerged, shipping rates skyrocketed, congestion developed, all exasperating the trucking shortage.

Once the cargo is unloaded it is transported by truck to its end location. But there is a massive driver shortage. According to driver recruiting firms, there is one qualified driver for every 9 jobs. This lack of drivers is caused by employment prospects, safety concerns, expanding unemployment benefits and simply ‘having kids at home.’ Even though the salary drivers are being offered is healthy, it will take time for them to return to industry, as they have moved onto jobs with better lifestyles.

Currently there are many shipping containers in Africa and South America, empty and uncollected. This is because shipping carriers have concentrated their vessels on the more profitable Asia, North America and Europe. Simply this means there are fewer containers in circulation. 

 

More ships are needed, but additional supply is many years away. Furthermore, the trend for larger and larger ships creates massive infrastructure challenges at ports. These bigger ships require more trucks, warehouse capacity and trains, to unload and load them in the ports. Therefore, when delays occur, more containers are affected.

This disruption seems to be stagnating as people in the industry wait for policy makers to interject. Only time will tell if we can withstand the coming holiday seasons, any future COVID outbreaks and extreme weather battering individual links in the supply chain.

 

As a small business which imports materials from India, at Tiles For Ever and Wide Wings Tiles, we have been dealing with all these pressures for months now. We have been lucky so far to get hold of containers when we need them, and to be well stocked coming into the end of the year. But we are currently trying to prepare for anything the future may hold for us.

For more information on how we are dealing with the freight crisis, feel free to call us (0113 390 8800), email at info@tilesforever.co.uk or come into our showroom.  

 

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