Marysville company matches tiles with styles

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, April 18, 2007

R eplacing a kitchen countertop and trying to match it with a new tile floor usually means getting experts involved.

It’s a good thing for visitors to Marysville Everett Ceramic Tile in Marysville that the Hiatt family has been in the business of retail floor covering, countertops, walls and other areas since 1958.

Lil and John Hiatt first opened the doors of the showroom. Then, in 1992, the husband-and-wife team of Jodi and John Hiatt Jr. took over. The showroom has been in the Marysville location for more than 30 years.

“We are second-generation owners,” Jodi Hiatt said.

Busy is the word for the Hiatts’ small business, especially when an event like the Everett Home and Garden Show comes along.

“We were there for the very first one,” Jodi Hiatt said.

She said she was hesitant the first time Jim Ashe of Westlake Promotions asked her to sign up for the show. But before the event was over, she was telling him to sign her up for the following year.

Visitors to the Marysville Everett Ceramic Tile booth will see samples of ceramic tiles, granite, marble, area rugs and maybe even a couple of pieces of slab granite.

The company works with five stone distributors in the Seattle area to bring stone from all around the world to Marysville. Stone comes from as far away as Italy, South America and China.

Granite is the most popular choice with customers. It is harder and denser than marble or travertine, which are softer and more porous.

“We never recommend travertine for kitchen counters,” Hiatt said.

While you can set a hot pot on any of the stones and not hurt it, some stones stain more easily than others, Hiatt said. The company suggests that clients use a penetrating sealer on any stone they choose for their kitchens.

Other popular floor coverings in Snohomish County are hardwood, laminate and bamboo.

“Any type of wood floor is a big item right now,” Hiatt said.

She also has paint samples on hand for clients. Clients can match their floor coverings or countertops to paint colors. Hiatt then writes down the color and sends clients to the paint store to buy just the right shade.

“We’ll help you coordinate anything,” she said.

Christina Harper is a Snohomish County freelance writer. She can be reached at harper@heraldnet.com.