Expert Answers in Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

ANSWER - I assume that the wood finish ceramic tile is a porcelain tile.   I have seen a couple of cases where it appeared that the thin top layer of the wood looking tile was…

ANSWER - It is very difficult to find a qualified tile installer to fix problems caused by another installer or to get them to complete an incomplete tile installation. The qualified installer doesn't want to…

ANSWER - If the tile is making a sound and lifting up or sinking down that would suggest that either there were voids under the tile and the tile was subjected to some sort of…

ANSWER - Too often tile and stone installers don't follow industry standards because they have never been formally trained and don't know what are the standards.  They generally have learn from others and assume those…

ANSWER - There is nothing wrong with having some rooms with hardwood flooring and other rooms with ceramic porcelain tile as I do in my house.  You need to be careful about the transitions from…

ANSWER - There really isn't anything you can do about correcting the short stair treads as there is no stair nosing extending out over the edge of the stair riser.  You really just need to…

ANSWER - First of all, the way you construct a shower pan is to first apply a pre-sloped mortar bed to establish a slope to the drain of 1/4" per foot.  You can float over…

ANSWER - I assume you will remove the existing spillway.  Assuming it is bonded to a mortar bed or to the gunite/shotcrete substrate, after removing the existing spillway, make sure you scarify it and it…

ANSWER - With your description it is hard to determine exactly what is the condition. It could be intend fractures.  That is when there is excessive shrinkage and it causes intents in the tile that…

ANSWER - Thin-set mortars should not deteriorate from being exposed to moisture.  Most thin-set mortars are used in showers and in pools and fountains. Moisture that migrates into the concrete slab from the ground and…

ANSWER - There is a type 1 and a type 2 organic mastic.  Type 1 mastic is more water resistant, but only suitable for limited water exposure. Using the mastic on the kitchen backsplash is…

ANSWER - There are many reasons why a grout will crack and come loose.  Unsanded grout is recommended for grout joints 1/8" wide down to 1/16" wide.  Sanded grout is recommended for grout joints that…

ANSWER - Sealing a Saltillo tile doesn't waterproof the tile. Sealing the tile only makes it moisture resistant.  A sealer should help to minimize the white efflorescence staining, but it may or may not stop…

ANSWER - You should never adhere anything to a stucco finish on a wall.  The stucco is typically a cementitous material with a low amount of cement that makes it relatively weak.  You should remove…

ANSWER - It depends on what type of mat was used over the plywood on whether it is an acceptable installation method.  Although it would be ideal to install a waterproof membrane in areas that…

ANSWER - Normally when you get cracking over a suspended floor following the joints of the tile backer board that the tile was bonded to, it is due to a combination of excessive deflection in…

ANSWER - I doubt that you have a glazed porcelain tile floor.  A glazed tile is a tile with a glass-like coating on the surface that can't be altered unless you have abused it in…

ANSWER - Normally when there are hairline cracks going continuously through a number of tiles including the grout joint, it suggests that there might be a crack i the substrate below it that is telegraphing…

ANSWER - You are asking a lot that can't be answered without performing a forensic inspection to determine what is causing the failures.  I can make some general statements that may or may not apply…

ANSWER - Porcelain tiles are not likely to peel considering they are very dense tiles.  Although you say the tile is Carrara Marble look and the edges are white.  Manufacturers use the ink jet technology…