Expert Answers in Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

ANSWER – First of all you can’t install directly to exterior stucco wall without first removing the stucco.  Stucco is a weak cementitious material and too weak to bond tile to.

You can sandblast or…

ANSWER – What should have been done while installing the Hardibacker board on the walls, is the framing studs should have been shimmed and adjusted to make sure the Hardibacker board was plumb and square.

ANSWER – There must have been a sealer or some other coating on the tile for it to become sticky.  There are sealer strippers that can be purchased that should be able remove coatings that…

ANSWER – Tile having a hollow sound is not considered a defect in itself.  It can be a symptom of a defect.  There are many reasons why a tile can sound hollow.  It could be…

ANSWER – Per ANSI A108.10 Installation of grout in Tilework, it says that all grout joints shall be uniformly finished. Cushion edge tile shall be finished evenly to the depth of the cushion.

The grout…

ANSWER – Being in the mountains and having your pool subjected to snow and freezing conditions would suggest that your pool waterline tiles are not freeze-thaw stable.

Meaning that the tiles are porous enough that…

ANSWER – If in fact you have a glazed or unglazed porcelain tile that has developed blisters that is uncommon.

Some ceramic tiles can be very porous, and some porous Mexican tiles are vary porous…

ANSWER – Porcelain tile is not known to fade.  It is not uncommon to find that the tile color under rugs that have been in place a long time are a different color or shade. …

ANSWER – I am assuming that the tile was adhered directly to the plywood subfloor.

he VersaBond LFT thin-set does meet ANSI A118.11 for bonding to exterior grade plywood substrates.

If the tile feels solid,…

ANSWER – Grout can crack for a varied of reasons, and it might be because of a combination of different deficiencies.

First of all, not manufacturer of grout would recommend mixing non-sanded grout with sanded…