Expert Answers in Ceramic and Porcelain Tile
What do we need to consider when installing 18x18 inch tiles on walls?
ANSWER – First of all you need to make sure that the substrate to which you will be adhering the tiles are suitable for the application. In bathrooms you want to use materials that are…
Read MoreWhat should I do about my tile floor that made a crackle sound and become hollow sounding?
ANSWER – There is a good chance your tile floor has tented. This is a condition when the tile is installed without resilient movement joints at the perimeters of the rooms, and then the tile…
Read MoreCan we Install Vinyl Plank Flooring over Existing Ceramic Tile?
ANSWER – The finish material installed over the existing tile floor is only as good as the tile floor. If the tile floor is installed well, doesn’t have excessive moisture migrating up through the tile…
Read MoreHow do I get my Porcelain Tile to have a Wet Look?
ANSWER – There are sealers called enhancers. They are normally penetrating sealers used on natural stone products to give them a wet look. They are breathable sealers. There is a product called Miracle 511 Seal…
Read MoreIs it effective to remove voids under tiles with an Adhesive Injection system
ANSWER – Spot bonding tiles leaving voids under tiles that produce hollow sounds is not an acceptable tile installation method in the industry.
Over the years when I have seen attempts to inject epoxy liquids…
Read MoreDo you have to remove the thin-set adhesive from the previous installation or can you install over it?
ANSWER – The answer is it depends… The new installation can’t be attached to the underlying substrate any better than what the remaining thin-set is attached to it. So you need to make sure it…
Read MoreIs Spot Bonding Tile an Acceptable Installation Method and will it result in a Failure?
ANSWER – Adhering a tile using a spot bonded method , where the installer typically applies a spot of cementitious thin-set adhesive in the four corners of the tile and at the center of the…
Read MoreHow can I incorporate movement joints in my tile work while maintaining aesthetics.
ANSWER – The TCNA EJ171 standards for installing movement joints in tile work are general recommendations. There is an ASTM C1472 standard for calculating movement in movement joints, so you can consider the coefficient of…
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