Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers Maintenance sealers

How 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…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers Hollow Sounding Tiles Repairs

Is 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…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile cleaning Expert Answers installation Repairs

Do 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…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers installation sealers Standards Wet Areas

How can I keep my porcelain tile on the porch from having standing water?

ANSWER -  Industry standards require tile floor surfaces in areas that are subject to being wet must have a slope to drain of 1/4 inch per foot.   So if  water is getting into your screed…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers installation Standards

Is 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…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers installation Installation Guidelines Movement Joints

How 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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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers Maintenance sealers

Can we seal our Glazed Porcelain Tile and give it a gloss finish?

ANSWER -  Because you have a glazed tile surface that is impervious, I don't think the stone enhancer sealers would give you a gloss finish or be practical to do.  It might even be problematic.…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Concrete Substrate Slab Expert Answers installation Showers Stains Wet Areas

Should we replace the discolored Tile and concrete base in the Shower?

ANSWER -  Normally installing tile over damp mortar doesn't cause staining.  We call that a wet set method if the mortar is installed at the same time as the tile is installed.  A thin-set adhesive…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile cleaning Expert Answers Grout Maintenance Showers Stains Wet Areas

Why are my subway tiles have stains around the edges?

Answer - If you have subway tiles, I assume you are talking about tiles on the walls of the shower.  Although perhaps you did install the subway tiles on the shower floor. Most subway tiles…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile cleaning Expert Answers Stains

How can I clean the cement off of my Porcelain Tile?

ANSWER - If the dirty condition is actually a cementitious residue then a diluted phosphoric solution of acid should clean it.  If the residue is from a polymer modified adhesive, then you might need a…

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