Expert Answers in Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

ANSWER – ASTM C648-04 (2009) Standard Test Method for Breaking Strength of Ceramic Tile does not take into consideration the thickness of the tile sample being tested.

It is generally true that the breaking strength of…

ANSWER – I am assuming you have a glazed tile floor.  Your description sounds like the glaze is wearing off, which isn’t normal.  If it is a good residential glazed floor tile the glaze should…

ANSWER – Generally speaking when a tile tents (lifting up) the failure is due to debonding that is caused by compounding reasons.  Part of it could be that there was a contaminate on the substrate to…

ANSWER – First, I wonder why it is necessary to attach the table legs that securely to the floor.  I wouldn’t expect that it would be subjected to that much stress to require it.

If…

ANSWER – Whatever you do, do not use any acid, and in particular do not use muriatic acid, which is very corrosive and could etch and damage the tile.

If the gray stains were not…

ANSWER – Use to be a company on San Fernando Road in Los Angeles, CA named P & E Tile Co. who bought out a lot of the old Franciscan tile.  Their phone number use…

ANSWER – Metal Tile is considered to be in the category of a Specialty Products in the ANSI A137.1 ceramic tile standards.  There is no specific reference to metal tile, but you could apply some…

ANSWER – Ceramic tile is generally fairly resistant to water unless there are some other underlying problems.

Saltillo tiles are very absorbing tiles and some are made better than others in terms of their lasting…

ANSWER – Yes, you can bond directly to CMU if it is properly prepared.  Normally it is not completely plumb and flat.  It can be ground down and evened up with thin-set.  CMU is a…

ANSWER – The ceramic tile you described is either a glazed porcelain tile or an unglazed porcelain tile.  Either way the surface of the tile is technically impervious with an absorption rate of less than…