Expert Answers in Concrete Substrate Slab

ANSWER - I assume you had a water leak of some sort that resulted in your concrete slab having a high level of moisture.  If that is the case, then you should let the slab…

ANSWER - First of all you need to determine what kind of tile to install?  It needs to be slip resistant, and it needs to provide a relatively flat surface so no one trips.  If…

ANSWER - Your engineer was basically saying that you have a high water table, meaning that the underground water is very close to the surface of the ground. The french drains only work if the…

ANSWER - It is possible to embed 12x12 inch ceramic tiles into a freshly poured concrete slab, but there are a lot factors to consider.  It is recommended to let the concrete cure for 28…

ANSWER - I will assume that your tile floor is installed over a concrete slab on ground. We know that in New Orleans, as well as in other geographic areas, there is a very high…

ANSWER - Generally speaking allowing the concrete to cure for 28 days allows it to achieve 90% cure and there is no significant shrinkage in the concrete after that in terms of installing ceramic tile over…

ANSWER - Yes, you always need a vapor retarder (barrier) per ASTM E1643.  The vapor retarder should continue up the sides of the foundation to prevent lateral migration of moisture.  Sometimes a sand bed can be…

ANSWER - Per our industry standards for ceramic tile and stone and from a practical point-of-view, any concrete substrate that has shrinkage cracks should be isolated with a crack isolation membrane. If the cracks are…

ANSWER - You can not install your travertine or any type of tile over a concrete foundation that has cracks without first fixing the problem. If it is simply shrinkage cracks that only move horizontally…

Answer - You can not install ceramic tile or stone over cracked concrete without making repairs or providing additional protection or the cracks will continue through the tiles. If the cracks are structural cracks (they move…