Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Exterior failures Standards Tenting

What is causing my tiles to bulge up?

ANSWER - I believe what you are describing is a condition called Tile Tenting. Ceramic tiles, particularly those that are more absorptive, will expand when subjected to heat or moisture.  If the tile installation doesn't…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers failures Grout installation Standards

Why did my Tile Grout Crack? Was the tile installed properly? What Tile method should be used to Replace the floor?

ANSWER - It is acceptable per the industry standards to adhere tile to a wood subfloor in dry applications.   The plywood subfloor should have a plywood underlayment over it and the configuration of the floor…

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Debonding Tile failures stone

What caused this marble floor tile failure?

ANSWER - Keep in mind that when there is problem it is generally  not due to a single deficiency, but due to multiple compounding deficiencies. Looking at photos I note the following, but I can’t state…

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failures Standards stone Waterproofing Wet Areas

Was my granite shower installed correctly?

ANSWER - First of all, green board is not an acceptable substrate in a wet area per the tile and stone industry standards, and per the Gypsum GA-216.   Green board is water resistant but will…

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failures selection Standards stone Testing

Is there a test to verify the quality of a travertine stone?

ANSWER - There are ASTM standards for the minimum/maximum physical property requirements for a travertine stone, which is ASTM C1527.   They do classify the stone as either Class I Exterior or Class II interior use,…

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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile failures Hollow Sounding Tiles

What does Hollow Sounding Tiles mean?

ANSWER - Sound is all relative to the materials and configurations of the tile assembly and whose ears are listening. A hollow sound can be a higher pitch or a lower pitch depending on the materials…

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failures stone

Why is my Stone Granite Floor Deteriorating?

ANSWER - It sounds like you have what we call spalling and efflorescence on the granite slabs.   This is normally a symptom of having a moisture problem; meaning the stone is being subjected to excessive moisture…

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failures installation Lippage Standards

What are the Standards for Acceptable Tile Lippage?

ANSWER - There is a lot of confusion about what is acceptable tile lippage and what isn’t. I will be preparing an article on this topic soon. There are quantitative industry standards for what is…

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cracks failures Hollow Sounding Tiles

Do Hollow Sounding Tiles Lead to Cracking?

ANSWER - As the "Hollow Sounding Tiles May Signal Installation Problems" article stated, tiles can sound hollow for different reasons.  In some cases hollow sounding tiles are not likely to result in any problems.…

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failures Grout Moisture Problems

Why do I have Wet Grout in My Basement?

ANSWER - The wet grout is likely caused by moisture migrating from beneath, or from the sides of, the concrete slab of your basement.  The rain would cause the surrounding soil to become wet and…

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