Expert Answers in Installation Guidelines

ANSWER - It is very difficult to find a qualified tile installer to fix problems caused by another installer or to get them to complete an incomplete tile installation. The qualified installer doesn't want to…

ANSWER - Too often tile and stone installers don't follow industry standards because they have never been formally trained and don't know what are the standards.  They generally have learn from others and assume those…

ANSWER - First of all, the way you construct a shower pan is to first apply a pre-sloped mortar bed to establish a slope to the drain of 1/4" per foot.  You can float over…

ANSWER - I assume you will remove the existing spillway.  Assuming it is bonded to a mortar bed or to the gunite/shotcrete substrate, after removing the existing spillway, make sure you scarify it and it…

ANSWER - You are asking a lot that can't be answered without performing a forensic inspection to determine what is causing the failures.  I can make some general statements that may or may not apply…

ANSWER - To determine what adhesive to use to install a time you need to determine what is the substrate.  You need to know what type of tile you are going to install.  In Trailer…

ANSWER - Based on the Schluter literature, although they only show floor applications, they don't say it is only for floors. The Ditra is waterproof if installed correctly for waterproofing.  It does have a key…

ANSWER - Carpet might be allowing the moisture to evaporate through it, but as dirty as carpets get you could develop some microbial growth in the carpet.  Adding more carpet doesn't solve or prevent problems.…

ANSWER - It depends on the application on whether waterproofing under a tile installation is necessary.  If it is in a wet application and in some exterior applications, then it is necessary to waterproof the…

ANSWER - I assume this is an exterior application of the sandstone in a flagstone irregular shape.  Sandstone is Quartz stone from a geological point of view, but it is a class 1 that is…

ANSWER - You didn't indicate if the mosaics are ceramic mosaics or glass mosaics. Ceramic mosaics are normally produced at over 1200 degrees F.  Normally custom ceramic tiles are dried and then fired in a…

ANSWER  - W244E can be a ceramic or glass tile or a stone application for an exterior framed wall with cement backer board over it.   If it is a cementitious backer board then they would put…

ANSWER - As long as the linoleum is well attached to its substrate, and the substrate is structurally sound, then you can install tile over it.  The new tile installation will only be as good…

ANSWER - It is hard to see exactly what they did.  Your message says “photo thin set 1/16” is on the floor, 1.5” to 2.5” of mortar mix with less than 90% coverage, and thin-set 1/16”…

ANSWER - There are epoxy adhesives that you can use to install the ceramic porcelain tile over a properly prepared epoxy floor. First you have to make sure that the existing epoxy floor is well…

ANSWER - First of all you can't install directly to exterior stucco wall without first removing the stucco.  Stucco is a weak cementitious material and too weak to bond tile to. You can sandblast or…

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…

ANSWER - First of all, a monolithic cement terrazzo application when a better is only 1/2" thick, where a sand cushion terrazzo assembly is about 3.5 inches thick. Regardless of which installation method you use,…

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…

ANSWER - Unfortunately it is difficult for consumers to determine how to select qualified tile installers.  Most installers haven't had any formal education on how to install tile nor do they know what the industry…