Expert Answers in Moisture Problems

ANSWER - With your description it is hard to determine exactly what is the condition. It could be intend fractures.  That is when there is excessive shrinkage and it causes intents in the tile that…

ANSWER - Thin-set mortars should not deteriorate from being exposed to moisture.  Most thin-set mortars are used in showers and in pools and fountains. Moisture that migrates into the concrete slab from the ground and…

ANSWER - The marble may in fact be retaining moisture and maybe it will go away after it dries out.  On the other hand natural stone has various minerals within it that can react with…

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 - Regarding whether sealing a cementitious grout makes it waterproof, it doesn't.  Using an appropriate penetrating sealer over grout will make it moisture resistant, it will make it stain resistant, and it normally will…

ANSWER - Chances are the hot metal melted the glazed tile surface.  If the tile body is porcelain then by definition it should be impervious and should not compromise the tiles' ability to resist moisture.

Answer - The ASTM F1869 Calcium Chloride membrane was the dominate test for years and depending on the tile installation manufacturer they would request a value of anywhere from 3% to 12% per 1,000 sf…

ANSWER - If the tile was installed correctly the residual water/moisture should not harm the tile.  Tile is often installed in showers, fountains, and pools and the moisture should not harm them as long as…

ANSWER - A vapor retarder goes under the concrete slab and doesn't have anything to do with water pooling/collecting on the tile surface. Industry standards require that the exterior tile surface that is subjected to…

ANSWER - First of all what happen to the the 3rd wall in the shower?  I will assume it has a different substrate or you aren't tiling it. Not sure why you are using Schluter…

ANSWER -  If water squirts out of the removed grout joint 2 feet in the air, then that is an indication that the water is under pressure.  I assume that the water squirting in the…

ANSWER - Refinishing or restoration of stone floors is a common maintenance process.  There are many levels and degrees of what that might involve. Typically the stone floor will be cleaned with cleaning solutions and…

ANSWER - You have provided so much information that it is a little confusing.   So I will make some assumptions. You said that your tile patio is part of an ocean front home. You said…

ANSWER - When there is a problem it normally is not due to one deficiency, but due to multiple compounding deficiencies. You state that the peel and stick moisture barrier was properly installed.  If if…

ANSWER - It is possible to install tile over tile if the existing tile is in good condition.  If the existing tile is cracked then the new tile installed over it will crack.   In order…

ANSWER - Porcelain tile is not known to fade.  It is not uncommon to find that the tile color under rugs that have been in place a long time are a different color or shade. …

Questions -  Most stones contain some ferrous oxide minerals that when subjected to excessive moisture can cause a rust-like stain.   For it to occur the stone has to be subjected to some level of moisture.…

ANSWER - I have seen Carrara Marble installed in showers and steam shower successfully, but I have also seen where there were staining problems. Many marbles contain pyrite (iron sulfide) minerals which is a natural…

ANSWER - Depending on whether the travertine tiles have been maintained properly or not over the years, it may require a more in-depth cleaning; particularly if there is staining in the stone. Generally speaking, on…

ANSWER - There are many different types of stains, so the trick is to try to determine what caused the stain, because if you know that, then you have a chance at figuring out how…