Expert Answers in Standards

ANSWER - Per the Natural Stone Institute Dimension Stone Design Manual the tolerance for the allowable lippage for a for a calibrated marble or any calibrated natural stone floor tile is 1/32".  This is based…

ANSWER - There are no industry standards for natural stone countertops that dictates how thick the backsplash is relative to the thickness of the countertop itself.  All of the industry details for countertops depict the…

ANSWER - There is no mandate on where seams can or cannot be placed on a stone countertop, although the standards do state that the layout of the joinery of the countertops is extremely important…

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 - Normally when you get cracking over a suspended floor following the joints of the tile backer board that the tile was bonded to, it is due to a combination of excessive deflection in…

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 - 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  - 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 - The Natural Stone Institute (previously the Marble Institute of America) Dimensional Design manual state that the grout joint on a stone should never be less than 1/16"  wide and preferably 1/8" wide.  To…

ANSWER - What is called Shade Variation is normal in the tile industry, but what is considered reasonable variation depends... In the industry we have what is called in ANSI A137.1 Aesthetic Classes, which is…

ANSWER -  In terms of manufacturing of ceramic tiles, which includes porcelain tiles that are a type of ceramic tile, there are quality control standards in ANSI A137.1  that allow a small percentage of tiles…

ANSWER - TCNA Handbook does say that movement joints within the tile assembly should be at least ¼” wide, but the current version of the handbook does indicate that if your movement joints are installed…

ANSWER - The standards for a porcelain tile is that the substrate can not have more deflection than L/360.  For natural stone over a wood subfloor it is L/720.  L stands for…

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 - ANSI A108.02 are the standards for tile installer workmanship.  Some of the standards are quantitative, but many are qualitative and subjective. The only reference to alignment is that the tile should be installed…

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 - First of all, per industry standards hollow sounding tiles are not considered a defect per-se.  Although a hollow sounding tile, or a portion of a tile sounding hollow, can possibly be a symptom…

ANSWER - Tile having a hollow sound is not considered a defect in itself.  It can be a symptom of a defect.  There are many reasons why a tile can sound hollow.  It could be…

ANSWER - Per ANSI A108.10 Installation of grout in Tilework, it says that all grout joints shall be uniformly finished. Cushion edge tile shall be finished evenly to the depth of the cushion. The grout…