Forensic Investigations and Inspections
for Ceramic Tile and Stone Failures and Other Construction Defect Issues

CTaSC is a professional company of expert consultants comprised of accomplished ceramic tile and stone installers, architects, engineers, construction scientists and industry specialists conveniently located throughout the USA, Canada, and Internationally.

CTaSC provides expert witness and forensic failure investigation services, sending local inspectors to your location throughout the USA, Canada, and Internationally. CTaSC also performs site inspections, and provides quality control services for tile and stone product and installation methods.

CTaSC performs on-site quantitative and qualitative testing as well as utilizing laboratory testing during the investigative process to determine failure causes and to determine how best to remediate any deficiencies discovered.

Local Ceramic Tile Inspectors and Local Stone Inspectors
Available Nationwide and in Canada

CTaSC Expertise

CTaSC is comprised of ceramic tile experts, porcelain tile experts, glass tile experts, glass block experts, brick experts, concrete tile (paver) experts, manufactured stone experts, terrazzo experts, and other types of experts for all ceramic and glass tile applications, stone applications, and a variety of construction defect applications and tile delamination failures.

CTaSC is an expert at Carpet, Vinyl, LVT, Laminates, and Hardwood.  We have FCITS Certified Flooring and Hard Surface Master Inspectors.

Tile, Stone, Brick, and Terrazzo Forensic Failure Investigations: CTaSC performs on-site forensic investigations to determine the cause of tile, stone, brick and terrazzo failures.  CTaSC will perform the investigation not only to determine the cause of the failure, but to also determine if the failure is limited and repairable or if the failure is a systemic problem that will require a full replacement.  During the investigation process CTaSC will perform field testing or recommend laboratory testing to determine or substantiate the cause of the failure. During the forensic failure analysis, CTaSC will determine how best to remediate any deficiencies and provide recommendations.  CTaSC can provide repair protocols and specifications, and provide quality assurance and control services during the repairs or replacements.

Insurance Claims: CTaSC performs investigations for insurance claims losses where resultant damages have been alleged from water leaks, fire and smoke damage, and other damages to tile and stone applications.

Personal Injury Claims: CTaSC provides expert witness services for Personal Injury cases where someone has been seriously injured from a tile or stone slip and fall incident, or have been injured at a construction site or at a work place or at a public area while performing work or by being a causal visitor.

CTaSC specializes in construction defect high risk applications such as bathroom shower tile and stone failures, steam room tile and stone failures, exterior veneer tile and stone delamination failures, dome tile failures, exterior deck tile and stone failures (balcony failures), swimming pool tile delamination failures, and fountain tile delamination failures.

CTaSC performs forensic construction defect inspections to include:

Hotel swimming pool job problem

  • Ceramic Tile Expert Inspections
  • Porcelain Tile Expert Inspections
  • Glass Tile Expert Inspections
  • Brick Expert Inspections
  • Concrete Tile Expert Inspections
  • Manufactured Stone Expert Inspections
  • Terrazzo Expert Inspections
  • Marble Expert Inspection
  • Tile Pool & Spa Expert
  • Exterior Veneer Tile Expert
  • Carpet Expert
  • LVT Expert
  • Vinyl Expert
  • Laminate Expert
  • Hardwood Expert
  • Granite Expert Inspections
  • Limestone Expert Inspections
  • Sandstone Expert Inspections
  • Slate Expert Inspections
  • Quartzite Expert Inspections
  • Onyx Expert Inspections
  • Travertine Expert Inspections
  • Exterior Veneer Stone Expert
  • Exterior Deck Stone Expert
  • Carpet Inspections
  • LVT Inspections
  • Vinyl Inspections
  • Laminate Inspections
  • Hardwood Inspections
  • And Other Construction Defect Inspections

CTaSC’s inspectors specialize in a variety of stone types, including granite, marble, limestone, travertine, sandstone, quartzite, onyx, slate, soap stone, and many others.We also have tile inspectors for glass tile, glass block, brick, manufactured stone, terrazzo, and cement tile.CTaSC inspectors are seasoned installers and professionals trained and managed by Donato Pompo and CTaSC Senior Inspectors.

Inspectors Nationwide and Canada

CTaSC inspectors are located in or near these major cities in North America.Depending on the inspector’s availability, or whether there are any conflicts of interests, CTaSC will use the inspector that is most qualified for the situation:

  • Albuquerque, NM
  • Anaheim, CA
  • Anchorage, AK
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Auburn, ME
  • Boston, MA
  • Charlotte, NC
  • Chicago, IL
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Dallas, TX
  • Des Moines, IA
  • Denver, CO
  • Detroit, MI
  • Dothan, AL
  • Fredricks, VA
  • Honolulu, HI
  • Houston, TX
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Jackson, MS
  • Jacksonville, FL
  • Kansas City, KS
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • Madison, WI
  • Memphis, TN
  • Miami, FL
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Montgomery, AL
  • New Orleans, LA
  • New York, NY
  • Owensboro, KY
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Portland, OR
  • Reno, NV
  • Riverside, CA
  • Rockville, MD
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • San Antonio, TX
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Sioux Falls, SD
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Tucson, AZ
  • Tulsa, OK

We also have inspectors in:

Canada

  • British Columbia, Canada
  • Alberta, Canada
  • Ontario, Canada
  • Quebec, Canada

Mexico

  • Tijuana, Mexico
  • Mexico City, Mexico
  • Tampico, Mexico

Costa Rica

  • San Jose, Costa Rica

How Inspectors are Assigned

Who CTaSC uses for their CTaSC inspector, on any particular inspection, depends on the inspector’s location relative to the inspection site, the inspector’s availability, whether there are any conflicts of interest with the inspector, and the inspector’s experience and/or skill level relative to the nature of the inspection.

What CTaSC Inspects

CTaSC inspects ceramic tile and porcelain tile showers and steam rooms, stone showers, tiled swimming pools and spas, tile exterior veneers, tile exterior decks, tiled fountains, and many other types of ceramic tile installations and natural stone installations.CTaSC also inspects Terrazzo, Terra Cotta, and brick installations.

CTaSC performs failure investigations and inspections of tile or stone that cracks, delaminates or debonds or tents, that stains or spalls, that has been subjected to floods, fires or other conditions.CTaSC has architects, engineers, and general contractors for inspecting all types of construction defect issues.

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Exterior Stone Tile Veneer Failure

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Spalled Limestone Tiles

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Mall Tile Renovation

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Exterior Stone Pool Deck Failure

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Destructive Testing (DT) taking shower apart to determine where leak occurred.

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All Tile Olympic Swimming Pool Debonding Failure Investigation

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Exterior wall installation

All CTaSC inspectors are ITS Verified, as should all tile setters and helpers who install tile and stone be Qualified Tile Installers. The Tile Installer Thin-set Standards (ITS) Verification course instructs installers, setters and helpers, on industry standards, practices, and proper installation methods for tile thin-set applications that apply to ceramic tile, porcelain tile, stone tile, glass tile and other types of adhered tile materials. Click here for more information on the ITS Verification Course.CTaSC is a National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Recognized Consultant

NTCA is the largest tile installer association in the ceramic tile and stone industry, and they are extensively involved in developing industry standards through the ANSI A108 committee, the Tile Council of North America TCA Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation committee, and their own NTCA Technical Committee. NTCA recognizes CTaSC as a professional consultant for the ceramic tile and stone industries and recommends CTaSC for those needing inspections, investigations, expert witness services, and other consulting services.

CTaSC also performs inspections and investigations to determine if the ceramic tile and stone installations and applications meet industry standards such as those referenced in the TCNA Handbook (Tile Council of North America Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation), those standards referenced in the ANSI A108 American National Standard Specifications for the installation of Ceramic Tile – Material & Installation Standards, those standards referenced in the ANSI A137.1 American National Standard Specifications for Ceramic Tile, those standards referenced in the MIA Dimension Stone Design Manual (Marble Institute of America Dimension Stone Design Manual), and other standards such as BOCA (National Build Code of Administrators), CBC (California Building Code), IAMPO (International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials), IBC (International Building Code), IRC (International Residential Code), UBC (Uniform Building Code), UPC (Uniform Plumbing Code).

CTaSC is also recognized by TTMAC, the Tile Terrazzo Marble Association of Canada, and has created courses detailing industry standards for Canada. Click here for more information.

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Warped tile due to moisture issue

CTaSC also provides recommendations and specifications for remediating failures and problems that will follow industry standards. CTaSC has been referred to for inspections, investigations, expert witness services, and other consulting services by Tile Council of North America (TCNA; formerly Tile Council of America, TCA), Marble Institute of America (MIA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), and other industry organizations. CTaSC has performed TCNA inspections or TCA Inspections as a result of referrals from TCNA.

On-Site Forensic Ceramic Tile Inspections, Stone Inspections, and Other Construction Defect Inspections

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Improperly installed tile on building exterior

CTaSC has inspectors nationwide and internationally who will travel to the tile problem site to inspect, evaluate, and report findings.

CTaSC performs ceramic tile and stone inspections for the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and the Marble Institute of America (MIA).CTaSC provides objective ceramic tile and stone inspections based on Tile Council of America Handbook (TCA) and ANSI standards and based on MIA Dimension Stone Design Manual standards.Click here for fee schedule.

Do it Yourself Investigation Service – Avoid the costs of a CTaSC Inspector traveling to perform the inspection, and you can be CTaSC’s Inspector

Do it Yourself Investigation Service – Avoid the costs of a CTaSC Inspector traveling to perform the inspection, and you can be CTaSC’s inspector. CTaSC will manage the process to instruct you on what photos and other documentation is needed for you to provide. Once CTaSC has all of the necessary information, CTaSC will evaluate the evidence, research industry standards, and prepare a professional report. The total cost is $2,500 USD based on CTaSC not spending more than 9 hours managing the process, reviewing the evidence, and writing the report. Note: This is based on evaluating one tile or stone application. Projects with multiple tile applications that need to be evaluated will require more of CTaSC’s time and will increase the cost of CTaSC’s service.

Tile Installation Methods and Standards

CTaSC performs objective inspections of ceramic tile, glass tile, stone, terrazzo, brick, and other tile applications.

During inspections CTaSC verifies whether the tile or stone installations meet industry standards and the standard-of-care for the industry. CTaSC is an expert in industry standards for tile and stone, and team leader Donato Pompo sits on all of the major industry standard committees.

The following standards, methods, and codes are taken into account as they may apply to the respective inspection and investigation:

• Tile Council of North America’s (TCNA) Handbook for Ceramic Tile, Glass Tile, and Stone Tile Installation standards. This was formally referred to as the TCA Handbook.
• American National Standards Specifications for the Installation of Ceramic Tile and other Tile products that include ANSI A108, ANSI A118, and ANSI A136.
• The Marble Institute of America (MIA) Dimension Stone Design Manual for stone tile and slab applications. This includes agglomerates, granite, limestone, marble, quartzite, quartz stone, sandstone, slate, soapstone, travertine, and other stones
• National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association, Inc. (NTMA) for terrazzo applications.
• Terrazzo Tile And Marble Association of Canada (TTMAC) for ceramic tile, glass tile, stone tile, and stone slabs installations and applications.
• ASTM Material standards and Testing methods and protocols for tile, stone, brick, and other construction materials.
• International Building Code (IBC); International Residential Code (IRC), International Plumbing Code (IPC and IAPMO), California Building Code (CBC), American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• Materials Methods Standards Association (MMSA), Ceramic Tile Institute of America (CTIOA).

Testing Provided

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Tensile pull testing

CTaSC takes a scientific approach to investigations. Complete testing services are available to substantiate investigation findings and to help determine the nature and cause of a ceramic tile or stone failure. ANSI and ASTM testing services are available for qualifying the suitability of ceramic tile, glass tile, natural stone, and installation products for their intended use. Click here for Testing information.

Reporting

As required, CTaSC can provide job site or over-the-phone verbal reports, brief written summaries, or formal written reports with photos and video clips as necessary.

Expert Witness

CTaSC is available to perform investigations and provide expert testimony for depositions or court testimony as an Expert Witness.

CTaSC performs inspections and other consulting services nationally for TCA – Tile Council of North America (TCNA), Marble Institute of America (MIA), National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), and other industry organizations.

For more information, visit the Expert Witness page.

Mediation

CTaSC is available to be involved and to assist in facilitating win-win resolutions for ceramic tile and stone failures as a Consultant and Expert Witness.

Solutions

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Quality control on new construction

CTaSC can investigate the cause of problems and provide recommendations for remediation. CTaSC provides installation specifications, and can evaluate products and installation methods for suitability relative to the application for replacement remediation of ceramic tile and stone installation failures. CTaSC provides Quality Control Plans and Quality Control Inspection Services. Click here for more information on Quality Control Services.

Consultation

CTaSC provides consultations regarding ceramic tile or stone installation failures and solutions.Click here if you are an attorney or insurance adjuster.

Pricing

Price will vary according to how much time and expenses are incurred.

Click here for Forensic Investigation Fee Schedule.

Click here for an Adobe pdf copy, “JobProblem”.

Committed to:
Integrity – Reliability – Honesty – Timeliness – Quality