Expert Answers in

ANSWER – Per our industry standards for ceramic tile and stone and from a practical point-of-view, any concrete substrate that has shrinkage cracks should be isolated with a crack isolation membrane.

If the cracks are…

ANSWER – It is not normal for that joint between the tub and the wall to crack and it should not have to be redone on a regular basis.  There could be a few things…

ANSWER – You can not install your travertine or any type of tile over a concrete foundation that has cracks without first fixing the problem.

If it is simply shrinkage cracks that only move horizontally…

ANSWER – Manufacturer’s of the installation products for ceramic tile and stone caution to not use propane heaters. The reason is because the propane heaters emit carbon dioxide that can lead to a condition called…

ANSWER – Unless you know what brand and type of coating is on the existing tile surface you can only experiment to determine what will chemically remove the coating.  There are various manufacturers that make…

ANSWER – There are ceramic tiles designated only for wall applications and they should not be used on a floor due to its limited durability. All floor tiles can be used on walls.

Whether the…

ANSWER – There are modified thin-set adhesives that meet ANSI A118.4 or ANSI A118.15.  They can either me latex modified thin-set where you add the appropriate liquid latex rather than water or there are polymer modified…

ANSWER – There are ANSI A137.1 industry standards on quantifying what is considered acceptable dimension variation within standard grade ceramic tiles. Ceramic tile is not perfect and the installation methods help compensate for the imperfections…

ANSWER – Ceramic tile behind a woodstove works very well as long as it’s installed correctly over the right type of substrate. In the production process, ceramic tile is baked in huge ovens at 1200…

Answer – You can not install ceramic tile or stone over cracked concrete without making repairs or providing additional protection or the cracks will continue through the tiles.

If the cracks are structural cracks (they move…