Category: Tile & Shower Enclosures

The hidden world beneath the mud bed Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. When you are dealing with a shower floor, that level of obsession…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. I have seen it all, and let me tell you, nothing makes a homeowner jump like the sound of shower wall tiles exploding off the wall in the middle of the night. It sounds like…

Why Matte Black Tiles Are a Nightmare for Hard Water Areas I have spent twenty-five years standing behind this counter, smelling the sharp scent of floor wax and the metallic tang of fresh porcelain. I have seen every trend come and go, but the current obsession with matte black tiles makes my knees ache. Homeowners…

Mastering the Alignment of Wall and Floor Grout Lines for Structural Perfection Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. When you are trying to match a…

I have spent twenty five years on my knees with a moisture meter and a level. I have smelled every type of adhesive and grinded every grade of concrete. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last…

Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. When you are working with mosaic tile, that dip is a death sentence. You can’t hide a subfloor failure…

I smell like WD-40 and oak dust most days. That is the reality of twenty-five years in the trenches of the flooring industry. I have spent more time on my knees with a moisture meter than I have in my own bed. You want to talk about aesthetics. I want to talk about structural integrity.…

Why Your Tile Saw is Chipping Your Porcelain Tiles I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. People think the saw is the easy part. It isn’t. I’ve seen $40-per-square-foot Italian porcelain look like it was chewed by a pack of wolves because…

The subfloor secret that ruins your weekend Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That job involved a 12×24 porcelain plank that the homeowner bought from…

The subfloor secret that determines your marble success Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. When installing marble in wet areas like showers, the best thinset…