Category: Tile & Shower Enclosures

Stopping the Fracture Why Your Porcelain Tile Is Chipping at the Edges 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 see a porcelain tile chipping…

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. This lack of prep is exactly what causes heavy wall tiles to fail in showers across the country. I…

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 was for a high end client who wanted a penny tile mosaic in a 200 square foot…

Sanded grout uses silica sand as a structural filler to prevent shrinkage in joints wider than one-eighth inch. This material creates a mechanical bond that resists tension during the drying phase. In a shower, where thermal expansion occurs daily, this sand aggregate provides the backbone necessary for longevity. I spent three days grinding concrete on…

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. I once walked into a house where a custom mosaic bathroom floor looked like a rolling sea because the…

The structural reality of thermal shock Glass tile reacts to hot water by expanding at a different rate than the cement backer board or thin-set mortar behind it. This discrepancy in the coefficient of thermal expansion creates internal tension that leads to stress fractures or cracking near the shower head. Most guys skip the leveling…

I have spent twenty five years on my knees with a wet saw and a level and I can tell you that glass tile is the most unforgiving material on the planet. It does not care about your schedule or your budget. If you treat it like ceramic or stone it will shatter into a…

I have spent twenty-five years on my knees with a moisture meter and a level. I have smelled enough moldy subfloors to last ten lifetimes. My hands are stained with walnut dust and my boots usually smell like WD-40 and oak. When a homeowner calls me about a shower leak, they usually expect me to…

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 it comes to showers, people do the same thing with wall boards. They slap up a decorative border…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I saw a guy try to hide a quarter inch dip with extra thin-set and a prayer. Two weeks…