Porcelain Tile

OUT OF MANY FINISH WORK PROJECTS, TAKING ON TILE INSTALLATION IS PROBABLY THE WORST AND THE HARDEST ONE.
THIS IS WHY I RECOMMEND TO HIRE LOCAL TILE COMPANY AND THEY CAN USUALLY GIVE YOU ESTIMATE ON COMPLETE WORK AND GIVE YOU AN IDEA ON WHAT KIND OF WORK YOU COULD DO. ON TOP OF THAT, YOU WILL MORE LIKELY HAVE QUALITY INSTALLATION AND WARRANTY. Of course, you have to pay them, but considering how much money you could spend and have it all destroyed by small mistakes, I think spending money on good tile installer is actually a long term investment, because tile could last longer time.

I have seen many people that handle whole remodeling projects on their own and they can do a lot of finish work by them selves, so called DIY-ers (Do It Yourself), but when it comes to tiling, they have hundreds of questions. Of course these days almost everybody can learn how to do tiling on their own, but YouTube videos don't show really everything. Of course also anybody can install tile to look nice and last for a year or two or maybe 5, 6 years, but how do you install tile to last another 20 years, or, FOREVER. I like to say; "it is important, what is under that tile" and I also know, among many ways to install tile at different areas, the hardest way is the best and the hardest way is almost always, the old fashioned way.

Under the tile are the following things and this is just for a floor tile installed over plywood underlayment;
Thinset, Cement Board (usually "Durock Brand") and thinset under cement board and screws into cement board. That's it! (Of course, grouting tile joints is part of the tile flooring)

If tile is installed over concrete floor, cement board is not needed, but checking for cracks in concrete is necessary. If any cracks appear in concrete, be careful, it will eventually appear in tile as well and to prevent that, crack has to be isolated with cracking membrane. Cracking membrane in these situations is usually in buckets liquid form and it is just rolled with paint roller over existing cracks (maybe 24" past the cracks). This cracking membrane is stretchable and in worst case scenario, it will pop the tile, but it won’t crack it, and you can re-install it back in the place. However, cracking membrane and tiles are not meant to hold whole house together, so tile cracking is possible even with cracking membrane, especially in weather season changing due to house structure shifting, shrinking, stretching, etc.
There are many kinds of tile glues and thinset on the market available not only to professional tile installers but literally to everybody and the cheapest one is probably the worst one, regardless what brand it is. Lot of them are modified with latex (for flexibility in house shifting and structure movements) and those are really easy to use. Probably the kinds that are in higher end price cost are the best ones. Grout is very important part of the tile and if you don't get the really good quality grout, you will have maintenance issues always. Grout should be always sealed with 10. 15, 20 year sealer and that at least reduces stains and further maintenance.

Installation of tile in other areas, like; walls, ceiling, showers, fireplaces, outdoors, is different and it is more detailed then floor tile installation
If you have tile project like;
- FLOOR
- KITCHEN BACKSPLASH
- SHOWER
- PATIOS
- STAIRS
- FIREPLACE SURROUND AND HEARTH

PLEASE E-MAIL ME WITH ANY OF YOUR IDEAS AND QUESTIONS AND I WILL GIVE MORE DETAILS AND PROCEDURES / TileGuy515@gmail.com

WHY TILE?
Regardless what kind of tile you install at your home, you will have appealing look of the tile that lasts forever. Tiles are durable, stain resistant, Non-Flammable, easy to clean and they never change its appearance. Unlike wood floor or carpet, tile doesn't absorb water or collect any dust mites. Nowadays, tile is available with a heat and adjustable temperature thermostat, so your feet won't be cold in winter time.
GOOD TILE INSTALLER IS; CLEAN, QUIET, ON SCHEDULE, HAVE E-MAIL ADDRESS and CELL PHONE, RETURNS PHONE CALLS, HAVE INSURANCE AND EXPLAINS YOU WHOLE PROCEDURE.
You should always have water and electricity accessible to tile installers and you should always be prepared for dust, noise and some storage area.