Have you encountered a situation where your grout became soft, powdery, discolored or cracked shortly after installation? Perhaps you were installing with a very absorptive tile such as an unglazed ceramic, terracotta, or porous stone. Or maybe you were working with a glazed ceramic tile, but the cut edges were unglazed and highly absorptive of moisture. The fact is that when you’re working with these highly porous materials, you may experience issues with grout caused by excessive water loss.

Today, we’re seeing a growing number of commercial and large residential projects include Gauged Porcelain Tile Panel (GPTP) installation. That’s because floors and walls with these panels offer a sleek, modern look that appeals to designers, architects and owners.

Salt water pools are a great alternative to chlorine. Instead of traditional chlorine additives, saline pools use large amounts of salt to produce natural chlorine, which kills germs and neutralizes contamination. Follow these four steps to make sure your customers get the most out of their saltwater pools.

Vinyl flooring installed in hospital lounges, common areas, patient rooms and other environments seamlessly blends aesthetics with necessary functional characteristics. Flooring contractors depend on products and practices to achieve quality installations and to meet the quality needs of building planners, administrators and owners.

Flooring failures caused by elevated moisture vapor transmission rates (MVTR) can be costly to business owners, and they may try to pass that cost onto the flooring contractor through a moisture claim. Follow this guide to keep your jobs – and your profits – from being compromised by moisture.

Innovations in mortar technology have made it easier to meet the specific demands of a variety of jobs. However, a mortar is only as good as its installer, and forgetting installation fundamentals can result in callbacks and job failures. Help avoid costly mortar missteps with the following four basic – but crucial – techniques.

Swimming pool leaks are frustrating – and addressing them is often expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes requires removing tile and adhesives. To help your clients enjoy their pools without interruption, consider using a waterproofing and crack isolation membrane.

What do you do when you're on a job site and execute the ASTM F-2170 or ASTM F1869 test for relative humidity and find that moisture vapor emission rates exceed acceptable levels? Do you envision your profit margins dwindling as the job becomes more complicated? Here's tips on how you can successfully, profitably install moisture vapor barriers.

Glass tile can bring a unique aesthetic to a variety of commercial and residential projects. However, achieving a successful installation with glass tile requires careful product selection and installation techniques. Follow these 5 steps, and you’ll be on your way to a beautiful and long-lasting installation:

The process of flood testing a shower tile installation that will be subjected to continuous water flow is crucial to performance and ultimately, customer satisfaction. In addition to the costly repairs involved with water leaks, if an installation is not watertight, mold and other serious moisture issues could arise. Making the simple effort to perform a flood test in every installation can significantly decrease callbacks from clients.

Installing tile and flooring in an occupied space can present challenges, including expected fast turnarounds and working during odd hours. Follow these four flooring installation tips for effectively working in occupied residential and commercial environments.