Expert Advice Blog

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.

When grouting in hot weather, you want to consider the temperature of the grout itself, the water you are using, the air in the room and the temperature of the surface. This article provides tips and best practices to ensure success.

Tiling in hot weather presents unique challenges. In this article, you will learn tips and best practices to ensure a successful project - no matter what the heat index.

When installing tile in cold weather, you must consider the temperature of the water, the product, the room and the surface you are installing on. This article provides tips and best practices to ensure successful tiling in the colder months.