First, the aesthetic part, whether the tile installation
is
beautiful. This is the part that we find people are
most concerned about.
Second,
but equally important though is proper construction. If it is
done right your new tile
installation will STAY beautiful
for a long time! Unfortunately most people don't
know to give
this due consideration. It is critical to do so because many new tile
installations fail (crack or fall apart) due to the fact that
the subsurface was not prepared properly.
First - Get A Beautiful Tile Installation
Not all tile installations come out pretty because tiling is a skill that people, due to
natural ability, experience or a combination of both, have to
varying degrees. An unsightly installation is not something you
want because, since it is cemented into place, there is no way
to repair it. The only thing that can be is to demo the
installation, buy new tile and start over. Needless to say
that comes with great inconvenience and expense
Second -
Install Tile Properly For Lasting Beauty
For floors correct installation of
tile means having proper support to eliminate most movement, deflection, as the it is called in
the trade. This is especially true in the United States, where we use plywood and beams to build structures instead of masonry and concrete. Wood has inherently more motion and
"bounciness" that must be controlled. Too much
movement can lead to grout
and tiles cracking and tiles coming up.
For showers and
tubsurrounds this
involves 2 things. First, waterproofing must be
applied behind the tile. It is unbelievable to us that MOST tile
installers either don't know it is important or for
whatever reason (maybe to give a lower quote or save time on the job) don't bother to
waterproof a shower or tubsurround! It's inexcusable!
The second vital factor is that you must
install tile using cement and not glue. Again, MOST tile installers use glue, mastic as it is called
to bond the tile to the wall. When this gets wet it loosens
it's grip and the tile and grout crack due to not being
supported properly and then the tile falls off.
Avoid Tile Installations That Fail!
For floors the best way to avoid problems with ceramic and porcelain
tile and especially with natural stone (marble, granite, travertine, slate,
onyx and limestone) is to spend the time and money in advance to make the subfloor rigid, level and flat, without any ridges or dips.
Your subfloor maybe able to flex a bit but the tile installed
on top won't, it just simply cracks.
While it may seem more like carpentry than tile work, preparing the subfloor ahead of time is your best insurance policy that
your tile installation will last. Some tile installers rush this step and hope you won’t mind if the floor cracks in a few
months or years - we don’t agree.
For
Showers and tubsurrounds it is vital that proper
tile installation methods and materials are used. Since grout
is porous whatever is installed directly beneath it will get
wet. Sheetrock when exposed to water expands and rots. When
glue (organic mastic) is used to install tile it simply
dissolve and the tile and grout first crack and then it falls off.
Tile Installation Problems
Solved By:
Act One Marble & Tile
is providing beautiful and quality ceramic, porcelain or any
natural stone (marbles, granites, travertines, limestones,
onyxes or slates) tile installations to all of
the greater Boston, MA (Massachusetts) area.
Act One Marble & Tile
CALL NOW for a free estimate!
-
781-648-7888
For Hardwood Installation
Go To:
Hardwood Installation
Act One Marble & Tile provides
tile installation to: Boston, Brookline,
Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Concord,
Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge,
Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Lexington, Woburn,
Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton,
Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon,
Stoneham, Foxborough, (Foxoboro)
Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Natick,
Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury,
Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Randolph, Weymouth,
Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Hull, Hingham, Nantasket,
Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham,
Medway, Franklin, Wrentham, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere,
Charlestown, Winthrop, Chelsea, Melrose, Saugus, Peabody,
Marblehead, Ipswich, Swampscott, Lynn, Wakefield,
Tewksbury, Woburn, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington,
Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester,
Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, (Boxboro) Rowley, Georgetown,
Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer,
Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury,
Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Shirley, Devens, Harvard,
Lancaster, Bolton, Bellingham, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and
Milford.
