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Dec 3, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
Life offers many items from which to choose, some good and some not so good. This principle holds true to the tile industry in the selection of a trowel for spreading one of the various dry-set cement mortars, a.k.a. thin set mortars. In the early days of notched trowels, those used specifically for thin set mortars, selection was limited to a 1/4” x1/4” x 1/4” and a 1/4" x 3/8” x 1/4” square notch.
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Nov 4, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
To provide a quality tile installation, there are several pieces of information that must be verified to yield a satisfactory result. Checking the label on the side of the tile box will supply some essential information. All the contained information, which we will review, is important, but the two most critical items are the shade or tone and caliber or size of the tile.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
We have all heard the phrase, “I have been doing it this way for 30 years and never had a problem,” but do we know that he or she never had a problem over that length of time, especially when it comes to something really simple such as how to handle a tile trowel? Before troweling the thinset mortar, the substrate must be flat to the appropriate industry requirement and clean.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
tileletter.com | Scott Carothers
Tile installers have set tile and associated trim shapes in bathrooms and kitchens, both residentially and commercially, for many years. In earlier times, there was a distinct line between the work and responsibilities of the tile professional and those of the plumber. But today that line is becoming somewhat blurred, especially in some parts of the country.
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Sep 13, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications are the basis for both the materials used on a project, as seen in ANSI A118, and the installation methods used, as seen in ANSI A108. The manufacturers produce products for the tile industry that either meet or exceed these standards along with installation recommendations. The rule of three, in this case, applies to the installation of cementitious backer units (CBU), commonly known as cement backer board.
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Sep 1, 2024 | 
tileletter.com | Scott Carothers
In the early days of tile installation, there were no tile spacers as we know them today. In those times on a wall tile installation, various thicknesses of rope or twine were placed on the top of the installed tile prior to running the next course. The following day, the rope or twine was carefully removed, cleaned, and returned to the toolbox for the next job. Another form of spacer came with the box that held the tile at no additional cost.
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Aug 16, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
The term “large-format tile”, or LFT as it has become known, is a term that has been circulating through the U.S. tile world for over 20 years. According to the Tile Council of America Handbook 2001, under the header “Bonding Large-Format Tile for Coverage and Support” it states, “Large tiles are generally considered to be 8” x 8” and greater.” Under the “Subsurface Tolerance” header it states, thin-set tolerance to be ¼” in 10’, to conform with the ANSI specifications.
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Jul 29, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
If a floor is not flat enough, per tile industry standards, to receive tile, the problems connected to this situation are numerous. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications require the substrate (the surface to which the tile is installed) to be flat for the proper installation of ceramic and porcelain tile. ANSI A108.02 states the following; section 4.2.2 Substrate flatness for tiles 15 in. (0.38m) or longer: “For tiles with at least one edge 15 in.
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Jun 21, 2024 | 
floortrendsmag.com | Scott Carothers
Have you ever seen something that just did not seem right? If a counterfeit $100 bill is viewed alone, it may (or may not) look legitimate, but when viewed next to an authentic bill, differences are seen that make it undesirable and, in this case, worthless. Similarly in the tile industry, occasionally, viewed tilework just does not look the way it should. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards do not speak directly to the quality required for a completed tile installation.
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Jun 1, 2024 | 
tileletter.com | Scott Carothers
The phrase, “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!” comes from the 1965 television series, “Lost in Space.” The robot would shout that warning to the young Will Robinson any time a threat to his safety was imminent. Today, this warning is still appropriate for calling attention to the dangers of airborne silica. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which falls under the authority of the United States Department of Labor, oversees many aspects of health and safety on the jobsite.
