Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Re-grouts

Ceramic Tile Floor Repairs and Shower Regrouts

are big topics in the world of tile installation and tile repair. Here's some good information about both.

By popular demand, one of the Guide Articles written by Tile Excellence and published by Mass Reality. Chris is not just a "Massachusetts Home Contractor Guides, but also an expert and published author, [Copper Pans vs. Rubber Membrane]  so you should go check out his articles and posts. 

Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Re-grouts

Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Re-grouts

Ceramic Tile Floor Repairs and Shower Regrouts

are big topics in the world of tile installation and tile repair. Here's some good information about both.

By popular demand, one of the Guide Articles written by Tile Excellence and published by Mass Reality. Chris is not just a "Massachusetts Home Contractor Guides, but also an expert and published author, [Copper Pans vs. Rubber Membrane]  so you should go check out his articles and posts. 

Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Re-grouts

Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Re-grouts

Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Re-grouts 

By Chris Lawson

Tile repairs are a very specialized service and it can be hard to get tile contractors interested in small, sometimes difficult, detailed repairs. The trick to these repairs is to remove and replace the broken materials without it being obvious that it has been repaired. To complete these repairs and have it not look like an afterthought is a very tricky undertaking.

The first step 

is to remove the grout around the targeted tile so as not to disturb the tiles around it that will not be removed. Grout binds together tiles and gives it solidity and if not removed then action against one tile can affect others. Many times it takes a hammer and a chisel to remove tiles and if the grout is not removed first then the impact can break surrounding tiles as well.

After the grout is removed, the tile to be replaced can be broken from the middle out in 

pieces and removed carefully using the hammer and chisel a little at a time or all at once if the tile is not bonded very well. If it is bonded strongly, then a little at a time is the only way to remove it. After the tile is removed, the task of chipping off the thinset or adhesive is the next step and can be very difficult and time-consuming - as well as creating a mess and a lot of dust! Again, the hammer and chisel will be your best bet unless you have an electric alternative. Once you've removed all the adhesive, you can re-adhere your replacement tile back in place of the one you've removed, wait some time for it to dry, and then re-grout the repaired area with the same color grout as the rest of the area around the repair.

Shower re-grouts are in some ways much easier because you don't have 

to worry about breaking tiles from removal. But scraping and cleaning of the grout and old caulk can be very patience-testing. Any loose grout or caulk has to be removed completely before the new can be applied. The trick to these repairs is getting the new grout to adhere to the old grout. This is generally accomplished by removing enough grout from the area so the new grout has room to stay. Generally you need 1/8 of a inch of new grout on top of the old for it to adhere and not flake out later. Repairs are in some ways much harder than standard installations and in many cases you should get a professional to come out and implement the repair if possible. If you can't seem to gather any interest from any tile guys to do your repair, I will be glad to assist you in any way I can - just give me a call and I'll gladly walk you through it right over the phone!

Copper Shower Pans vs. Rubber Membranes

Copper Shower Pans vs. Rubber Membranes 

By Chris Lawson

I always want to give my customers and blog followers the best advice on the most economical yet highest quality tile-related installations. I've learned this information from years of hands-on doing of the jobs myself. As you may know from my actual web site I do all my jobs personally and have over 34 years of experience.co

In all those years out on the job I have pretty much seen it all. So when I make a recommendation on what's the best way to go, it's because I've weighed 

out the best options for my customers out there on he job. I also do repairs and always have: many in my industry overlook the repairs as not being lucrative enough to warrant their time, so I do get a lot of repairs.

The most costly repair is the leaky walk-in shower pan, which can sometimes be in 

excess of $500. I've done well over 100 of these repairs in my career and only 1 or 2% of these were rubber membrane repairs, while the other 98% were copper pans. In the instances of the rubber membrane repairs it was always improper installation by nails being nailed below the waterline. As we have all heard from the eco criers, it takes hundreds of years for plastic and heavy rubber products to deteriorate in the environment, so it only makes sense that a rubber membrane would almost never be affected by water and would surely last past my lifetime when installed correctly.

The copper pan, on the other hand, is metal and starts the deterioration process

almost immediately when in contact with water. We've all seen a green copper penny, and that green on the copper is just like rust on iron and steel. I have removed so many copper pans that were rusted through (for lack of a better word). I've seen it again and again: tearing out a shower floor and 12 inches up the wall because water was dripping into the living room ruining the ceiling and requiring more costly repairs.

Furthermore, copper pans are very costly even without repairs: most have to be 

custom-made and the plumbing labor is very expensive. The cost is $400 to $800 and even more depending on the layout of the shower floor to be dried in. On the other hand, I install rubber membrane to dry in the shower floor at a total cost of $175 and that includes the concrete in the floor to slope to the drain. I have several contractors who used to use copper who now call me to come out just to dry-in showers for them at a huge savings for a much more reliable and longer-lasting product. Using logic and common sense, it seems obvious that for less money and a longer-lasting, dependable shower floor the rubber membrane is the best call.

I don't supply materials on any of my jobs and don't ever gain monetarily on any of my recommendations: I speak only from experience and the desire for my customers to get the most for their money.

For more answers to all of your tile-related questions, visit my "Ask Chris" blog here

.

Whiter than White ! Architects overjoyed as Developers release the Whitest Ceiling Tile Ever Made

Whiter than White! Architects overjoyed as Developers release the Whitest Ceiling Tile Ever Made.

To the average customer the ‘Tile’ is a mundane and not that particularly interesting aspect of Wall Coverings or Suspended Ceilings. The ceramic component, or occasionally Plywood or even insulated rubber, is simply a tool used to cover plaster in either the Bathroom or Kitchen.

A way of adding decoration or colour to the living space…and that is all!

For architectural planners or professional decorators however the Tile is an enhancement for a special look and mood. It is a manoeuvre of grabbing guest’s attention and an illustrative signifier of the property owner’s personality.

Interiors are enriched with a sense of permanence and timelessness due to the ceramic square or rectangle according to manufacturer’s Heath Ceramics. Tiles can make a room bold and sometimes overwhelming through brash colourations, engraved textures and selected material. In other instances the piece can defy simplification and modernism due to delicate tonal White or pastel swatches with a smooth finish (compared on Figure 1).

They are also a great technique in order to disguise potential moisture, mould and sagged plasterboard.

Regarding the influencers of the Tiling system it is the contemporary White or pastel colours of Blue that the majority of architects appear to favour. The reason behind the favouritism, especially towards Whites, is that they are clean and can act as a canvas in which to personalise. It can either be an endorser of the clinical and futuristic or…

“An installation that feels warm, soft and homey because of reflected light, surface finish and texture”.

Catherine & Robin Petravic, Heath Ceramics

The character White Tile has been adored by professionals for decades. It, as with any ceramic, has the ability to be attached to the surface area and left bare or painted and for the room itself as a barrier or partition to the potential spread of engulfment, thus surrounding rooms are further protected. Of course the little additions the White Tile provides to a social space is important, but it is the durability that is adored.

A component part can be cemented to a domesticated kitchen and bathroom (compared on Figure 2), and for working areas the entrance, refurbished office and washrooms. Within those compartments the neutral visual can influence or even manipulate Office Storage, Space Planning and can realise the authenticity of flexible and moveable Folding Screens.

  

Figure 1

Images taken from www.ataple-miey.blogspot.com and www.duganpaints.blogspot.com

Architectural firms see the White Tile as the more safer and reliable option. They rely on the supplementation of Tiling manufacturers such as British Ceramic Tile, Johnsons Tiles and Craven Dunnill to name a few. From these they can acquire the gloss or satin Tundra, Chroma, Trace or Hemingway. All basic and selective Whites do the job of implanting freshness and openness to a living or working area, but have a slight issue.

Most White Tiles are not completely White in depth, i.e. there are slight pigmentations of other tones within the mixture, and can consist of additional grain or decors that can masquerade the full benefits of a clean and smooth surface. These attributes can either be a preference or irritant to architects and structural designers and fitters.

Figure 2

Images taken from www.housetohome.co.uk and www.clickinteriores.com.br     

The majority of professional developers would be jubilant if there was just a smooth textured Tile with pristine White consistency rather than mixing or impressions.

It is evident when either a bathroom, kitchen or office space showcases dominant White tone that the furnishings of sinks, baths and Office Chairs are more highlighted and illusive than the duller Wall, Floor and Ceiling ceramic fittings. This problem however is coming closer to being prevented and architects idealisms closer to reality.

The manufacturing brand Rockfon have launched their new batch entitled Rockfon Blanka. The specially coated matt has been sourced from as far as the US space industry in order to guarantee a high performance wool core. The easily installed Tile is durable as to be fitted in any direction which leads onto saving time and reducing waste. They are also 100% resistant to humidity to prevent the ceramic mould losing its shape.

‘The ‘ultra-white’ Rockfon Blanka tiles feature light reflection and light diffusion properties to maximise the uniform spread of natural light. Independent tests have shown that Rockfon Blanka has a light reflection index above 87% and an L Value of 94.5+’.     

The product is sound absorbent and insulated and finally adjusts ceiling lighting to compete with other Whites (see Figure 3).

‘

Figure 3

To take suspended ceilings to the next level, we asked our customers what the ultimate improvement would be to them. The architects said they want a ceiling that combines aesthetics – especially whiteness and smoothness – with technical performance, such as fire resistance and acoustics’.  Figure 3 Image taken from www.buildingproducts.co.uk

Anders Juhl Thomsen, Rockfon Managing Director