Search This Blog

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Ceramic Tile Repairs | Floor Tile Replacement | Shower ReGrouts

Ceramic Tile Repairs Floor Tile Replacement 

and Shower ReGrouts


MA Reality persuaded us to rewrite several of Tile Excellence's blog posts for their publication, including contractor "Guides" and "Expert Contributors". Nice gig!

This "Guide" is on Ceramic Tile Repairs: Floor Tile Replacement and Shower Regrouts. The article is about the controversial issue of Copper Pans vs. Rubber Membrane in shower installation. Catch them all on ask tile excellence, or read a couple here! Read Chris's Profile on MA Reality.


Links to his profile and articles. 
http://www.massrealty.com/experts/chris-lawson

Saturday, January 21, 2017

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

Saturday, December 17, 2016

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

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


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 

shower head
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 panwhich 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
.

Featured Post

Home Renovation From Gut Rehab in Less Than 4 Months!

Home renovation finished products This house is a gut rehab ¹ job. My team and I started this project in April 2019 and it is now compl...

Our Most Popular Posts