Because ceramic tile is rigid and somewhat brittle, a strong underlayment is the most important part of the tile installation. Interior-grade plywood and particleboard are not considered a strong enough floor underlayment. Therefore, we do not recommend laying floor tile over particleboard. The particleboard should be replaced with a suitable substrate before installing ceramic tile.

The haziness that you see is probably grout smear from the installation process. This can be safely removed using our Restore Restoration Cleaner for Ceramic Tile and Grout. Make sure you protect all walls, baseboards, carpeted areas, plants, foliage and metals. Restore™ may damage stainless steel and other surfaces. Sweep or dust mop loose dirt and debris off of the floor. Prepare a solution of 1 part of Restore™ mixed with 4 parts of warm or hot water.

It's important that your floor be strong and without any flexibility. Your joists should be 2"x10" centered every 16". The plywood subfloor must be either 5/8" exterior grade plywood or 3/4" OSB before you begin adding to the substrate. Deflection both dead and live loads must not exceed L/360 for ceramic tile or L/720 for natural stone and some larger ceramic tiles. There are allowances made for variances to the above. Check with the pros in the forum for recommendations.

You first need to flatten the floor with a skim coat of a Portland cement based patching compound. Or, you can simply install a floating clic cork floor directly over the existing tile.

Layout - My husband is having trouble with the layout/cuts in the ceramic tile for our tub/shower area. There is an uncentered window in the primary wall. He keeps saying "no matter how I figure it, I still end up with 1/2" gap at the top of wall". Is there any way you can tell him what he's doing wrong? Thanks SOOO MUCH! Exterior Chimney - Do you have any information on tiling the exterior of a stucco chimney? Below freezing in winter.

Many confuse particleboard with OSB (Oriented Stand board). True particleboard commonly used in some manufactured homes does not have the holding power of hardwood flooring fasteners and will loosen over time. There are certain types of OSB that can be used for solid nail down hardwood floors. It is best to consult the manufacturers warranty specs.

A Miracle Method refinished bathtub or tile wall can easily last 10 to 15 years with proper care and maintenance. In fact, many of our customers have told us their bathtubs still look and feel great 15 years after being refinished.

a mixture of clays, molded into a shape and fired at high temperatures – resulting in a hard body. This hard body may be left untreated or it may receive a glazed wear layer. All the raw materials that go into making ceramic tile come from the earth, including the colours of the glaze.

To be used outdoors, the tile must be frost proof and unglazed for floor use. Make sure the absorption rate is 0.5% or less

ASTRA-GLAZE-SW® + units are made in Emigsville, Pennsylvania, South Beloit, Illinois, and Phoenix, Arizona. They are made using high purity, natural grain silica sands and a resinous binder cast onto a concrete block in a thermosetting, glazing process. The result is a hard glazed tile-like surface permanently molded onto one or more faces of the concrete blocks. ASTRA-GLAZE-SW® + blocks are fired at about 500 degrees Fahrenheit in a tunnel oven.

Use a carbide-tipped masonry bit or diamond drill bit; Fegular twist-drill bits can't cut through the fire-hardened glaze. Not necessarily. Porcelain tile is no different in temperature than anything else in the room except that it holds its temperature better because of its mass. Of course, cool is good in warm weather climates and it's easy to warm things up with an area rug or two.

Ceramic tile floors don't need any wax or floor finish, and all you have to do is sweep and mop them regularly to keep them clean and shiny. Mop with clear water (or add just a dab of liquid dish detergent), and change the water as soon as it gets cloudy. Too much soap or dirty water will leave a dulling or sticky film. Don't use brown or black nylon-backed scrub pads on ceramic tile, or you could scratch the surface.

The composition is what makes the difference. Ceramic tile is made of clay either white or red, Porcelain tile is made of porcelain. Porcelain offers less absorption of water, it is virtually impervious and has more sheer strength to it.

Monterey Ceramic Tile and Marble is a ceramic tile and natural stone showroom. We are a resource to homeowners and the trade (architects, general contractors, tile contractors, and interior designers). We are an ideal source for those searching for something different and unique. Although we are not contractors nor designers, we are happy to refer to you independent credible contractors or designers that service the Southern California area.

Ceramic tile can be bonded to ceramic tile with a polymer modified thinset BUT your installation will only be as good as the weakest tile in the old installation.

Porcelain tile is a dense clay mixture that provides a very dense body tile. It is considered an impervious body which means its absorption is less than 0.5%. As in all things in life, not every porcelain is made equal and there are trade offs for using this type of tile. There are higher quality porcelains and lower quality porcelains. Red or brown body tiles come in a wide range of quality as well.

A glazed tile is already stain proof, so there is no purpose to putting on a sealer. You may put a penetrating sealer on your unglazed tile or your grout joints. The penetrating sealer is an invisible, stain resistant shield that is absorbed into the surface.

Glazed tile should never be waxed. The purpose of the glaze is to give you a maintenance-free floor. If you wax the glaze, you will create more work for yourself. To keep your tile looking new, use a small amount of vinegar in warm water, plus a clean rinse.