University of Ceramic Tile and Stone (UofCTS)

Coefficient of Friction

Whether you are a tile installer or a tile supplier you assume some liability if you sell or install a tile that is not slip resistant, particularly for exterior and interior wet applications. The past standard stated that a tile in wet conditions should have at least a 0.6 static coefficient of friction rating per the ASTM C1028 test method. The new standard, called out in ANSI A137.1, is called the DCOF AcuTest per the ANSI A326.3 Test protocol. The minimum dynamic coefficient of friction rating requirement of 0.42 for interior level wet areas (including sloped shower floors). The DCOF AcuTest is supposed to be a more reliable standard in terms of safety. Make sure your customers are informed on what the slip resistance is for the tile they have selected, and whether it is beyond the scope of your expertise, or not, to determine if it is suitable for their intended application.

Keep in mind that the more textured a tile surface has, the more slip resistant it is. But the more textured a tile has means that it will pick up more dirt and will have to be cleaned more frequently, which means more effort will be needed to clean it! So, there are tradeoffs. A tile can also be too textured. How the floor is maintained will also affect how slip resistant the tile is over time, so properly maintaining the floor is critical to keeping the walking surface safe. Make sure you tell your client that it is their responsibility to maintain and monitor the performance of the floor.

Tile Corners and Edges Must be Fully Supported with Thinset:

If you don’t support the corners and edges of the floor tile with thinset then they will have a propensity to crack or crush when they are subjected to various live loads. Current thin-set standards require a minimum of 80% thin-set contact for interior dry applications. For exterior or interior wet applications, the requirement is 95% contact. Contact means that the thinset is in continuous contact between the back of the tile and its substrate. The standards say that within the allowable 5% or 20% voids respectively, there can be no void larger than 2" x 2", and that all corners and edges of the tile have to be fully supported with thinset (no voids). As you set the tile you need to back fill the tile edges to make sure they are fully supported.

Crack Isolation Membrane:

If you have a new or older concrete slab or mortar bed with shrinkage cracks, then using a crack isolation membrane will help prevent those cracks from continuing up through the tile above it. Shrinkage cracks are in-plane cracks that do not have lippage, which is where one side of the crack is either lower or higher than the other side of the crack. Structural cracks have lippage, and the crack isolation membranes are not recommended for those conditions. In some cases, manufacturers will allow crack isolation membranes to go over properly prepared control joints that have no lippage, but they still recommend movement joints per TCNA EJ171. TCNA has details for partial applications or full applications of crack isolation membranes as described TCNA detail F125 that require movement joints on either side of the tile that bridges the crack.

Too often value engineering is not substituting the same quality product for a lower priced product of the same quality. More likely it is substituting a lower priced produce for lower quality and performance. To ensure you get the quality and performance that you specified, make sure your Quality Assurance section of your Part 1 specification requires performance of products to be substantiated with third party laboratory testing or with in-situ quantitative testing of the installed material during installation as part of the quality control process.

Make sure when you order tile for an installation that you add a waste factor for breakage and tile cuts. Add additional tile for the client so they have some attic stock for future repairs.

If you come up short on the amount of tile you need on a job, it can be costly in a couple of ways: 1) the time you spend trying to get more tile is lost time working on another job, and 2) it’s a big inconvenience for the client who will have to wait for the job to be finished.

So don’t blame the distributor if they don’t have the tile you need in stock. By planning ahead and ordering extra tile, you can save everyone a lot of frustration and grief.

For more information on tile and stone installation courses visit www.UofCTS.org.

Make sure you retain your receipts of your tile purchases for customers. This will make it easier when you need to reorder tile. It will speed up the process at the distributor’s warehouse where you bought the tile if you can show the original receipt.

It’s important that you get the same shade and calibration when you purchase additional tile due to shortages or when the customer wants to expand the installation.

For more information on tile and stone installation courses visit www.UofCTS.org.

Avoid costly delays and replacement costs by making sure you have approved tile samples to compare to the supplied tile order before you install the tile. If there is any indication that the samples don’t match, then do not continue with the installation until you have the client approve the tile in writing.

In fact, never start an installation unless you have first laid it out, taking multiple tiles from several different boxes. Then have the client view it and approve it in writing. Also, take photos of the approved laid out tile. It would even be better to make a mock-up of the tile so you can get the client’s approval on workmanship as well as for the installed tile, grout and caulking. This mock-up can either be a separate disposable mock-up or it can be the initial installation that, upon approval, can be part of the final installation. The approved mock-up can be the standard for the entire installation that can be used as a reference during the installation process so that no one (the client?) has any false expectations of what they are getting.

Remember, every tile supplier’s invoice says, “Installation Constitutes Acceptance.” Thus, once installed, you bought it…

For more information on tile and stone installation courses visit www.UofCTS.org.

Avoid costly delays and failures - - don’t wait to read the tile installation product data sheet’s directions until after you have a problem! Read them before you use any product to make sure that it’s recommended by the manufacturer for the intended application.

The data sheet will point out conditions to avoid to prevent problems, and it will also point out features of the product that can be beneficial to you and your client.

Note: If you don’t follow the manufacturer’s directions then their warranty is voided, and all of the liability falls on you!

For more information on tile and stone installation courses visit www.UofCTS.org.

You Get What You Pay For

Consumers of tile need to be reminded that they get what they pay for…AND they don’t want inexperienced tile installers to learn at their expense!

As a quality licensed tile installer, you need to make sure that the client is comparing apples to apples. Just because the bid price is low or high doesn’t mean the client will get a good tile installation. Remind the client that licensed tile installers have demonstrated to their local state government that they’re qualified to install tile properly. Remind them also that they have a recourse if tile work is done improperly by a licensed tile installer, because it does sometimes happen. The client can file a complaint with the state contractor’s board. Licensed tile installers have insurance bonds to back up their work.

If you are a CTEF Certified Tile Installer (CTI) or a UofCTS ITS Verified Tile Installer or a NTCA member, be sure your client knows that you have invested your time to become a knowledgeable and skilled tile installer, and that you are committed to quality work. Don’t be the low-ball bid - charge what you are worth! If you haven’t invested your time and money to earn these designations and training, then you should! Doing so will allow you to earn more money and avoid potential installation problems.

For more information on tile and stone installation courses visit www.UofCTS.org.

Large Tiles Make Room Seem Bigger

It may not seem obvious to some people, but as interior designers and architects have understood for a long time, the larger the tiles installed in a room, the more spacious the room looks. This is true even in very small rooms. Of course, the actual size and space of the room does not change, but it feels larger. There are many large tile options on the market today, available in a variety of designs. In cases where a mosaic or smaller tile is desired, a grid pattern every 4 feet or so can be created by including wider movement joints. This will give a room of smaller tiles the appearance of being more spacious.

For more information on tile and stone installation courses visit www.UofCTS.org.