04.13.11
Brown Master Bath…A dramatic before and after!
Before…
After…Bardiglio Silver, China Black, and Carrara honed-marble basketweave floor, Coliseum White porcelain and ceramic subway walls, new paint, and a whole new bathroom!
02.07.11
“From the Ground Up” Part 3
Newsletter series: From the Ground-Up
Issue 3: Waterproofing
In days gone by, showers, tubs, and other wet areas were waterproofed by using 1-3” of cement, felt backing, and rubber liners. Installed correctly, this type of shower construction can last for decades. However, more often than not, today’s subcontractors do not know how to properly install a rubber liner. Floors are not sloped properly, liners are drilled or nailed through, or weep holes in drains are hopelessly blocked. A quality installer, will of course, not do all this, but there are easier, fail-safe options on the market.
Only recently have tub surrounds and other shower walls begun to be truly waterproofed. The old adage used to be that when there’s only indirect water contact, there wasn’t a need. The fact is, porcelain and ceramics will not absorb much water, but grout will. After all, it’s just a cementitious product; think about the last time you took a walk along the sidewalk after a hard rain. The sidewalk absorbs a good bit of the water. The rubber liner was used across the bottom of the shower then up about 6-12” on each wall to allow for the collection of water as it ran down the walls.
However, in high humidity areas, and with continued consumer education against mold and mildew, it is now standard practice to waterproof tub surrounds and showers.
Waterproofing options include:
1. Our best selling waterproofing product is Schluter Systems’ Kerdi®. Kerdi is a plasticized fabric membrane used over an underlayment, underneath the tile. Kerdi is installed using non-modified (no latex) thinset, much like you would install wallpaper. The material is overlapped at least 2” to create a watertight seal. Kerdi cannot be mixed with other waterproofing materials, such as a rubber liner. Therefore, Kerdi is used throughout a shower area including along the floor, over the curb, and up the walls. Additionally, Kerdi does not allow water vapor to pass through walls and is the perfect material to use when constructing a steam shower. Specific Kerdi Drains are required to be used with this system, as they don’t work like traditional shower drains that include weep holes. Schluter Systems conveniently makes a Kerdi Shower Kit that includes a curb and pre-sloped shower pan made of 400psi-weight Styrofoam. It takes the guess work out of sloping a mud bed! The kits also include a Kerdi Drain and all of the Kerdi material required to go up the walls seven feet. The kits come in four different sizes: 48” square, 72” square, and 32×60” featuring a center or off-set drain configuration. Although any non-modified thinset can be used with Kerdi, Schluter specifies, and Creative Tile stocks, Ditraset®. Kerdi is truly waterproof, as evidenced by our year-and-a-half old cardboard box that we waterproofed using Kerdi; it daily holds 20+ ounces of water…and a rubber ducky. Kerdi has been used by a number of churches in the Midlands to secure their baptismal pools.
2. ProWrap Waterproofing and crack suppression membrane can be used on shower floors, bath floors, laundry rooms, etc, however, it is most often used on porches. ProWrap requires a primer to be painted upon the underlayment, prior to adhesion of the material. As with other waterproofing materials, ProWrap goes directly under the thinset. ProWrap Waterproofing is differentiated from the standard ProWrap crack suppression membrane by a 2” flap along one edge that allows overlap. One can use the standard ProWrap product as a waterproofing material, but a 2” allowance on one side must be primed and overlapped to create a watertight bond.
3. Kerdi Board® by Schluter Systems, the newest material on the market, is a waterproof backerboard. However, the catch here is that Kerdi Board, like other waterproof board-style underlayments, is only waterproof on the surface. Therefore, once you break the surface, the “break” must be waterproofed using a silicon product. Kerdi Board is, however, advantageous in the fact that you can construct and waterproof a tub deck or shower in one step.
4. Redgard® is an older, paint-on waterproofing product. Although Creative Tile’s designers do not recommend Redgard, if used properly, it is an acceptable waterproofing product for indirect water areas such as a tub surround. Redgard must be applied to a specific thickness: too much or too little and you will likely see a failure, as is true with most paint-on waterproofing products.
5. Then of course, there’s the traditional mud bed and rubber liner installation, as mentioned above. The problem still remains, what to do with the walls as today’s installers will not create 1-1.5” thick walls with metal lathe and felt paper. It’s still your best bet, for a long lasting installation, to waterproof the walls and floor.
As mentioned in the “underlayments” newsletter published previously, Schluter Systems’ Ditra® can also be made waterproof. Ditra is a great crack suppression option for upper decks, bath floors, and laundry rooms, and by using Kerdi Band® and taping the joints of your Ditra, this underlayment is easily made waterproof with little additional cost.
Creative Tile stocks the following waterproofing materials:
Kerdi
Kerdi Shower Systems
Kerdi Board (special order)
Ditra (including Kerdi Band)
Standard ProWrap and ProWrap Waterproofing (including applicable primers)
Redgard
Rubber pan liners in three widths: 4’, 5’, 6’
Author: Becca Bertok
01.31.11
“From the Ground Up” Part 2
NOTE: Our Northeast store has new hours! They are now open Tuesday-Thurday 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-5pm, and Saturday 10am-2pm. The new hours take effect Tuesday, 1 February 2011.
Newsletter series: From the Ground-Up
Issue 2: Thinsets
Thinsets can be messy business…especially if you happen to choose the wrong one for your job.
There is not one thinset, despite what you may read on-line. You can’t just choose a thinset, slap it on some backerboard and call it good. The type of thinset you need is dependent upon the material you are setting, the material you are setting it to, and possibly even your waterproofing.
There are three types of jobs:
-setting easy tile material to an easy underlayment
-setting a difficult tile material to an easy underlayment
-setting a difficult tile material to a difficult underlayment
The long and short of it is, “easy” refers to a semi-porous material such as travertine or ceramic and cement backerboard. “Difficult” refers to a non-porous or slick material over another non-porous or slick material, or a tile product that is particularly heavy.
For easy jobs, thinsets with moderate amounts of latex additive, such as Versabond®, are best. The more difficult the installation, the higher amount of latex additive you need in a thinset, such as you find in Prolite®. Think of it as “latex equals bonding strength”.
- Standard porcelain or ceramic over backerboard calls for a moderate-additive thinset.
- Glass tile, large wall tile (i.e. heavy), and tile installations on ceilings call for high-additive thinsets.
Then, there are a few others:
- If a job requires a small amount of movement control, Flexbond, which is a another high-additive thinset, also includes a crack-suppression ability that isolates cracks up to 1/16”. This thinset would be used when setting tile over existing laminates, field-glued vinyl, tile, and (although not recommended) plywood. Creative Tile also recommends Flexbond when setting Ditra* to wood subfloors.
- Certain products, such as Kerdi®, specify non-modified (no latex) thinsets.
- There are also specific marble and granite thinsets
Other considerations include color: a grey thinset can “bleed” through a white marble or light-colored grout. Using a more expensive white thinset when your tile and grouts are dark, is simply a waste of money if there is a grey alternative;
Time: Some jobs require a more rapid-setting thinset. However, this should not be a factor unless absolutely necessary.
NOTE: Thinset is NOT the same thing as mastic (i.e. glue). Mastic, which is often sold bar-none at big box home improvement stores, can only be used in non-wet areas and only with smaller format tile. Any larger, and the Mastic will never completely dry. If used behind a clear-backed glass, the Mastic can yellow, eventually discoloring the glass and causing it to pop off the wall. Mastic is best suited for 4” ceramic tile on a backsplash, and not much else.
After you’ve chosen your proper thinset, you’re need the proper trowel. The following page is copied from Custom Building Products, Creative Tile’s setting materials vendor.
Confused yet? Don’t be! You can do it…we’ll walk you through it! Let Creative Tile help you make your vision a reality. And, if you’re not up to it, we’ll help with the design and offer you a list of recommended installers.
Author: Becca Bertok
01.24.11
“From the Ground Up” Part 1
The following newsletter series will follow a tile installation from the ground-up: from the underlayment to the ceiling. Look for a new installment each Monday!
Newsletter Series: From the Ground-Up
Issue 1: Underlayments
Underlayment requirements vary based on the area in which the tile will be installed, the existing subfloor, the type of tile being used, etc. One of the most common issues we see in South Carolina is the conversion of a deck to a sunroom. In most cases, the construction of the deck is not solid enough to properly support a tile floor, eventually leading to lippage and cracking. That’s why, at Creative Tile, we want to know the ins and outs of each and every job. Our designers want to make sure that you’re not only buying a good tile but you’re also knowledgeable enough to make a good decision when it comes to the installation. After all, your tile is only as good as the installation itself. A homeowner can purchase the nicest, most expensive, most durable tile in the showroom, but if it is not installed properly, it may not last.
An underlayment is only as strong as the subfloor on which it is laid. Subfloors can range from 16-24” joist-spacing on center and plywood (crawl-space-construction) to poured cement, and sadly, sometimes particle board. The traditional cement backerboard, in and of itself, does not provide any structural stability. It simply gives something for the tile to stick too (thinsets like cementitious products, not wood). If you have a good solid construction with, say 16” on center joist spacing and a tongue-and-groove subfloor, more than likely all you’ll need is backing material. It’s doubtful that you’re going to have a lot of movement in that type of floor, and therefore, you just need to give the tile something proper to stick to.
If, however, you have height concerns (let’s say backerboard is too thick to lay on your plywood subfoor to meet up with hardwood in the next room) or movement concerns (on an 19.2” joist-spaced floor or a freshly poured concrete slab) your best bet for an underlayment is something like Ditra®, EasyMat®, or ProWrap®. Each of these products handle normal1 amounts of horizontal movement in a home in order to prevent grout cracking, tile breakage, etc. Additionally, Ditra and ProWrap can be made waterproof: a great option for laundry rooms, second floor bathrooms, decks, and sunrooms.
Products such as Ditra and ProWrap, as mentioned above, require specific thinsets and/or primers to stick the materials to the subfloor. Additionally, the Tile Council of North America recommends that a layer of thinset be applied on the subfloor, beneath cement backerboard to eliminate air pockets, thereby eliminating movement and allowing proper expansion.
Sound confusing? It can be, but you can do it…we’ll walk you through it!
Creative Tile’s designers are knowledgeable in the proper underlayments for your job. We can direct you toward the right materials and installation techniques and recommend a local installer best suited to your needs if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Creative Tile offers the following underlayment products:
Permabase Cement Board
Denshield
Kerdi Board* (special order)
ProWrap and ProWrap Waterproofing*
Ditra*
EasyMat 3 and 5mm
1 The Tile Council of North America considers normal floor movement as (L/360) for ceramic and (L/720) for natural stone. Where “L” equals “Length”.
*Each of these products can also be used to waterproof areas…which we’ll cover in an upcoming newsletter.
author: Becca Bertok
11.17.10
Jacket Drive Success!
Becca's daughter helps unload coats at LICS
Although it got off to a shaky start, our coat drive for Lexington Interfaith Community Service (LICS) turned out to be a great success! Many thanks to those of you who donated, including a handful of local businesses: Annie Fowler Designs of Camden, Cotton’s Creations of Lexington, and Panic Motorsports of West Columbia.
Becca and her daughter delivered two trash bags and a trunk full of jackets to LICS yesterday afternoon.
