How to Cut Glass Tile....

http://ceramictec.com/how-to-cut-glass-tile

Installing glass tile can be tricky, but cutting it can be even trickier. People are always asking how to cut small glass tile without chipping it, cracking it, having the pieces fall into the wet saw trays groove or having it shoot out of their fingers when they cut it. From over the years of installing glass tile I have learned a few tricks. One of the most simplest is to make sure the smaller glass tile that are mesh mounted have a solid backing under it when you pushing it through the wet saw. Another thing you want to make sure you do is to have the glass tile held down so it doesn’t move around while cutting it.

Glass tile once wet on mesh sheets or paper backed glass tile sheets start to soften the glue, once that happens they start to fall off. Sometimes that isn’t a bad thing when you want to put them in one at a time, but can be annoying when trying to install a row of them mounted. In the first picture below you can see the wrong way and the trouble you will have by just sitting the glass tile sheet on the wet saw tray. The glass tile once cut will drop down into the opening for the blade, it also chips when not supported 100% as it is being cut. If your wet saw has an adjustable head/motor you can raise it up and use a scrap piece of plywood to support the small glass tile.

In the rest of the pictures you can see my trick for cutting small glass tile with a mesh backing and trying to get a bunch very small pieces all the same size. I use a scrap ceramic tile or whatever field tile you are using on your tile project. I then blue tape the small glass tile securely to the backside of the ceramic tile. Then I make my cut mark on the tape and use blue painters tape since you can see through it and know right where the mark is on the glass tile. Then align up the mark to the blade on the wet saw and make the cut. The glass tile mesh barely gets wet but there is enough water on the blade to make a clean cut. After the cut I remove the tape to see my precise cuts that are dry and still attached to the mesh backing, ready to install into the modified thinset I am using to set the glass tile on the waterproofed shower mud floor.

Glass tile is becoming more popular in the areas like Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Orlando, Clearwater, Brandon, Bradenton & other largely populated area’s in Florida and other U.S. cities with homes that are stylish and keeping up with current bathroom, kitchen & backsplash tile trends. People are having glass tile installed in the bathroom on the walls as an accent band, as a deco, on shower floors, back splashes and in pools. I wouldn’t suggest a opaque or paper face mounted glass tile install for a DIY job, glass tile is tricky and there are certain rules you need to adhere to from the glass tile manufacturer. One being the use of a highly modified white thinset. Some require a crack anti fracture membrane, while some will scratch with the use of a specific type of sanded grout. And by all means Do Not Use Mastic or Premixed Thinset.

You also want to make sure you use the proper sized notched trowel or you could ruin your glass tile install with too deep of a trowel and thinset coming up through the grout joints, or not deep enough of a trowel and the tile not adhering or bedding properly to the substrate and becoming loose and ruining the installation. I would highly suggest you read up on glass tile or find a tile contractor that is familiar with glass tile, it’s special installation requirements, has done a fair amount of glass tile installs and has references.

The glass tile used in this install was Hakatai TA810 M China Blend

If you have any questions feel free to email me and I can help with some simple questions. Or if your looking for an estimate in Florida on a glass tile project you have coming up, please Contact Us for a Free Estimate.

Ceramic Tile Shower – Tampa, Florida

Rip Out, Prep, Waterproofing, Install Tile:

We completed a hall bath shower rip out & replace in Tampa for a Architect we know. This is his personal home and is Florida and is about 30 years old. The shower pan was done incorrectly and it didn’t have a pre-slope under the liner, had a drain directly connected to the drain pipe and was nailed at the bottom through the liner to the studs. Whoever built this shower pan had no idea on how to build a properly waterproofed traditional pre slope pan & liner. Where would the water go that saturates the mud bed without having weep holes? Something us professionals don’t like seeing.

Being a Tile Contractor in Tampa there was something else I didn’t like seeing, it was the way they did a fake wall mud tile job look. They pretty much put cement board over top drywall and used mastic with 4×4 wall tile and a mud cap A-4200. It gives the look of a built out mud wall but not an actual good way of doing it. Mastic is NEVER good in a shower or wet area and can re-emulsify when wet over time. We demoed the whole old shower area, removing the wall tile, cementboard, old drywall, shower floor tile, mud bed, liner & drain.

We then installed the new cement board, mesh taped the joints and used thinset over them. Installed a new Ebbe drain riser and drain and a new mud bed using Laticrete 3701 fortified mortar bed. The 3701 is a thick-bed mortar that is exceptionally strong and resistant to weather, frost, thermal and physical shock, pre blended and perfect for a job like this. After the cement board and mesh tape was up and the Mud bed cured we used HydroBan liquid waterproofing on the shower pan and up the walls and over the shower curb. We used the divot method to tie the waterproofing into the clamping ring drain, and the filled the divot, packed with pea gravel, mud and more HydroBan over it.

Once the HydroBan was dry we then laid out our wall tile to achieve the best full size cuts in the corners. The tile we were using picked out by the Homeowner was a Floor Gres 4×4 Ceramic White tile with scalloped edges. He also selected Spanish style red rectified porcelain 16×16 tile to go on the bath floor from a local tile showroom. We also cut the 16×16 floor tile down to match the size of the Ebbe drain grate.

The installation went great since our wall and floor prep was done correctly. The scalloped edged tile were hard to put up since the varying sized grout joints could not take a spacer, so for that we used an non sag mortar from Laticrete called MultiMax 255 which held the tile in place and didn’t allow them to slide, better then using a ledger board and spacers. We then set the rectified floor tile with 3/16″ grout joints per the owners request. He purchased a matching red grout for the main floor and the shower floor and a bright white sanded grout for the wall tile, both grouts were Pro Spec 700 sanded grout.

Grouting went easy and we cleaned up and final washed the tile and turned it over to the homeowner. He was very pleased with how it came out and could not believe the before and after look of his bathroom. The owner was going to install a hard Ipe wood for his curb. I usually suggest a marble sill or tile on the curb, but seeing how the dense cell structure of IPÊ (all heart wood) is not only naturally resistant to insects but also to decay, rot, molds and weather has little to no effect upon the structural integrity of IPÊ wood, it would do good as a shower curb sill. He was also going to urethane seal it and I suggested to him to attach it with either an epoxy or a polyurethane construction adhesive like Liquid Nail or PL Premium.

below are some pictures taken during to project, I hope you enjoy them.

To DIY Tile or Not to DIY Tile.....

That is the question....

So you’re planning on doing a DIY tile job huh? It’s not for everyone and it sure isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s fun to plan and have a vision of doing your own tile work be it a small foyer, back splash, back patio/lanai or even a shower area. But there’s more to it then just sticking some square tiles on the wall or floor in rows. Here in Florida there is so much tile being installed some of the fly by night installers moonlighting as tile setters aren’t really that good. You can’t do a good, quality tile job in a few weeks of reading, you need to have the years of knowledge that a “Professional” tile setter has. This from being on jobs and seeing installation techniques of various types of tile, or learning from another pro on the job over the years of work.

If you do decide to go at it yourself you will require the proper tools for the job. You will need to go out and purchase a good amount of specialty tools that most tile setter already have and own. Things like a quality wet saw, maybe you can rent one from the local rental store, but will the blade be what you need for the type of tile you are cutting? You will also need to purchase items like trowels, a speed square, chalk line, level, maybe some straight edges, ledger boards, spacers, rubbing stones, nippers, a razor knife, hole saw, mixing drill, mixing paddle, angle grinder, and so on.

Other things you will need to understand are, which trowels to use, what will I use to cut which type of tile, will a bar snap cutter cut porcelain or do I need a wet saw. Can I use an angle grinder on Travertine or do I need a special blade for the wet saw. Then figure out how your floor was constructed and make sure you have the proper deflection for the tile your installing. If you’re on a slab you will need to figure out if your hairline cracks are slab crack or are they control joints. Then you will need to understand if you need a crack membrane on the whole floor or can you get away with just applying it to just bridge the cracks. Maybe an uncoupling membrane would work, how could I lay out this wall or floor to line up the grout joints to look good.

You will also need to understand which type of thinset to use, modified, flexible, un modified, epoxy, rapid setting, gray or white. And then figure out if the type of tile you are setting requires it’s own type of thinset, that and making sure you can use that type of thinset with the type of substrate or other material you are using. Schluter Ditra & Kerdi require a UN modified thinset to set tile, but glass tile manufacturers require you to use a highly modified, ohh no. What next? Granted you could probably read about tile and do some research for a few weeks if you have the time, between working, kids, family, friends and your relaxation time.

All this and still not breaking the surface of the knowledge you need to achieve a perfect tile installation. If your doing a shower your really in for it. Shower waterproofing is a pretty tricky and difficult installation. Do you need a traditional liner with a pre slope or can you go with a sheet waterproofing membrane like Schluter Ditra or NobleSeal TS. Or will a liquid membrane like Hydroban, Hydro Barrier or RedGard be better for your shower area. This is an area you don’t want to mess up on, a leak in your waterproofing or shower pan liner can seriously cause problems. Water dripping from your kitchen ceiling, damaging your drywall, soaking your carpets, rotting studs in your walls or mold forming behind your shower walls.

Do you want to spend the time, effort and possible the waste of some material for a chance you might have a good tile installation in your home? I myself would not attempt to do electrical and or a big plumbing job in my house. I would rather hire a pro with experience on getting the job done right, on time and at a fair price. I’m not trying to scare you away from doing it, heck, you’re the one that has to live with it and look at it everyday. But I know one thing; tile and most other finish trades require some sort of skill. Can you do it? Sure you can. We all started some place. I have seen a good amount of people come to a popular tile forum I help answering tile related question on looking for advice and tackling the project themselves with success, and there are also the other 80% that come there looking to be bailed out after they botched the tile project they were so excited to “Do It Yourself”.

I know from over 20 years of installing tile like glass, porcelain, travertine, marble, ceramic, paver’s and many more other types of tile here in Tampa, Florida and also prior up in New Jersey that doing a perfect tile project isn’t an easy thing. There is a lot of labor involved along with scheduling, logistics, layout and making everything come together.

My advice to you is either commit yourself to over a month of having your house turned upside down and ripped apart, or doing some research and hiring a professional, skilled, qualified Tile Contractor that is up to date with current installation techniques to do your job. You will spend a little more but you can rest assured after doing your due diligence that you will have a quality, long lasting, good looking and professional tile installation.

Thanks for reading.

Commonly used Tile in Florida Definition….

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http://ceramictec.com/commonly-used-tile-in-florida-definition


At Ceramictec we install the finest selection of name brand tile with the widest selection of patterns, textures, sizes and colors. No matter what your decor or color scheme we can help you find the perfect tile for your home decorating.

* Stain Resistant
* Scratch Resistant
* Fire Resistant
* Doesn’t Fade from Sun Light
* Easy to Clean

Porcelain Tile — Is a tile that is generally made by the dust pressed method from porcelain clays which result in a tile that is dense, impervious, fine grained and smooth, with a sharply formed face. Porcelain tiles usually have a much lower water absorption rate (less than 0.5%) than non-porcelain tiles making them frost resistant or frost-proof. Glazed porcelain tiles are much harder and more wear and damage resistant than non-porcelain ceramic tiles, making them suitable for any application from light traffic to the heaviest residential and light commercial traffic. Full body/though body porcelain tiles carry the color and pattern through the entire thickness of the tile making them virtually impervious to wear and are suitable for any application from residential to the highest traffic commercial or industrial applications. Porcelain tiles are available in matte, unglazed or a high polished finish.

Glazed Tile — Most of the common ceramic floor tiles have either a glazed, or unglazed surface. The glazed tiles have a special ceramic coating that is applied to the body of the tile and then fired under high heat. The glazing becomes hard.

Unglazed Floor Tile — There is no glazing or any other coating applied to these tiles. Because these tiles are porous it is recommended that a special penetrating sealant be used to maintain this type of floors and to help prevent stains from seeping into the pores of the tiles. Their color is the same on the face of the tile as it is on the back resulting in very durable tiles that do not show the effects of heavy traffic.

Marble — Marble is a natural product and is not made in a factory. For this reason no two pieces of marble look the same and the veining is a natural characteristic in all marble. One of the more popular marble tile in Florida is Travertine. There are special marble sealants to help protect from staining of the face. Extra care should be used when cleaning and all abrasives and acidic cleaners should never be used when cleaning. Even colas, some juices, and possibly ammonia may destroy the marble finish.

Granite — This is another natural stone and is not manufactured in a factory. Granite can be used indoors or outdoors and is less porous than marble. It is still recommended that you use a sealant to protect the finish from staining.

Grout — Grout is a mixture of cement and a color additive. For tile floors with wider spaces between each tile sand is added to the grout. Also, a liquid latex additive can be added to the grout to give better resiliency to the grouted areas. For ease of maintenance a penetrating sealant should be used on the grout. It should be noted you may see a change in color of your grout over time. To stop this we highly recommend an upgrade to an epoxy grout.

Some of the other important things we can help with when selecting a tile floor is the slip-resistance, the size and color of the grout joints, the thickness of the tile, height variations from room to room, size of the tile, suitability of the subfloor, and cleaning of the tile.

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Tile to Tile Transition....

Often here in Florida when doing a new tile installation we come across
other rooms that already have tile in them that we need to tile up to.
Usually a carpet or laminate area that the homeowner wants to remove and have new tile installed and the new tile we are installing will run into another tiled room (ie: kitchen, bath, hall bath, laundry, etc.).

So my common practice is to direct the customer/home owner to let me install an "Indian Blanket" cut tile pattern to divide those two tiled area's up to really define each area. Also if by chance the grout joints almost align it would look like a failed attempt to line up one tiled area to another new tiled area. Thus this method will break up the direct grout lines.

You could cut the corners off a field tile and install the diamonds side by side, use a few strips of 2x2 mosaic or even a deco tile. This can also be used when two types of tile run into each other in an open area like when trying to divide a straight laid tiled room into a diagonal tiled room.

Here is a recent one we did where the homeowner wanted us to remove the carpet throughout the home and old tile in the front foyer and install a new 20x20 Porcelain tile in their town house/condo at the beach in Tarpon Springs, Florida. They wanted to leave the kitchen tile since it was new and they liked it.

Here are few other examples of "Indian Blanket" door patterns.

.....Example 1.........Example 2.........Example 4........Example 5






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Importance of Waterproofing a Shower....

Being a Professional Tile Contractor/Installer in Tampa, Florida and helping out on tile help forums I have noticed people are always asking about info on damaged showers and tubs for water damage, rot, grout discoloration, efflorescence, leaks or black mold.

The lack of a pan liner or surface membrane is usually the main reason these problems occur. Professional tile contractors who know the importance of a properly built shower with a pan liner & pre-slope, a bonded waterproofing sheet membrane or a liquid applied membrane.

Mold and rot occur when water gets absorbed into the grout and then seeps into the cementboard or drywall and then starts rotting the studs. Also when drywall is used the problems are even worse because the mold feeds on the paper face of the drywall. Mold loves cellulose and spreads throughout the damp wet area behind your wall.
As the leak goes unnoticed the damage and mold become worse.

When a shower liner is used without a pre-slope the water sits in the mud pan and slowly deteriorates/breaks down the mud bed and fills with mold/sludge. Sometimes the weep holes then become clogged with calcium deposits and efflorescence forms on the grout joints from the water drying up through the grout to the surface. A bonded surface membrane will solve these problems.

While we still do and have been doing traditional pan liners for as long back as I have been doing tile for (21 years), newer, updated ways of waterproofing a shower have been developed like Schluter Kerdi, Noble TS, Laticrete HydroBan Laticrete Hydro Barrier & Custom Building Products Redgard.
All excellent surface applied waterproofing membranes.

I tell customers it's good to spend the extra money now to do it right or you will spend 3 times the money tearing it out a few years later by doing it wrong.

Tile Selection in Florida......

Ceramic, Porcelain, Marble or Stone?

The selection of tile is almost limitless, especially here in Florida where there are so many domestic and imported tile from around the world shipped here.
Many homeowners are taking the selection of their tile more seriously than ever before. The old traditional look of 4x4 or 6x6 ceramics on the walls and floors is falling to the wayside as consumers look for the perfect tile for their projects.

Then, of course, comes the question: What is the best choice?
Tiles come in a wide variety of materials including clay, porcelain, and even glass among other choices. The durability of tile is graded in hardness. The more dense the tile, the harder the finished surface is. Porcelain, for instance, is the best tile in terms of density and hardness. Porcelain tile has color all the way through the tile versus screen print or glazed tiles, which are basically painted only on the surface. Porcelain will lasts longer with fewer problems with wear. Porcelain is also preferred for outside installations because it is more frost resistant.

Marble and stone are in a class all by themselves. Natural stone tile require more care in selection and maintenance. Installation of these materials is more labor intensive requiring a greater degree of skill and know-how to install them. Prices for stone materials are typically higher than ceramic or porcelain tiles and installation costs reflect the degree of difficulty to install them. Stone tile bring nature into your Florida home. They add a feeling of luxury and permanency. Granite counter tops in kitchens and baths combined with a tumbled marble backs plash make for a classy look and feel to any Florida home.

The tile you select for your project is just as important as the installer. Leave some money in your budget for a quality tile job. Once installed, tile can't be changed as easily as your paint color. Consider all the options and textures for tile and plan to spend a day or two looking at several different distributors. Be careful of discount tile, as it is sometimes inferior in quality and ultimately will make for a bad tile job. Remember, you get what you pay for. Don't skimp on your tile project. It will costs much more down the road to repair or replace your tile if done incorrectly and cheap.
Tampa Bay ,Lutz ,Oldsmar ,Apollo Beach, Ybor City, Gibsonton, Carrollwood, Northdale, Lake Magdalene, Palm River-Clair Mel, Progress Village, Riverview, Temple Terrace, University, Westchase, Wesley Chapel, Hillsborough County,
...............Ceramic..........................Porcelain................Marble/Natural Stone

Apollo Beach, Bloomingdale, Boyette, Brandon, Cheval, Citrus Park, Dover, East Lake-Orient Park, Egypt Lake-Leto, Fish Hawk, Gibsonton, Greater Carrollwood, Greater Northdale, Greater Sun Center, Keystone, Lake Magdalene, Lutz, Mango, Palm River-Clair Mel, Pebble Creek, Plant City, Lakeland, St. Pete, Progress Village, Riverview, Ruskin, Seffner, Tampa, Temple Terrace, Thonotosassa, University, Valrico, Westchase, Wimauma, TAMPA FL

Kitchen Tile Refreshing for a Realtor....

With home sales slow throughout the US some Realtor's are finding
ways to make the homes they are selling more appealing and fresh.

Here's a job I did for a Realtor I do work for in the Tampa, Florida area.

They were trying to spruce up a house to sell so I came up with
this refreshing inlay with leftover Porcelain tile they had from
the back splash extra tile laying in the garage.

I was able to figure out how much old ceramic tile to remove so it would
be symmetrical in the kitchen. I had 3 pieces of the 6x6 tile left over
and a few strips left from the cut 1/2"x1/2" mosaic sheets.

This same house has a full shower gut due to mold and rot from some
leaks with the builder not doing proper waterproofing.

You have to love a Florida shower with no liner or waterproofing!

Cant wait to rip that tile shower out....






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Travertine Tile Installation in Tampa, Florida

One way of making your Tampa Florida home standout in style is by installing Travertine tile flooring. Having installed our fair share of Travertine tile in Florida in area's like Tampa, Lakeland, St. Pete, Sarasota, Brandon, Bradenton, Lutz & Wesley Chapel, this style of flooring will work virtually everywhere in your home and the designs and styles are numerous which also makes it very versatile. The ranges of flooring are numerous and finding the perfect design to fit in with your decor is easy, however if you want to totally change your decor and try something new.

here are some Travertine flooring ideas you might not have considered.


What is Travertine:
To begin with, Travertine flooring is also known by several other names, some of the most common include Oriental alabaster, Egyptian alabaster, onyx marbles and Mexican onyx.

Travertine is a terrestrial sedimentary rock, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from geothermally heated hot-springs. Similar (but more porous) deposits formed from ambient temperature water are known as tufa.

Travertine belongs to the larger family of stone called limestone also known as Calcium Carbonate. Marble is also a type of limestone that has had additional heat and pressure applied to it by the earth’s crust. Travertine is formed by minerals dissolving in ground water and then being deposited on the earth’s surface by rivers, natural springs, or geysers.

This beautiful flooring not only adds style to your home but also adds value.

Good and Bad Points:
As with all types of flooring Travertine has both good and bad points which have to be considered before going for this type of flooring. Its good points include being tough and hard wearing and there is a diverse range of styles to choose from as the stone comes in a wide range of some of the most beautiful colors imaginable.

The bad points are if you like a highly polished surface then they can become very slippery which could cause problems when laid in areas of high traffic and you have to avoid the use of acidic products on the unsealed stone. Acidic products which could spoil the beauty of this natural stone include the spillage of orange juice or vinegar. So great care has to be taken and thought has to be given when thinking of installing in the kitchen or dining area.

Travertine Ideas and Finishes:
Another plus which bodes well when it comes to diversity is the fact that the flooring comes in four different finishes, the choice of which to some extent will depend on where you intend to install the flooring.

One of the most beautiful finishes due to the way that the stone reflects the light is the polished, but as mentioned before this can be slippery. A smooth surface can be found with the honed stone due to its matte finish and brushed and tumbled stone has a slightly textured surface which holds a beauty entirely of its own.

Whether you are trying to portray a contemporary or rustic image, Travertine flooring is unbeatable. When going for the rustic look then a cream or natural colored stone that has a brushed surface and is left unfilled will indeed give just that.

Filled polished tiles are used for a more conservative look due to their highly reflective surface and look gorgeous when laid out over a larger open plan area. If you want a different look with travertine flooring you can choose to go mosaic and of course the rustic honed surface is the perfect choice when it comes to designing a mosaic floor.

Unusual Uses for Travertine Flooring:
Although traditionally Travertine flooring is of course used when it comes to installing new flooring it can also produce stunning effects when used for more unusual decoration.

Some uses which can show Travertine off at its best include using polished or tumbled travertine in the kitchen as a back splash. using matte stone on the floor of the shower stall and highly polished stone on the walls. Due to the natural beauty of a brushed or tumbled stone incorporating inconsistency and texture on each individual stone. one of my favorite patterns using travertine is the Chiseled Edge in a Versailles Pattern or the Honed Finish in a Brick Pattern.

visit our Ceramictec picture Gallery of ways to use Travertine Tile in Florida:

Ceramictec Gallery

A+ work on the Master Bath...Thx Brian...We will be using you in the future.

Lance P
Palm Harbor, FL.
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Glass Tile in Bathrooms and Beyond......

Here in Florida we install all sorts of tile sizes, textures, colors and makes.
Porcelain, Ceramic & travertine being the most widely used.

One of the trickiest tile to set would be the Glass Tile. Glass tile are tricky
due to numerous setting reasons as you will see when researching a tile contractor. I would recommend you select a Tile Contractor that is
familiar with setting Glass Tile.

Glass Tile are being used in the Bathroom on the walls and floors
as accent bands and deco's. shower floors, back splashes, pools

Glass floor tiles are usually set on a crack membrane with a white,
fast setting & flexible thinset. You need to set them so there are
no pockets of air trapped under the tiles. An uneven install with
pockets will eventually crack the tiles when they are walked on.

A normal glass tile is no different from polished porcelain in terms of
C.O.F.. Like any gloss tile glass tiles are usually slippery when wet.
If small a format (1 × 1") tiles are used on floors the frequent grout lines
create texture that will slightly inhibit slippage and add more C.O.F..

Glass tile manufacturers Villiglas, Interstyle, Oceanside and Vetrotile
all manufacture glass floor tiles that are made with a textured surface
that provides a high Coefficient Of Friction.

The use of Glass Tile is becoming more popular and discussed more
on Tile Help Forums these days like the John Bridge Tile Forum.

one of the best ways and my favorite way to set glass tile here in Florida
is by using the Laticrete one-step method for setting Glass Tile.




this will consists of using the Laticrete Sanded Grout (1500 Series)
mixed with Laticrete 4237 Latex Thin-Set Mortar Additive.

There is a wide variety of Glass Tile finishes to choose from like glossy, iridescent, etched, metallic or printed, and textures like flat, rippled, relief
or dimpled. And also tile sizes from 1", 2", 4", 5", 6", 8" and even large sized
glass tile 12" up to 24" in size.

with new manufacturing techniques glass tile continues to advance with variations in textures, styles & colors and continue to in the years to come.

So no matter what size, style or color of Glass Tile you choose I'm sure
you will love coming home to the new area you have transformed.