Another excellent tile bathroom in Kennesaw, GA

Our latest bathroom remodel in Kennesaw, GA was a real doozy. A dual bathroom remodel in the same house. Incredible clients. High end work and we are very proud of it. The downstairs shower had a tileable linear drain, and we custom made the shower pan tile. VERY large tile inside the shower and Jason was able to make these walls nice and flat for a small grout line and a lip free tile installation. Our plumber really did a great job putting in this large fixture! I love the sleek, cleaning looking soap niche, which really puts a great touch on this shower. Not to mention the natural light from the window, edged with Schluter Quadec profiles. The floor is a 12"x24" tile from Tile House in Marietta. Cindy, again providing excellent design service and consultation for the outstanding owners of this home.

A small improvement! I love the before and after!

A sleek inset box edged with Schluter Quadec profiles.

The upstairs bathroom was also a design gem. The bathroom floor was a flat finish 12"x24 porcelain tile that looks like natural stone. To contrast the floor the two inside walls were a gloss 12"x24" porcelain of the same line. What a great detail! The back tub surround wall was a handmade mosaic as an accent! Again, a sleek, large inset box for all their soap needs.

Our plumber also installed this luxury bathtub and we edged the floor with a tile trim topped off with Quadec profiles. Very sharp!

These were a couple of nice jobs for a couple of people that we really enjoy working for. There are more projects in this home that we will be completing and we completed the tile in Bob's daughters house as well. 

During the time of this remodel I added a new member to my family. Baby Rosalie Maria Santos was born on September 10th, 2017 and Bob, the owner of this home, made her a great welcome gift that I was so excited and happy to receive. He is an excellent wood worker and quite capable. He is a true artist and the fact that we pleased him with our work really means a lot to us.

Now let me be a proud papa here a little bit....

Baby Rosie.

Look at that cutie!

Look at this incredible train set Bob made me! Homemade gifts are the best. Especially from a talented person!

He even made a gift for Jaiden's birthday! His wooden art is incredible as well!

Call us today for a superior bathroom remodeling experience. You will be happy you did!

Separating our company from the pack.

In recent days the opportunity to advance into certified tile installer status came upon us when Tile Shop, in Kennasaw , GA allowed local tile guys to use their warehouse to become certified Tile installers. The CTEF (Ceramic Tile Education Foundation) puts on an extensive hands on test, physically verifying installers using skills and validates that they are performing industry standards. You are given directions and materials and told to build a timed test project...each installer's work is individually graded by the CTEF's evaluator. This is the most difficult 25sqft any installer will ever set. They also have a 155 question written test based upon NTCA and ANSI standards. Jason Hamilton was able to pass and become one of 1300 Certified Tile installers in the country. A very big accomplishment and a proud moment for any legitimate tile guy.

After 20 years in the industry Jason says having his certification is one of the most gratifying accomplishments of his long career.

Another achievement that separates Hamilton Tile from the pack & speaks to Jason's overall proficiency in his field.

Be sure to ask your potential tile guy, are you a Certified Tile Installer??? I am proud to display this badge!

The added cost of floor prep for large format tile.

I was at the tile store the other day and I was looking around at all the happy faces doing their tile shopping. I'm sure some are shopping for a back splash, others maybe for a bathroom remodel. I was left to wonder a very common question in my mind, "Who's installing all this tile!?"

While I was there I noticed many people looking at 6" x 36" plank tile (large format tile). Wow, the stuff looks great and you can tell the excitement in their eyes about possibly having that tile in their home. My main question to myself was:

"Has anyone talked to these people about the added cost of floor preparation for large format tile???"

There's added cost for big tile you ask?... The long and short of this is YES! The Tile Council of North America handbook states that....

"For tiles with at least one edge 15" in length or longer, a maximum allowable variation of 1/8" in 10' from the required plane, with no more than 1/16" variation in 24" when measured from the high point in the surface" (Page 31 TCNA Manual 2016)

So what this means is you cannot have a wavy floor and install a big tile! As the tile size increases, the effect of the floor irregularities is compounded. If there is a bump or dive in the floor it will make it impossible to install large tile. You will have lips and poor coverage and support under the tile.

I have found that very few homes have wood or concrete substrates that are ready out of the box for large tile. EVERY floor needs some degree of prep.

Prep, is short for "preparation". Meaning, flattening or leveling the floor to get it ready for whatever material you're hoping to install.

When we show up to a large area where we know large format tile will be set, what we'll do is take out a large straight edge, 8'+. We set it on the floor and decide what kind of prep will need to be done. Many times if there is flooring already down you won't know what needs to be done until the old flooring is up. This adds a bit of a mystery to the installation process and you need to make sure your builder gives you an allowance or find out if the unexpected labor is in his/her price. Many tile people won't tell you about the added costs until the tear out is done, and hit you with the extra cost! This is why I'm writing this post!

If you do indeed have a wavy floor there are a couple ways to fix the problem...You can self level the area, which will raise the level of the floor by as much as a quarter inch (think transitions between rooms) or you can use a product like Feather Finish by Ardex to fill the low spots, or you can grind the high spots. Or you may have to do a combination of all those things! The repair of the floor is where it is SO important to have a skilled, experienced tile installer. As I always say, the quality of the finished tile job is determined before any tile is ever set! Below is an example of our work where we used Lev-Tec leveling system to help get the flat floor:

With large tile the quality of the tile is very important as well. Every tile has a certain amount of warp to it and if you're looking for a flat, smooth floor you will want to cite the manufacturer for grout size and layout specifications. Many people want a 1/16" grout joint with a brick set...but on most occasions, the manufacturer of the tile will recommend NOT to install the tile in that manner. So, ultimately it's really not up to us or you, for that matter, how your tile is set. The layout and grout joint size is determined by the manufacturer and is backed up by the TCNA.  A 50 %  offset with a 1/16" grout joint will accentuate the warpage in the tile. The Tile Council of North America says:

"The actual grout joint size shall be at least three times the actual variation of facial dimensions of the tile supplied. Example: for tile having a total variation of 1/16" in facial dimensions, a minimum 3/16" grout joint shall be used." (Page 38 TCNA Manual 2016)

ANSI standard 108.02 also covers grout joint size, lippage and brick set. Read it all here for yourself:

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/blog/ansi-standards-tile-installers-best-friend

Would you consider it important to have your project installed according to national standards? If so be sure to hire a contractor that uses the "Handbook Method" (Like us)

Most tile has a great deal of variation. You CAN find consistent tile....but be prepared to pay a high dollar, if you want a flat, consistent floor. It can cost big bucks not only when buying high quality, A+ grade tile....but also for installation. Most interior designers and sales people do not have and interest in telling you what to expect in this regard. Their main priority is to sell tile and design services. Sales people often time promise the world but the material they are selling has too much variation to allow the installer to deliver on said promises.

Another thing to think about is that Larger tile involves larger tools! A more expensive score and snap…a much bigger tile saw. Getting “full coverage” under your tile is also much more difficult. Larger tile is also harder on the installer’s body!

When you're shopping for tile, know that bigger tile comes at a greater cost! Self Leveler is upwards of $30 a bag plus the labor and time of installation! For evidence regarding the consequences of not preparing a floor properly and not following guidelines for large tile, go to ANY COMMERCIAL SPACE that has large format tile and look around. You will see lips and dives everywhere. Here's an example and this is not our work:

This could have been avoided by not using a 1/16" grout joint and also not setting the tile brick set. Basic, common sense stuff if you hire an installer that performs due diligence and is willing to speak up.

A couple things to notice when hiring someone to tile a floor:

1. Does the installer check the flatness of the floor with a large straight edge?

2. Does the installer mention the extra cost involved in installing big tile, Like the possibility of extra floor prep?

3. Does the installer use some sort of leveling system to help get a flat floor.

4. Does the installer speak to you about grout joint size, tile offset and the fact that all tile has warpage?

5. Does the installer speak about complete thin set coverage, back buttering tile,  expansion joints and crack suppression?

My top piece of advice for you is to have your installer go to the tile store with you to help you shop for tile. They’re going to know what to look for as far as tile quality is concerned and won’t be motivated by making the sale. If the tile you’re ordering is special order, they also may have some knowledge on which manufacturer is the best to buy from. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised when you get the special order tile, if you’re installer decides to send it back. We’ve had to do it before. That’s how you know you have a good installer .That’s a person who isn’t just going to throw something on the wall that’s mediocre quality.

Also, involve your installer in the design process. It’s almost a sure thing that you will get quite a few gems from a person who works with tile every day, for a living.

With that said, if you still decide you want large format tile be prepared for the extra cost of doing it correctly (following TCNA and ANSI standards) and I hope you are now armed with knowledge to help you avoid a construction nightmare, which have unfortunately become typical in this industry.