Do Uncoupling Membranes Really Prevent Cracked Tile Floors? You want to tile your concrete floor. But there’s a problem. The concrete has cracks in it. You know that if you tile right over the crack that you soon will have floor tile that’s cracked in the exact same spot. So what can you do to […]
ditra
Ditra Heat Mat Installation: Ignore these two rules
Typically I encourage people to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Especially when the company has clear, detailed, and easy to understand instructions. But when it comes to both Ditra Heat and Ditra Heat TB [edit: now called Ditra-Heat Duo] there are two things that I just don’t feel are good ideas. This post deals with the […]
Trowel Size Matters
There’s a lot of ways to screw up tile installation. You can have not enough mortar underneath the tile and it won’t stick. You can have too much and it comes up through the grout joints and makes a big mess! The tiles usually don’t tell you which trowel to use. So what’s the […]
Thinset Decoded: Which Thinset to use | Infographic
Thinset Decoded Part 2: Which is the Best Thinset to use for… There are too many thinsets. How are you keep supposed to keep track of them all? Besides, all you really need to know is which is the best thinset to use for your project without screwing it up. A quick look at Lowes.com […]
Noble EZ: The Un-uncoupling Membrane?
Update: Noble has since discontinued this product and another one designed specifically for walls. There is a new product called ValueSeal that has taken the place of both products. It’s a crack-isolation membrane that can be used on walls for waterproofing also. You’ve probably heard of Ditra. Maybe you’ve heard of Stratamat or SpiderWeb. If […]
Why Schluter Ditra is so cool: Uncoupling membranes explained
How tile uncoupling membranes work You’ve probably seen uncoupling membranes before. It’s not unusual to see these orange waffle-y products on some DIY television shows. You may have even wondered “Do those things really work?” In my quest to keep up on tile installation products I took one of Schluter’s training courses some years back. […]