What You Need to Know Before Laying Tile on Concrete
Although putting tile directly over concrete is a common practice, there are a couple issues that need to be addressed to be sure your project stands the test of time, and won't cause issues down the road that could have been easily addressed up-front. The two most important factors are Moisture and Foundation Shifts. Generating a flat, dramatic tile floor doesn’t have to be hard if you plan ahead and take the necessary steps.
How to Protect Crackle Tile from Staining
Interesting and full of of character, crackle tile has become a popular choice in today’s design projects. From kitchen backsplashes to a variety of bathroom applications, more design-conscious homeowners love the subtle web patterns and unique designs inherent to crackle tile. Although beautiful, crackle tile warrants a cautionary disclaimer when installing.
How to Choose the Right Backer Board for Tile
When starting your tile flooring project, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that your flooring is not only beautiful, but also durable. For proper installation, tile flooring needs to be set on a subflooring known as backer board.
What is backer board?
Backer board is the foundation to set the material on, in this case, tile. Backer board can be in the form of a variety of products from different manufacturers. The main categories of backer board are: Cement board, Fiber cement board, Glass mat gypsum board, Water-resistant drywall, Styrofoam base backer board or two layers of plywood with a new product known as a thin, lightweight, plastic underlayment system or uncoupling membrane. The main choice for the backer board is where it is being used, wet or dry areas such as a bathroom or a hallway.
3 Options for What to Use Besides Bullnose Tile
Finishing the edges of your tile design gives an overall clean and polished look. But what if coordinating bullnose pieces aren’t available for the tile you picked? Here are three alternatives on what to use besides bullnose tile.
First off, what is bullnose tile? Simply put, it’s trim that is used to provide a smooth, finished edge to your tile layout. In the example below, bullnose pieces of white subway tile were used to frame the shower wall and hide the exposed edging of the 3x6 tiles used in the design. Note: bullnose edging can be on either the long edge or short edge of the tile. In this example, the bullnose is on the long edge.
Now it’s time to get creative! Here are three different ways to finish the edges of your design without using bullnose tile...