When ceramic tile walls or floors are the choice, many times the consumer falsely assumes that tile provides a waterproofing function. This is a very common misperception that typically remains unaddressed during the sales pitch by either seller or the buyer. The result of this assumption is sometimes only realized after substantial damage has occurred to the customer's structure -- possibly months but, more often, years later. To add insult to injury, the warranty on the work usually has long since expired and, in many cases of water damage and resulting mold issues, there is no insurance coverage.

Throughout most of my working life in this industry, I never truly understood who the Tile Council of America (TCA) was nor how their documents came about. Although over the course of the many commercial tile jobs I performed earlier in my career, I certainly got beat up a time or two for not following their technical guidelines.

Initially, I considered entitling this article, "Ceramic Tile for Geniuses and Dummies," as a play on the titles of that popular series of how-to books. However, I reconsidered when I realized that no one would admit to being a ceramic tile dummy and, therefore, I'd be discouraging readers from delving into what truly is an important topic.

Grout is, and has been, among the top tile installation-related complaints of consumers and end users for as long as I have been in the business. I have attended countless seminars on the subject, particularly on the issue of grout shading.