Showers can be a beautiful part of the bathroom, especially when tile is part of the finished product. But the beauty will not be long-lasting if the standards and best practices for tile installation are not followed.
The term SLU refers to Self- Leveling Underlayment. This product is a great and quick way to flatten most horizontal surfaces prior to installing large format tile (LFT).
The beauty of and longtime satisfaction in ceramic and porcelain tile installations will many times depend on the creativity employed in the design process.
Many installers have had customers who have seen a tile installation in a magazine or brochure, which is exactly what they want in their homes. Unfortunately, the look they want to achieve may not be possible using the tile that has been selected.
Every time an installer looks at a new job, the condition of the substrate needs to be reviewed thoroughly to determine if the surface to be tiled is adequate.
Many projects today call for ever-increasing tile sizes, many of which are rectangular shapes such as 12" x 24", 18" x 36", 24" x 48" and larger, creating difficulties for the installer when bonding the tile to the substrate.
Recently during a CTEF Educational Program, an installation manager for a large company complained that installing movement (expansion) joints in any application is a pain in the butt.
