Tile Installation Questions, Answered Honestly

The main things we check before setting tile are flex, moisture, and levelness. For floors, we look for deflection in the subfloor, which is how much it moves under load. The tile industry standard is L/360 deflection, meaning a 10-foot span should flex no more than 1/3 of an inch. Anything more and tiles will crack over time regardless of how well they're set. For walls, we check for moisture intrusion and make sure the surface is plumb and structurally sound. Old plaster walls in Atlanta bungalows often need cement board backing before tile can go up properly.

Either way works. Some homeowners come to us with tile already purchased from a supplier, and others prefer to discuss options first. We can talk through what works for a given space, what sizes and formats are practical for the layout, and what grout widths look right for a particular tile. We don't mark up materials, so you're free to source from wherever you prefer. What we do recommend is ordering 10 to 15 percent extra to account for cuts and any future repairs.

It depends heavily on the scope. A kitchen backsplash is typically a one-day job. A full bathroom gut-and-retile, including demo, waterproofing, tile setting, and grouting, usually runs three to five days. Larger floor areas or projects with complex patterns take longer because layout planning and cutting add time. We give a project-specific timeline estimate before we start and communicate any changes as the job progresses.

Thinset is a cement-based mortar mixed with water or a latex additive. Mastic is a premixed organic adhesive. We use thinset for virtually all tile work because it is appropriate for wet areas, heavy tiles, and floor applications. Mastic is not suitable for showers, steam rooms, or anywhere moisture is present. For large-format tiles, we use a medium-bed mortar that provides better support and prevents lippage across the tile face.

Yes, every shower needs a waterproofing membrane. Tile and grout are not waterproof on their own. Water passes through grout over time, and without a membrane behind the tile, it reaches the wall framing and causes rot and mold. We apply a liquid-applied membrane like RedGard or a sheet membrane system to the walls and floor pan before any tile goes up. This step adds time to the project and is one of the most important things we do. Skipping it is one of the most common causes of shower failures we see when we're called in to redo someone else's work.

For most residential applications, we use unsanded grout for joints under 1/8 inch and sanded grout for wider joints. Epoxy grout is an option in high-stain areas like kitchen floors, though it's harder to work with and costs more. For maintenance, cement-based grout in showers and kitchen areas benefits from a penetrating sealer applied after installation and reapplied every year or two. The sealer doesn't make grout bulletproof, but it significantly reduces staining and makes cleaning easier.

We recommend waiting 24 hours after grouting before light use, and 72 hours before the shower is used with full water exposure. The thinset underneath typically needs 24 to 48 hours to reach sufficient strength for foot traffic, and grout needs time to cure fully before it gets wet. In Atlanta's summer humidity, cure times can run slightly longer. We'll tell you specifically on your project based on the products and conditions involved.

If a tile cracks or loosens within a reasonable period after installation and the cause is related to our work, we come back and address it. That said, it's worth understanding what causes tile failures. A tile that cracks from a sharp impact, like dropping something heavy, is a different situation from one that cracks because the substrate wasn't properly prepared. Loose tiles are almost always a substrate or adhesive issue, not a tile defect. We document our prep work so there's a clear record of what was done if questions arise later. This is why we always recommend keeping a small number of leftover tiles from your project for future repairs.