This week I have come across more penny tiles than I can count. Mostly I have done as a accent border across a shower walls but these last couple of days I have been installing them on floors. My  biggest challenge was to make them look seamless between sheets of what it felt like thousands of pennies. But besides that, cutting was a real treat too, If a wet saw used and the brady brunch of tiles get wet, in 5 seconds they all fall apart, piece by piece. At that moment I wondered if it would be feasible to install one by one... Ever wonder how to turn thousands into millions? Yup, I have. Nah, I guess that's out of the question. The  straight cutter steps up to the plate and is up to the task if we pair it with the infamous nipper, which turned out to be the best way to do it. I have placed some blue tape across before scoring straight cuts to prevent chips as I was chipping away. It kind of worked.

But then again, how to make seamless transitions? First and most important rule: Keep it square. Make sure you have a perfect 90 degrees angle with the two chalk lines you draw. But the trick thing is that these pennies in a mesh are too flexible, they feel more like some type of fabric which expands and contracts, it's almost impossible to keep them straight. I guess it might be a good option to draw a bunch of perpendicular lines on the floor and go by them, these sheets are not trust worthy.

But the worst thing in my opinion is that you can't tell for sure if they're seamless until you grout. It's very frustrating because you tweak here and there paying really close attention to the joints, making sure they all have the same distance and still after you grout you can tell where one starts and the other ends.
The only thing I would advise is this: If you like this tile, you fell in love with the design and you think it's going to look great on your floor, get really good quality well manufactured tile and - of course it goes without saying but I'm going to say it anyway - get really good experienced tile installers to do it because you can be sure of one thing it really bothers me when I don't get a good quality result and I will strive my best to be happy with it.

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When I was much younger, I had a choleric uncle who seemingly sees all skills and craft as “that’s simple, we don’t need to call a professional to get this done”. Any maintenance or fixing work around the house that needs to get done, that needs nothing larger than a drill – he discards it as “simple”. I looked at him with the same fascination one shows a dinosaur – someone with extinct ideas. Why are statements a bad idea? Let’s consider what separates a professional tile installer from DIY tile installer.


What is tiling?

Tiling, according to the Mariam Webster dictionary website, is defined as “the action or work of one who tiles”. In my view, that is a rather simplistic way of defining something that is much more complex. Tiling is an engineering endeavor, an art and a science all wrapped into one. It is an engineering endeavor because it is a profession closely linked to the construction industry. Some of its tools are also used for other construction purposes. It is an art because it involves a sense of aesthetics that is often associated with the arts. And it is a precise science because the other definition of tiling is about “Euclidean space and geometric space”. Sorry about the weak joke, but tessellation is a concept used in tiling as well.


What is professional tiling?

It might sound like embellishments to some people, let me dive in. A professional tile installer doesn’t just “fix tiles”. Let’s take a look at some key points:

• The first and foremost is that the tile installer is certified by a standards organization, association, skills acquisition company or body. Ask any one in any profession what certification mean and you would understand. It is not your usual piece of cake. Certification delves into the depths and explores the width, searching all nooks and cranny of what tiling entails. This is where you learn that esoteric bit of knowledge that separates the usual (DIYs) from the unusual (professional).
  
  
• Second is the experience. Knowledge on its own is often just tried and tested data/information. It’s the work hours one has spent putting the knowledge into solving real-life scenarios that count. You can often tell the difference between the expert who has only tiled his own house (where he can “manage” the results) and a true professional tile installer. The experience of tiling with ceramics, porcelain, natural stone, mosaic, and others cannot be acquired by doing in-house DIY projects only.
  
  
• Then there is licensing. This is a profession, not a hobby. The professional tile installer should a member of an appropriate association. This way he/ she is exposed to the latest information, practices, products, tools, training, and workshop available.

Why professional tiling?

At the end of the day, for anyone ordering a tile installation, the standard of the finish is what counts. The best option for any tiling project is to get a professional tile installer for the reasons below.

• Get your tiling project done right the first time around: I will surely not be the only one to have come across tiling eyesores - tiling projects went wrong. Nowadays, tile installers get calls to come and fix tiling installation that’s gone awry. And it doesn’t take much for that to happen. A mispositioned tile can throw off the pattern and grout line. Use the wrong adhesive or sealant and water seeps through - ruining framings, ceilings and finished walls. I shudder to think what will happen if it comes in contact with electrical wiring found in places like kitchens. Save yourself the time and hassle and get a tile installer to do the tile installation once and for all.
  
  
• Best result at your budget cost: People who choose NOT to call professional tile installers often cite cost as the major consideration. I think that’s “horse manure”. It is financially smart to get a professional to do it for you. There is a direct relationship between the nature and quality of the product required and the payment made by the customer. A professional tile installer is also a businessman/woman who would want repeat customers and good referrals. The concept will be well planned, the best tiles (color, texture, size, pattern, adhesive, sealant, tools etc.) will be chosen and the plan executed to the last square inch. As with any other profession, a tile installer will give you the best bargain at the price you have in mind. And what more, you would sometimes get a discount. Remember, a bungled tile installation can be expensive to fix. Penny wise or Pounds foolish? You decide.
  
  
• Specialization: It's common knowledge that there are specializations in every field. There are also specializations in tile installation. Jack of all trade, master of none – that’s the DIY style. Tile installers often have specializations - bathroom and laundry renovations, tiles of ceramics, mosaic and natural stone on walls, floors and staircases in houses, commercial, industrial and public buildings, churches, swimming pools, outside installations and façades, the list goes on.
  
  
• Confidence: Appropriate certification, relevant licenses, experience, carefully planned concepts, attention to details, neat accurate and precise finish. That is what you get from a professional tile installer. This is a solid foundation for assurance that your tile installation will not be botched.
  
  
  

Conclusion

It can be really tempting to jump right into a tile installation project with the full confidence of my choleric uncle (he learned his lesson after a plumbing/tiling “fix” of the lower half of his shower stall sloughed off). It can easily backfire for the minutest of reasons.
We are a tile installation specialized company certified by a third party assessment of installer skills and knowledge recognized by the Tile Industry – the www.ceramictilefoundation.org Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF). Contact us for your next tile installation and let us help actualize your goal from concept to finish.

Tile installation might seem like a simple task that involves little to no complication, but in fact it is a challenging endeavor which ought to be left up to the experts. Davie Mac Tile is a company that has stood the test of time and irrespective of the problems which come our way, we always deliver top class work. There are indeed many clients which place their trust in unreliable companies and they end up regretting their decision at a later point in time. Yet those who have invested in us have been thoroughly impressed by all they have seen and experienced.

Here are some of the main reasons why working with a certified tile installer like ours is a great idea:

We have a distinct plan of action
As a certified tile installer, we know exactly what we are doing. At no point in time will clients find us plunging headlong into a task without having a distinct plan of action.

We get the job right the first time
Unlike many “Jack of all trades” tile installation companies which people encounter on a regular basis, we are a certified tile installer that never messes up a task. On the contrary we always do the job right on the very first attempt.

Excellent work force
To top it all we have an excellent work force which is made up of a diverse cross section of people. These employees are not merely knowledgeable but exceptionally practical.

​Swift work
We have excellent client reviews thus is owing to the fact that we always do the tile installation very swiftly. We have all the infrastructure and technology to the any tiling work done in a timely manner. Keeping up with the changing times is something we take very seriously and this is something our clients really appreciate.

These are simply some of the few reasons why clients that work with us are thoroughly impressed by all that we are able to do. We do not believe in making tall claims, on the contrary we pride ourselves on letting our work speak for itself. Those who have worked with us and availed of our services in the past have been very impressed by all that they have seen as well as witnessed. Working with a reliable brand involves such little trouble and that is why it is always a preferred option.

About a month ago I was in a workshop for tradesman in Tile Installation when I met this guy who was very experienced in the area. We began talking about how to present to the customer the idea of having a shower waterproofing system installed in the bathroom walls. It seems very logical that's the very reason why we put tiles on walls, to make.it waterproof. But as we come to find out through out the years, that's not enough. We need to make the walls before tiling waterproof with good prep work and materials. Of course, that means an increase on the customers budget, which is not always welcome, to say the least.

That's when this guy I was talking to told me: Did you know that on average shower walls and floor takes as much water a year as a regular house rooftop? It's around 28,000 gallons of water a year.

Time and time again I get calls from people having to deal with water leaking from the shower floor down the to floor below. It's a big hassle. Even bigger when someone other than the customer, hence the neighbors are the ones getting their head wet. Not to say when there's no sign of a leaking problem but water it's been making it's way to the back of the wall, causing mold and all kind of nasty things.

Fixing it's always more expensive than preparing and doing it right the first time.

Keywords: Waterproofing membrane, Schluter Systems, Laticrete, Kerdi, Wedi, Nobleseal, Tile installation, Roof, Water

Now days we're experimenting a shift in the marketing world. We have been in business for a long time and aside of "word of mouth" we need to make our presence on the web to reach people with tile installation needs. Our focus is to provide the best quality, professional and courteous service there is and as result of that we've been getting great reviews. It's personally very satisfying when I see a smile and a genuine comment from someone I had just finished a job for.

We strive to deliver the best possible final product, from the day we met as I am introduced to the job to the day we put away our set up and clean up the job site. It's extremely important we leave a good impression on people's mind because that's how we're going to be remembered for.

On the other hand, as part of that same philosophy, I would like to extend an olive branch to those that in some capacity haven't been totally satisfied with our services: Please don't hesitate to let us know; give us the opportunity to make it up to you.

We like to say to our customers: "Your satisfaction is our biggest asset." and it is indeed.

Tile Shower installation, Waterproof solutions, Backsplash installation, Fireplace, Glass Tile, Marble, Porcelain, Schluter Systems, Radiant Flooring Heat, Tile repairs, anything related to tile, we're here for all your tile installation needs.

I believe our house is a very strong symbol of that very thing I am talking about. I has everything to do with our roots, it's a symbol of heaven, it's our safe place, our identity and we strive consciously  or sub-consciously, day in day out to turn our house into our home.

The way we decorate our house say something about us, It is a form of printing our identity on it and making a statement of our character, our personality. The colors we paint the walls, where and how we place the couch, the vase, the rug, but more than that, how we maintain everything and align it with our inner disposition.

That's where we as tile installers come in and help you one step further bringing all those pieces together, whether it's a bathroom, a shower wall with deco and mosaic border, a herringbone 12x24 layout on the the floor, helping you placing tiles in the right place, just the right way taking into consideration the fact that's more, much more than just a work site, it's your home.

Last week I was called to a customer's house to give an estimate about a master bathroom she wanted to renovate. When I got there she took me to the second floor and told me what she had in mind.

A very modern design with 4x8 white marble looking porcelain tile staggered on the walls. 18x18 dark tiles for the floor, but to my surprise she wanted to install pre-fabricated iron cast shower pan...

I was kind of surprised because it's not usual and I don't think it would go well with the rest of the plan, but ok, I went along.

It's imperative that we as professional tile installers take care of waterproofing the bathroom and make sure everything lines up before tiling. Unfortunately many people are tempted to take the easy way out and they don't do the prep work correctly.

Now days there are many products and solutions in the market as far as waterproofing, but it's always imperative that you find a real pro to do the work.