Grout & Tile Cleaning

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound because they think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. While I was on that job, the homeowner asked me about some nasty orange streaks in her bathroom […]

Hollow spots in floor tile are air pockets between the tile and the substrate caused by improper thin-set coverage or subfloor deflection. Detecting these voids early with the coin test prevents cracked grout and shattered ceramic. It is the most reliable low-tech diagnostic tool for homeowners and inspectors who need immediate results without expensive ultrasonic […]

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I have seen every shortcut in the book, and the result is always the same. You walk into a […]

I’ve spent over twenty-five years on my knees with a moisture meter and a level, smelling of oak dust and floor wax, and I’ve seen every mistake in the book. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job […]

Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That same job had slate in the foyer. The homeowner had been using a steam mop on it for […]

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I walked onto a job site in humid Houston last year where a homeowner was nearly in tears because […]

Professional floor installers know that the difference between a job that lasts twenty years and one that fails in twenty months is found in the preparation. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor would not click like a castanet. That same level of obsessive detail applies to […]

I once walked into a house where a custom slate floor, costing the homeowner a cool twenty grand, looked like it had been dusted with powdered sugar. The installer had vanished. The homeowner was frantic. They thought the stone was dying. It wasn’t the stone. It was a failure of chemistry and a fundamental misunderstanding […]

Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month with 30-grit diamond pads just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. That is the level of obsession you need if you want a floor that actually […]

Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. I once walked into a house where a custom shower floor had water pooling in the corners because the […]