Grout & Tile Cleaning

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. When you see a crack in your grout, you are looking at a structural failure, not a cosmetic blemish. […]

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. My back still hurts from that slab. That is the reality of the trade. If you do not respect […]

The sound of a hollow tile is the sound of a failure waiting to happen. You walk across your kitchen or bathroom and hear that distinct, high pitched click or a deep thud. It is the sound of an air pocket. Most homeowners think they have two options which are living with the noise or […]

The physics of ink and the reality of porous tile surfaces 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 and think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I have spent 25 years with sawdust under […]

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 job was a nightmare. The previous installer thought a bit of extra glue could bridge a half-inch valley […]

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, but it never does. I have seen the same corner-cutting happen with tile grout. You spend thousands on high-end porcelain […]

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor would not click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It will not. I have seen $20,000 installations of hardwood floors fail because someone thought a 1/4 inch deviation over […]

The pink film in the shower stall The pink sludge appearing in the corners of your shower is not actually mold. It is a biological alarm. Most homeowners see that rosy hue and reach for the bleach, thinking they are fighting a fungus. They are wrong. This is an airborne bacterium called Serratia marcescens. It […]

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. After I finished that 1,200 square foot porcelain install, I watched the homeowner walk in with a bottle of acidic vinegar and a scrub brush. It nearly broke my heart. Most guys skip the leveling […]

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 obsession applies to stone showers. Most people look at a marble or travertine shower and see a luxury surface. I see a porous mineral sponge that is currently engaged in […]