Tile Talk

Commercial Flooring Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

Published: May 17, 2023
Author: Ken Ahn
Porcelain and ceramic tiles offer a wide range of design and aesthetic possibilities, making them versatile options for various applications. Whether your project requires functional and utilitarian or bold and daring, porcelain and ceramic tiles offer an unmatched array of design choices from which to select. Interestingly, despite the many benefits, many specifiers seem to[...]

Commercial Sustainability Through LEED-Friendly Tile

Published: April 27, 2023
Author: Creative Materials
Sustainability has both a large and small definition. From a larger point of view, it means minimizing environmental impact. Sustainable building processes take measures to ensure resources used today are available for future generations. On a more personal level, sustainability means choosing methods and materials that last the longest with minimal repairs or replacement. Working[...]

Reducing Large Glass Tile Breakage

Published: April 19, 2023
Author: Ken Ahn
Let's talk glass tile. Specifically how to reduce breakage when working with large glass tiles. Cutting large glass tiles presents challenges with many variables to consider when determining the causality of breakage or underperformance. My experience with glass tiles (for the most part) has been a misinformed understanding of handling, drilling, installation, tools, and cutting[...]

Top 5 Tips to Minimize Lippage

Published: March 9, 2023
Author: Ken Ahn
Top 5 Tips to Minimize Lippage Yes, I’m talking about the much dreaded “L – Word”.  Lippage.  A word rarely spoken of or given much thought. Until...issues arise.  A simple, innocuous comment during a final walkthrough, could land you in punch list purgatory - with no way out.  Want to avoid lippage?  Read on. I’m[...]

The Truth About Grout

Published: February 27, 2023
Author: Ken Ahn
The Truth About GroutAhh, grout.  The underrated (mostly forgotten) second fiddle to its sexy counterpart.  Never gets the glory or praise, but when done right - brings everything together like a perfect melody. However, when things go wrong, grout can be the bane of anyone’s existence, as it can be a long and frustrating ordeal.Okay,[...]

Tile Talk December 2022 | The Great Outdoors

Published: December 27, 2022
Author: Ken Ahn
Long considered one of the most versatile floor and wall finishes in the industry, porcelain tile continues to flourish in popularity both indoors and outdoors. From small-scale mosaics to large format panels there isn’t a design or aesthetic need that can’t be achieved. Thanks to modern advancements in material production, digital inks, improved glazes, and[...]

Tile Talk September 2022 | Tile Over Tile Installation

Published: October 3, 2022
Author: Ken Ahn
Whether you are an architect, designer, contractor, developer, or owner, there are a number of reasons we have seen a huge increase in tile-over-tile applications. Luckily for our industry, improved product technology, and advancements make this once illusive practice a reality. Have a demanding construction schedule with fast-paced needs? Tile-over-tile serves this purpose, as demolition[...]

Tile Talk April 2022 | Clean Living

Published: April 26, 2022
Author: Ken Ahn
As we continue to coexist in the world of COVID-19, we encounter more and more specifiers focusing on clean indoor environments for their projects. Tile can make up a large footprint as a hard finish material, so it is without coincidence we are seeing an increased interest in tile’s performance, maintenance, and cleanability. At Creative[...]

Tile Talk February 2022 | New ANSI A326.3 Product Classification Standard

Published: February 22, 2022
Author: Ken Ahn
Okay, this is kind of a big deal – seriously!  For the first time in our industry’s history, the Tile Council of North America, in collaboration with the American National Standards Institute, now require tile manufacturers (as well as other hard surface flooring manufacturers) to provide “product use classifications” based on the properties of slip[...]

Tile Talk October 2021 | DCOF Refresher

Published: October 25, 2021
Author: Ken Ahn
Several years ago, the Tile Council of North America announced the new standard for measuring a tile’s frictional resistance.  The DCOF Acutest (A137.1) gave more detailed guidelines on how to measure the frictional resistance of an object already in motion. This means that as an industry we could now better understand the resistance of a[...]
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