Efflorescence typically occurs when soluble salts (minerals) from the Portland-Cement are carried to the grout surface by excess water. As this water evaporates—it dries as a chaulky white haze on both the grout joint and tile surface. These…
Carpet construction, backing materials, and adhesive selection and application methods vary from carpet to carpet. To date there are about 70 different types of backing systems in use today and that number keeps growing as the carpet industry…
In the balancing act between the welfare of building occupants and the concerns of building owners, “green architecture” serves to bridge the gap between tomorrow’s sustainable design expectations and today’s budget realities. Throughout North…
MAPEI Americas had the privilege to host close to 30 attendees including NTCA 5 Star Contractors and their guests in Vancouver, Canada for their annual 5 Star meeting. The tile industry's finest contractors braved long flights and incredible lines…
Last week I attended the Tile Council of North America’s board meeting as I’ve done every year for the last 10 years or so. A comment was made during one of our meetings that got me thinking, something along the lines of ‘although we all know what…
Innovations in lightweight Thin Porcelain Tile (TPT) technology have changed the face of the construction industry—significantly reducing the overall dead load weight of a building without compromising strength and durability. It is important to…
I recently had the privilege to participate in the MAPEI Regional Sales meetings held in; St. Augustine, Florida, Monterey, CA and Austin, Texas. As part of the Technical Services, Architectural Sales Support team, I was able to discuss with our…
It is a mortar with densely populated nano particles, fibers, lightweight fillers and thickeners. Typically, when installing tile on a wall, a ledger board is used to minimize slippage issues while the mortar cures. Using a thixotropic mortar…