Why Can KBS Customs Offer A 7-Year Guarantee On Their Tile Installations?

Get A Tile Installation That Is Not only Beautiful But Will Last And Last Because It Is Also Built Correctly!

There is nothing I can say here that will make the process of construction sexy. A beautiful tile installation is what you want in your home.

The fact of the matter is that beauty is only half the battle. The beauty of your new tile installation will not last if it is not built correctly using proper construction methods.

Before installing tile on areas that constantly get wet like showers, tub surrounds and even bathroom floors, it is best to use cement backer board and it is essential to properly waterproof. Reality is that both grout and all backing materials are porous.

That means unless a waterproofing material is applied, over the backing material water will always be penetrating the grout and the backer board and reaching your studs behind. These studs are almost always made of wood and they never have time to dry out between uses if your  shower gets frequent use.

What happens is that as the wood stays wet it gradually rots and mold and mildew start to grow from behind the tile. With time this first appears as black mold rowing in the grout joints and the grout begins to crack, ad the tile loosens as the all develops movement due to the rotten studs.

This is all easily and quickly avoidable, but most tile installation companies don't even know it or don't want to take the extra time necessary to do it because by the time it happens their guarantee is up and they are nowhere to be found! You can find this out very quickly by simply asking the tile installation companies that quote your job 'How do you waterproof my shower?' You will probably be able to tell from the honest answers 'we don't' or 'what do you mean?' or by the blank look on their faces or the fast talking that they do.

One other problem that is extremely common is that many companies also install tile with mastic (glue) and this actually dissolves when it gets wet. In our years of experience I can truthfully say that I can count the times I have come across a tile installation company that both waterproofs and uses cement instead of mastic to install the tile on one hand!

The vast majority make both mistakes of installing tile with glue and not waterproofing. Some go even further compound the problem further by using sheetrock to install the tile rather than cement board.

Sheetrock just turns to paper when it gets wet but it is used all the time because it cuts down on installation time being much easier to cut. The result is that your shower or tub surround is guaranteed to rot away instead of guaranteed to last!

If it is not caught quick enough, which many times it isn't, the wooden studs behind also rot away which mean you will need  expensive carpentry before rebuilding your shower. Usually there will be some degree of water damage to adjoining areas especially to the next floor down below the shower. Sound like a horror story? It is. One that we see all the time!

If the tile in your has black mold growing in the grout joints or the tile is bulging, cracking or falling off this is almost invariably the reason why. And you need to do something as quick as possible to minimize the damage.

Kevin Kennedy