Just like humans, all living things have to acclimate to their surroundings, or in other words, allow sufficient time for our bodies to adjust to the ambient temperature and humidity.  If you have ever flown to either Arizona or Florida and stepped…

The first question I get when I'm giving a talk on mortars is 'why do you have so many?' This one is easy to answer, it's because different mortars do different things. The followup question is usually 'how do I know which one to choose?' For that…

Since all tile/stone/glass installation systems are made up of multiple layers ( eg: substrate, surface preparation products, bond coat, finished covering and grout ) each layer reacts differently to thermal changes within the installation…

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…

Concrete toppings are formulated as 'wear surface floors' with high-compressive strengths to handle residential to commercial applications, eg: mall stores, restaurants, hotels, residential units...including industrial warehouse floors subject to…

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…