Ode to 2020 hindsight
Hindsight is a powerful thing. There are so many times I have wished I knew something earlier.
I really wish I had known a lot more about tiling when we did some renovations to our home a few years back.
It all comes down to movement joints really. A very small thing when you look at it, but without them, cracked tiles. At the structural intersection between my original kitchen, and the new scullery we built on to be precise. Effectively these spaces are two buildings built right next to each other.
With knowledge gained from working at TAL, a leading tile adhesive and construction products firm, I now know that a tile panel movement joint (think slightly wider grout line filled with polyurethane rather than grout) should have been installed between these two sections of tiling. This serves to isolate them and allow for movement. Instead, we tiled right over the intersection of the two buildings, hence cracked tiles. Who knew? Not me at the time, and clearly not my tiler.
Sharing the knowledge
You will forgive me if I now expound on the values of asking for professional advice, and for doing research before hiring someone to work on a project. Taking this personal experience of my own tiling problems, drove me to ask the TAL technical team about everything I wish I had known when renovating, and adding them to the DIY Tips on the TAL website for others to avoid the same pitfalls.
There is a wealth of knowledge available for the homeowner such as myself, or for the DIY enthusiast, as well as more technical information for the tiler, contractor, specifier or architect. From articles written by the TAL technical experts with their years of experience, advising on best practice for large flooring installations and construction projects, to practical advice on what to look for when hiring a contractor.
There are lots of places to look for information, on many websites, but the point is to take the leap and ask the questions. After all, you don’t always have to have all the answers. Sometimes, you just need to know who to ask or where to look. Here’s to hindsight and to finding the answers you need.
Disclaimer
PS the scaled down description of a movement joint is all in my own words, and no reflection of the very clever people who work at TAL. Find the full and proper explanation of tile panel movement joints and how to construct them on the TAL website, along with a lot of other really good, technically robust information.