Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8472 2016 | TECH tile- cutting and set- ting tool sales in general. The format of tile is increasing in size and varying thickness, which is forcing contractors to update the cutting and drilling abilities on the jobsites. Manual tile cutter sales have increased over the last few years and are continuing to climb. Twenty-four-inch tile cutters that used to be considered large, are now the normal selling size in our industry. That said, it is not uncom- mon to see 36” and up to 52” man- ual tile cutters as routine sales in our business. As we offer numerous qual- ity levels in these manual cutters, we are noticing the higher quality prod- uct sales are increasing. Today’s porcelains continue to peak on the hardness scale with less water absorption. They are fired at super- hot temperatures, making them harder and denser to cut and install, so the tools needed to complete the job successfully must be updated to reach the level of quality expected. Thin tiles continue to penetrate our market and will continue to thrive in time. As we are now learn- ing the best strategies and proper methods to install these large pan- els, the tooling will be a necessity for the contractors who choose to take advantage of this new wonder- ful material. The main tools that will be needed to properly install these new larger panels are some of the following: fork lift extensions (mini- mum 84”) for loading and unloading the container or cartons in which the products are delivered; proper notch trowels for maximum cover- age; suction-style lifting frames and carrying carts; manual or electric tile panel cutters for scoring and snap- ping; separation pliers to make the actual final cut of a manual score. My advice to contractors is not to be afraid of these great new materi- als, but to educate yourself and be in position to take full advantage of the industries new products for a new era! Greg Gelston, president Profilitec Corp. www.profilitec.com When I first entered the tile indus- try about 30 years ago, we were in the process of transitioning from standard 8” x 8” floor tile dimen- sions to unbelievably large 12” x 12.” There were even rumors that tiles as large as 16” x 16” and even 24” x 24” were being produced in Europe! Fast forward to present day, and 12” x 12” floor tiles are quickly giving way to much larger dimensions that can reach up to 10’. I have always pre- ferred larger dimension tile, but along with it comes a series of new installa- tion challenges. For example, as tile becomes larger, it becomes propor- tionally more difficult to assure even- ness between adjacent panels, both for floor and walls. Further, as explained to me recently by several seasoned tile installers, regardless of skill and capability, unwanted tile lip- page can occur as a result of mortar shrinkage. All this to say that today, as stan- dard floor tile dimensions continue to get larger, it is important that anti- lippage systems are taken into con- sideration for every project. There are many systems to choose from, but most important for any install- er is to assure that the system select- ed maximizes efficiency and does not hamper productivity. Time is money! TOOLS, ACCESSORIES and APP PRODUCTS –––––––––––––––––––– European Tile Masters (ETM) EuropeanTileMasters(ETM)isknown in the industry for designing tools that makes the installer’s job easier. For instance, ETM has just finished the 14th generation of the ETM-Grip. Because designing and engineering are done in the U.S. ETM is able to meet and exceed expectations of the customer and the industry in gen- eral. Because it is extremely difficult and dangerous to cut a 5’ wide tile on a table, ETM designed the ETM Panel Cutter. Features include: ease of placing tile on the frame; designed to reach across full width of tile with ease; cutter is adjustable to 3, 6, 12mm thickness- es; designed for up to 1.6- meter wide tile; includes Euro-Snap; two built-in tape mea- sures eliminate the need to mark tile. www.europeantilemasters.com L a c k m o n d Products® intro- duces BEAST™ Turbo Mesh Porcelain Tile Blade. It incor- porates the most advanced tech- nology available, including a unique rim which greatly aids in cooling the blade, resulting in longer blade life and extremely clean and fast cutting. The Beast Turbo Mesh Porcelain Tile Blade is engineered with a thin-kerf cutting edge which ensures a clean, fast cut while minimizing chipping. It utilizes a reinforced, silent-core hub which ensures strait cuts and greatly reduces noise. The Beast Turbo Mesh Porcelain Tile Blade is appropriate for Tools, accessories and apps