The market for large porcelain tile panels has increased dramati- cally over the past six years or so here in the United States. These large-format slabs/panels have been around for a longer time in Europe, however it was amazing to see how our industry embraced them here in the USA. A few of us were skeptical as to whether this was just going to be a fad or whether it is really here to stay. Now we know theseporce- lainslabs/panels are not going any- where. They are here to stay. Why? • The simple answer is: They make total sense. • They are large • Almost no grout joints • They are absolutely beautiful • They are very user-friendly • They take a lot less raw material to produce • They can be installed in areas where other types of tile would not be practical I will discuss some of the other reasons and benefits in a future article. But this article will focus on jobsite staging and preparation Jobsite staging and preparation for gauged porcelain tile slab/panel Sponsored by TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– By Ben Szell, European Tile Masters It’s necessary to focus on site preparation and choreography in order to successfully and safely install gauged porcelain panels, starting with knowing how the crates/frames will be delivered by the distributor. 54 TileLetter | October 2017