Learning how to install GPTP/S So how do you learn how to install gauged porcelain tile pan- els/slabs properly, so you avoid an expensive lesson or learn at some- one else’s expense? Manufacturers and importers of gauged porcelain tile panels real- ize they need installers to install the product in order to sell it. They know it has to be installed correctly or it will come back to haunt them, as well as everyone else. As I always say, when there is a problem it doesn’t matter who is at fault – everyone pays either in time, money or reputation. So it is in everyone’s best interest to help the installers learn how to install these products correctly. Tile manufacturers and setting material manufacturers provide installation guidelines for gauged porcelain tile panels. Some have videos showing the installation process. Many of them provide workshops to help train installers. The critical part of install- ing these large tile panels is to achieve a structurally sound and flat substrate so it does not vary out of plane more than 1/8” in 10' or 1/6” in 24”. Another criti- cal part of the installation is to achieve full thin-set mortar con- tact between the back of the tile and its substrate. There are special techniques for applying the thin- set that you must follow. There are also special techniques for embedding the tile panels into the thin-set mortar in a way that allows the air to escape from under the tile, which is critical. If air is trapped under these tile panels, then that makes the tile panels more susceptible to dam- age if they are subjected to certain live loads or other stresses. Online education about installing GPTP/Ss If you don’t have time to attend a manufacturer’s workshop to learn how to install these large gauged tile panels, you can always take the University of Ceramic Tile and Stone’s online course and com- plete it in one night, or in as little as about five hours. The Tile Installer Thin-set Standards (ITS) Verification course not only will teach you in detail how to install these large tile panels on walls and floors, but it will also teach you the current tile industry stan- dards, practices, and methods for substrate preparation and for the tile installation. The online cours- es give you 24/7 access for two weeks. All you need is a com- puter and an internet connection. For details of the ITS Verification course content go to https://uofcts. org/online-courses/titc-certified/. The ITS Verification course sec- tion on how to install large tile pan- els is professionally narrated and has video and animations show- ing the detailed steps to installing the tile panels. It goes through TECH TALK –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 46 TileLetter | November 2017