aren’t limited only to mosaics – larger 12” x 24” tiles also have their share of problems. “Although I can understand that an ‘allowable’ warpage may exist in every large- format tile due to manufacturing BUT, out-of-square tiles and tiles that vary in size by 1/64” - 1/32” are very difficult to deal with.” Educate the client to have rea- sonable expectations of what to expect from the job This also applies to showroom per- sonnel who often aren’t as knowl- edgeable about tile – and especially standards – as you’d hope. Sanders had a recent experience with $15,000 of glass tile pur- chased for a steam shower. When he inquired about the thermal shock rating and whether the glass met ANSI, the tile distributor owner replied, “Can’t all glass tile be used in showers?” Clearly, it can’t, and the tile had to be reordered. Sanders said, “We make an effort to be present with the designer and owner at the showroom or in early design meeting as much as possible to educate the owner as to the suit- ability of the tile and its intended use. Many times the showroom per- sonnel do not know the standards.” Waldorf explained, “I feel it’s extremely important to set reason- able expectations up front. I save a lot of headaches and problems by being honest and transparent with clients. ‘Under-promise and over-deliver’ is my motto. Like you and me, clients just want to know what’s happening with their home, and each challenge is an opportu- nity to build trust with them. This is why they hired a qualified pro- fessional, and sometimes you can be their hero just by delivering a quality service.” Will following these tips make the substandard tile problem go away? Probably not, but they may reduce your liability and contribute to a smoother-running job and contin- ued trust by your client. The same way tile setters need to take responsibility for follow- ing installation standards and best practices when installing tile, tile manufacturers and distributors need to monitor their products to provide the best-quality products for contractors to work with. “The tile manufacturers and dis- tributors should have an active role in making sure the tile set- ter has an acceptable product that the end user will be happy with,” Waldorf said. “We should be work- ing together as a team, and our end goal is complete satisfaction with the product and installation. If we don’t achieve that, another hard surface product will certainly take advantage of the opportunity. Many of us already fight a negative stigma about tile because of poor installa- tions that consumers have had to live with. The manufacturing end of the trade needs to keep a reason- able pace and approach as we push the limits of size and speed.” HOT TOPICS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 54 TileLetter | April 2018