thermal break to reduce heat loss to the concrete subfloor for faster warm-ups, and it reduces impact sound transfer to the condominium below. “The thermal break was so beneficial,” said Dobri, who has previous experience with other floor warming systems with the sound control element. “There is nothing out there that could do that with a 5/16˝-thick product.” The installation In order to ensure a high-quali- ty installation, Dobri meticulous- ly followed the manufacturer’s instructions and industry standard guidelines from start to finish. He began the installation by securing a self-adhesive polyethylene foam gasket to all the walls the tile would abut. This simple act ensured that a perimeter movement joint was present at all restraining surfaces from the bottom of the tile assem- bly, right to the top. This joint was essential to allow the tile assembly to expand unimpeded and to pre- vent the transfer of impact sound between the floor and walls. The next step taken was to level the floor before installing the mem- brane, which greatly simplified the tile installation by making it easier to keep any lippage between the 24˝ x 24˝ porcelain tiles to a mini- Feature: Tile brings warmth and quiet to oceanfront condominium Since there was another condominium directly below, impact sound through the floor needed to be managed to comply with the Gateway Grand sound abatement require- ments. Photo credit: Svetlana Leahy 42 TileLetter | May 2018