b'TECH TALK specifi cationistheadvancementsuct types, but installation tolerances and availability of leveling clip sys- aswell.Levelingclipsystemsare tems on the market today that helpnot a fi nal end-all solution to prob-mitigateagainstthepossiblenega- lemsrelatedtoinherentwarpage tive effects of tile and substrate fl at- andjointwidthspacing,butthey ness. Not only is a clip system useddo provide an effective measure to as a spacer, but the wedges functionmitigate against the negative effects is to pull tiles from below and simul- oflippageandchallengesinfl oor taneously push tiles down from thefl atness.atter top to create a fl plane in the fi tile install. When potentialPaulMakovskiisthepresidentofnished lippage and fl oor fl atness are beingRiata Group, an industry consulting addressed in this manner, a tighterfi whose stated mission is to bal- rm joint may be achieved provided noancefunction,design,andproduct other jobsite conditions, as previous- transparencyinthecourseofper-ly mentioned, will negatively affectformingtheproductperformance, the fl oor. When opting to go againstinstallation, and sustainability-related industrystandardsormanufacturerservices offered. Their services include recommendations,especiallywhenthe preparation of supporting techni-usingalevelingclipsystem,thecaldocumentsneededforcompli-specifi erandendusermusthaveance with industry standards, build-anunderstanding,notonlyoftheing codes, and project criteria such as inherent nature of certain tile prod- LEED and OSHA requirements.Narrow joints are possible, but only when the tile is well within the siz-ing and warp-age tolerances for rectifi ed tile. Even so, an off-set pattern was not selected because a straight lay masks tile warp-age (minimizes lippage) where-as an off-set pattern would have highlighted the tiles warpage by causing greater inherent/unavoidable lippage in the installation, which would be particularly visible when natural light shines in on the installation. Also, the grout closely matches the tile, making the joints seem smaller/less obvious. Even with all of these factors, the grout joints are 1/8 wide, not 1/16.82 TileLetter | November 2019'