b'ASK THE EXPERTSAsk the Experts Q&As are culled from member inquiries to NTCAs Technical Support staff. To become a member and make use of personal, targeted answers from Technical Support staff to your installation questions, contact Jim Olson at jim@tile-assn.com.QUESTION ANSWERIamamemberandneedaIdontbelievethesetilesneed fewquestionsansweredabouttobesoakedbeforeinstallation. anencausticcementtileinstalla- Thebestwaytocheckbondto tion.Ionlyhaveabout35sq.ft.thesubstrateistoremoveone installed,butthehomeownerontoseehowwellitwasadhered. a job insists I should have soakedSince the dealer does not have a the tiles prior to installation to cre- comprehensive installation recom-ate a proper bond. I am trying tomendationandthistiledoesnot checkwiththemanufacturerformeettheANSIA137.1Standard theirrecommendationsbuttheySpecifi cation for Ceramic Tile, the are in the UK and Ive had a delaydecisiononwhetherornotto due to time zone differences. Thesoakthetilespriortoinstallation setting material manufacturer saidshouldbereviewedwiththetile that since the back of the tile wasandsettingmaterialmanufactur-wet,theyareconfi dentitwoulders.Requestwritteninstallation bewelladhered.Arethereanyinstructionsfromeachmanufac-standardsforinstallingencausticturer along with their warranty on cement tiles?this project. Robb Roderick, NTCA Technical Trainer/Presenter, with input from Scott Carothers, CTEF Director of Certifi cation and Training; Mark Heinlein, NTCA Training DirectorQUESTIONI was curious if you could direct me to an industry document sup-portingthepropertechniquefor 18 TileLetter | September 2020'