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.QUESTIONto request this information or select I am building a new home anda tile that is specifically rated for learning things I never knew. Oneuse on a shower floor.is regarding what tile can be put onAdditionally, durability of the tile a shower floor. I want a shower asin this application may or may not intheattachedinspirationphoto.be affected by the type of shower Apparently, they used a tile that ispan being specified for this instal-nowdiscontinued.Thenewver- lationanditsabilitytoproperly sion I like is approved for a showersupport a soft bodied wall tile.floor. However, it is expensive andAnother consideration is the pat-has divots/irregularities. I was hop- tern and drainage system. If a run-ing for something smoother and inning bond pattern is used (with a budget. conicalpitchedfloortoacenter Mostblacksubwaytileisnot annotatedasforshowerfloors. However,mysalesrepresentative is telling me that it is perfectly fine to use a wall tile on a shower floor. Sheisrecommendingaspecific glazed ceramic wall tile 3 x 12 (black glossy). Is she correct?ANSWERAnytileconsideredforusein anyapplicationshouldhavethe manufacturers approval for intend-ed use. I suggest asking your dis-tributor/salespersontoobtainthe technical data sheet (TDS) for the tile you are interested in. The TDS shouldspecificallyincludeinfor- The NTCA Technical Team recommended mation if the tile is acceptable forthat this inquirer consult the technical use on a floor in a wet area (suchdata sheet and the manufacturer of the as a shower floor). If the TDS doestile to be sure the wall tile is rated for use notincludethisinformation,youon a shower floor. Just because it looks good doesnt mean it will perform well, can call the manufacturer directlyespecially in a challenging installation. 20TileLetter | October 2020'