Learn about the secrets to a successful tile installation and understand how surface preparation is critical to the overall success. You will gain knowledge on how to conduct pre-installation inspections, implement proper surface preparation and how to select the right product for your installation. This webinar offers you insight into the secrets of a successful tile installation and explains why investment in training is critical for your business. Visit tecspecialty.com for more tile installation expertise.

2.  Universal practices to
avoid call backs

3. Unexpected
Disruptive
Contentious
Costly

4. Unexpected
Disruptive
Contentious
Costly
Lost profits
Lost opportunities

5. Know What You’re Up Against

6.  How many businesses conduct thorough
pre-installation inspections?

7.  How many businesses conduct thorough
pre-installation inspections?
 Pre-bid (when possible)
 Sales function
 Pre-construction (always!)
 Installation function

8.  Dedicate staff to pre-installation
inspections
 Gain experience
 Develop expertise
 Effective
 Efficient

9.  Integrate staff into the installation
process
 Good communicator
▪ Valued resource for your customer
▪ Valued member of the installation team
 Vested interest

10.  Start with a
Pre-Installation
Checklist

11.  Substrate area (sq. ft.)
 General walk-around
inspection
 Building history and
expected uses

12.  Type of substrate
 Substrate condition
 Type of joints
 Flatness/levelness
 Existing
contaminants
 Porosity

13. Master the Art
of Selling Surface Preparation

14.  Common misconceptions of surface
preparation

15.  Common misconceptions of surface
preparation
 Unnecessary!
 Running up extra charges!

16. “Surface prep is a nice to have,
but not a need to have.”

17. Reality:
Substrate must be
smooth and level and
contaminant-free

18. “Surface prep takes too long.
You lose days of work.”

19. Reality:
Not doing initial surface prep may take
longer in end & result in costly call backs.

22. Reality:
Many manufacturers
have fast setting
membranes and
underlayments that
allow for same-day
installation

23.  Overcome common misconceptions
of surface preparation
 Illustrate the necessity of addressing
substrate irregularities and
imperfections

24.  Document substrate
irregularities,
imperfections and
contaminants
 Time-stamped photos
with smartphone
Fri, 5/13/16 8:36 am

25.  Include photos
of what will
happen if
surface prep
isn’t conducted

26.  Identify surface preparation
needs in a detailed Scope of Work for
contractor bid
 Indicate products meeting ANSI
requirements

27.  Provide case studies of your
successful jobs that incorporated
surface prep

28.  Establish a base level of surface
preparation included in the original bid
or estimate
 Validates the importance
 Demonstrates spirit of partnership to share in the
solution
 Document threshold at which owner is responsible
for costs

29.  Use phrase “not to exceed” in Scope of
Work to prepare customer for how
you will deal with unforeseen costs

30. Know the Best Product Solution
to an Installation Challenge

31.  Research industry recommended
technologies in TCNA handbook

32.  TCNA Material Selection Guides
 Large and Heavy Tile (LHT) Mortar
▪ Formerly medium bed mortar
▪ Minimizes slump
▪ Up to ½” thick after tile is embedded

33.  TCNA Material Selection Guides
 Large and Heavy Tile (LHT) Mortar
▪ Typically used for setting large tiles
▪ Tiles with at least one side greater than 15”
long
▪ “Not intended for truing or leveling substrates
or the work of others”

34.  Installation
methods
referenced in
project
specifications

35.  Look to material manufacturer
warranty offerings for leading edge
technologies and solutions

36.  Warranty options
 Defective material
 Provides a specific function
▪ Waterproofing
▪ Crack isolation
 Material and labor
▪ Replacement labor in the event of a valid warranty claim
against the material

37.  TCNA recommendation
for grouts
For installations that may be
exposed to staining, specify
tile and grout suitable for
exposure. Consult product
manufacturers; see also
Product Selection Guides.

38.  Standard cement
grouts
 Sanded or unsanded
 Commonly
recommended for
residential and
commercial
installations

39.  Epoxy grouts
 Differing installation
techniques
 Recommended for
▪ Chemical resistance
▪ Stain resistance

40.  Premixed grouts
 One part, ready-to-use
 Recommended for
▪ Color consistency
▪ Stain resistance

41.  Advanced
performance grouts
 Installs like standard
cement grout
 Recommended for
▪ Color consistency
▪ Stain resistance

42. Invest in Training

43.  Dedicate 2 % of your
budget to training
installers
 70% of companies say
“capability gaps” is
one of their top 5
challenges (Forbes)

44.  Ceramic Tile Education
Foundation (CTEF)
 ACT (Advanced Certification for Tile
Installers)
 Department of Labor
approved trainings

45.  Build relationships with
manufacturers
 Participate in
manufacturer trainings
▪ In-person
▪ Webinars
▪ Tech Support Hotlines

46.  Know What You’re up Against
 Master the Art of Selling Surface Prep
 Know the Best Product Solution for
an Installation Challenge
 Invest in Training

47. Thank You!
Questions?
Email:
tom.plaskota@hbfuller.com