Indent Fractures are quite common in large format tile installations.
But have you considered how these tile mishaps can affect your linear drain installation? You should.
There is a great article on "Indent Fractures" in the current issue of Tile Letter (November 2011). Here is a link to Tile Letter http://www.tileletter.com/category/tile-business-articles/ Take a coffee break and read this article by Donato Pompo a ceramic tile consultant and founder of Ceramic Tile and Stone Consultants.
Indent fractures can occur when to much thin set or too much of the wrong type of thin set is used. Lets say you are unaware of this and install your linear drain over your primary shower drain and you use too much mortar bed mix and it is too rich or too wet. Now in the beginning everything looks great.
But as time passes by the mortar bed shrinks. The mortar bed pulls on your linear drain and in a short amount of time you have water pooling on both ends of your drain!
Sound like a wife's tale. It's not.
I have already heard of this happening right here in Vancouver. A setter who I thought was capable - clearly is not. I have removed his name from my installer list. Makes sure you check references of the people you hire! It looks so easy online. Follow this. Do that. Good to go - right? Wrong. Understanding how each product works with each other takes years of training and attention to detail.
You would be surprised at how little your old crew really knows about this business.
Indent fractures are not common in showers with small 4"x4" tiles. Not common with 4"x4" shower drains. But the new shower has less grout joints and bigger tile. The drains are linear sometimes over 5'. Is your same old same old going to work for you? It can.
Extra care needs to be taken when designing and selecting the products you need for your new linear drain shower. Placement of diamond lath critical. Far too many times it is placed at the wrong part of the shower - the bottom. It needs to go in the middle to work well.
The type of shower you build as well will dictate the way you proceed and the way you go about selecting the right linear drain.
I have seen many tile setters working with oversized trowels around town. Levelling clips and the whole nine yards. Lots of setters complain about irregular tile but how many know they are not allowed to use their thin set to build up a 3/4" corner?
In a shower with a 1% grade do you want to risk your new 18"x36" tile getting sucked down in the middle and holding water?
Lots to consider. Hire a pro - or do the research yourself.
Tile letter is a great place to start.
Think about the force required to pull a tile down - make it concave in the middle. Now think about the waterproofing system you used. Can it take this stress? Will the seams be compromised? What is used to join the seams? Can they handle movement?
All good questions.
When looking for better waterproofing products to build my showers this flexibility or room for movement became very clear that it needs to be there. I learned a lot chatting with European designers, architects and tile setters over the years. Today we work with flexible thin-sets (S2's) Grani Rapid my favourite todate. We work with liquid membranes that are over 22 mil thick or with Noble Seal TS which is 30 and uses a chaulking type adhesive that allows for watertight seam with out so much concern for movement.
MIxing up a few bags of sand and cement don't appear to be the answer. They are if your the tile crew and you bill by the square foot. I would suggest any homeowners reading this post to ask exactly the process to be used installing your new drain be and then look up these issues yourselves.
Update July 17, 2012
I have started a series of Tile Tips for shower and bathtub installations. They are all showcased on the Houzz web site. Here is my latest;
You can click the arrow keys below the picture to scroll through all ten tips for selecting the best tile for your shower renovation
With larger tile comes larger amount on setting materials or thin-set. These increased thickness levels can increase your risk for an indent fracture. Make sure the products used to install your larger format tile is designed for this.
Please visit my Houzz Profile page for more tips and more installation advice.
Best,
John Whipple
By Any Design Ltd.
(604) 506 6792
sales@no-curb.com
But have you considered how these tile mishaps can affect your linear drain installation? You should.
There is a great article on "Indent Fractures" in the current issue of Tile Letter (November 2011). Here is a link to Tile Letter http://www.tileletter.com/category/tile-business-articles/ Take a coffee break and read this article by Donato Pompo a ceramic tile consultant and founder of Ceramic Tile and Stone Consultants.
Indent fractures can occur when to much thin set or too much of the wrong type of thin set is used. Lets say you are unaware of this and install your linear drain over your primary shower drain and you use too much mortar bed mix and it is too rich or too wet. Now in the beginning everything looks great.
But as time passes by the mortar bed shrinks. The mortar bed pulls on your linear drain and in a short amount of time you have water pooling on both ends of your drain!
 |
| If too much mortar or the wrong kind of mortar is used you could find yourself looking at something like this with your linear drain installation. The picture is dramatized to show the effects of Indent Stress on linear drains. |
Sound like a wife's tale. It's not.
I have already heard of this happening right here in Vancouver. A setter who I thought was capable - clearly is not. I have removed his name from my installer list. Makes sure you check references of the people you hire! It looks so easy online. Follow this. Do that. Good to go - right? Wrong. Understanding how each product works with each other takes years of training and attention to detail.
 |
| A premium mortar bed from Mapei. Mapecem Fast Setting Screed Mortar is one of the best Mortar beds money can buy. Able to waterproofed as fast as 14-16 hours after installation. |
You would be surprised at how little your old crew really knows about this business.
Indent fractures are not common in showers with small 4"x4" tiles. Not common with 4"x4" shower drains. But the new shower has less grout joints and bigger tile. The drains are linear sometimes over 5'. Is your same old same old going to work for you? It can.
Extra care needs to be taken when designing and selecting the products you need for your new linear drain shower. Placement of diamond lath critical. Far too many times it is placed at the wrong part of the shower - the bottom. It needs to go in the middle to work well.
The type of shower you build as well will dictate the way you proceed and the way you go about selecting the right linear drain.
I have seen many tile setters working with oversized trowels around town. Levelling clips and the whole nine yards. Lots of setters complain about irregular tile but how many know they are not allowed to use their thin set to build up a 3/4" corner?
In a shower with a 1% grade do you want to risk your new 18"x36" tile getting sucked down in the middle and holding water?
Lots to consider. Hire a pro - or do the research yourself.
Tile letter is a great place to start.
Think about the force required to pull a tile down - make it concave in the middle. Now think about the waterproofing system you used. Can it take this stress? Will the seams be compromised? What is used to join the seams? Can they handle movement?
 |
| Using a larger roll of waterproofing allowed me to waterproof this shower in one section for the base. No seams at all. |
When looking for better waterproofing products to build my showers this flexibility or room for movement became very clear that it needs to be there. I learned a lot chatting with European designers, architects and tile setters over the years. Today we work with flexible thin-sets (S2's) Grani Rapid my favourite todate. We work with liquid membranes that are over 22 mil thick or with Noble Seal TS which is 30 and uses a chaulking type adhesive that allows for watertight seam with out so much concern for movement.
MIxing up a few bags of sand and cement don't appear to be the answer. They are if your the tile crew and you bill by the square foot. I would suggest any homeowners reading this post to ask exactly the process to be used installing your new drain be and then look up these issues yourselves.
Update July 17, 2012
I have started a series of Tile Tips for shower and bathtub installations. They are all showcased on the Houzz web site. Here is my latest;
Browse Storage And Organization on Houzz- For Example:
You can click the arrow keys below the picture to scroll through all ten tips for selecting the best tile for your shower renovation
With larger tile comes larger amount on setting materials or thin-set. These increased thickness levels can increase your risk for an indent fracture. Make sure the products used to install your larger format tile is designed for this.
Please visit my Houzz Profile page for more tips and more installation advice.
Best,
John Whipple
By Any Design Ltd.
(604) 506 6792
sales@no-curb.com
