Why do the trades matter?

There’s been a lot of conversation about students who might be interested in hands-on work being made to feel that choosing academia is a better route for their future. And we’ve all got to take some responsibility for that way of thinking. Our culture seems to value air-conditioned office workers over those paving roads because we somehow think one job is more important than the other.

Hopefully, the pendulum on this mindset is swinging back toward the middle, but that’s going to take all of us consciously shifting our thoughts, actions, and words. The construction industry itself is doing a lot of work to instill pride and professionalism in its members. We have to acknowledge that some of the current reputation of a construction worker isn’t just because of ignorant stereotypes.

As consumers, we need to think about the humanity of the people we hire to work in our homes, of those who keep our infrastructure maintained, of those who work the jobs we might not be able or willing to do. How do we treat them? Are we dismissive, condescending, or are they invisible to us? Do our words and attitudes portray to those around us that we value all honest work and those who do it?

As educators, mentors, community members, we need to recognize the value that hands-on workers bring to our world. Without carpenters, plumbers, technicians, road crews, line workers, and other trades people, we’re all going to be living in mass-produced, unstable, pop-up boxes.

Let’s commit to valuing the satisfaction and reward of work that’s well-done – whether our student or friend chooses a desk or a jobsite for their career path. Our homes, business, and infrastructure depend on it. #QualifiedLabor #LocalCraftsmanship #Hands-onWork #WomenInConstruction

We want you to be informed about tile

We’re like most good tradespeople –passionate about our craft and doing it correctly. We take pride in serving our community with installations that are beautiful and long-lasting. And we want to be your tile installation company for this project and the next.

That’s why in 1985, we joined The National Tile Contractors Association. This like-minded group of professionals has grown over the years and represents the best collection of brains and talent in the tile world. And all of them want you to be better informed about your tile installation.

They’ve formed a Consumer Education Committee that’s busy producing documents to help you Find the Right Tile Installer, determine why you might have a Leaking Tile Shower from a failed installation, see if your tile might be Spot-Bonded, figure out what’s up with your Grout, and other documents to come.

These are being compiled on the association’s website under TileTrouble. The last thing any of the members of NTCA want you to have is Tile Trouble, so we want to be sure you’re informed and able to find the information you need as a consumer, home owner, or contractor.

There’s also a search feature on the website under Find A Contractor, so, if you’re outside the Triangle area, go there to start the search for your next project. And, if you’re in the Triangle area of NC, please let us know if Neuse Tile can help you avoid any tile troubles.

#NeuseTile #ConsumerEducation #TileTrouble #LocalCraftsmanship #NTCA

Which tile to choose for your project?

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the options and beautiful tiles when you first go to a tile showroom, so here are a few tips to consider as you’re making selections.

— Large tile is very popular, and it’s getting larger. Make sure your experienced installer will use the required upgraded mortars, take extra time to flatten the substrate, and ensure patterns flow with the maximum full tiles possible. Because most large tiles have some degree of warpage (curvature), grout joints and patterns may need to be adjusted to reduce lippage.

— Glass tile and sheeted materials also require different setting materials (and tools in some cases), so there’s usually a higher level of skill needed to install these materials. Many sheeted tiles may not line up the same way non-sheeted materials will (grout joint widths can vary from one sheet to the next). Keep in mind that when grouted, sheeted pebbles/ river rocks may look very different from unfinished sheets.

— Natural stones will need to be sealed prior to installation. If a stone is heavily pitted, grout will fill any holes, making some stones a poor choice for floors since high-heel traffic may impact these weaker parts of the end-product.

— Accents and liners should be similar in thickness to any adjacent tile. A good tile designer will steer you to products that line up well, so it’s important to take advantage of the talented showroom designers in our area.

— Grout joints are routinely 3/16″, so if you want a different width, be sure to discuss with the designer and your installer. Some tiles require specific types of grout and joint sizes, so it’s important to be specific in what finish look you want.

— Patterns, accents, and borders can add pizazz to a tile installation, so they’re worth including, but they do take more time to install, so your labor cost will increase when you add an accent or extra feature.

Tile won’t bend to cover up mistakes, so working with designers who specialize in tile and installers who are properly trained will ensure you get a long-lasting and beautiful result. #WhyTile

Is your shower leaking?

Friends in our industry association have created a step-by-step guide to what might be causing a shower leak. This resource from the National Tile Contractors Association will be useful to anyone who has a leaky shower problem.

https://www.tile-assn.com/page/TILETROUBLE

When dealing with a potential water leak, it’s important to get assistance from qualified industry professionals. Plumbers can perform pan, valve, and supply line tests to pinpoint the source of leaks. Beware of those who claim that leaking showers can be repaired by adding grout, caulk, or sealant. At best, these things may temporarily slow down the problem.

A properly constructed shower should provide many years of worry free use. You’ll get that when you hire a qualified installation company.

Who’s on your construction team

When you select a contractor or trades person to improve your home or work space, you’re inviting someone into your world for a period of time. They need to be cognizant of all your goals and needs for the space as well as of parameters of how you would like the work to be done.

It’s also helpful if you have a little insight into their universe. Most of those in the construction business for a length of time are in it because they love what they do and they enjoy leaving spaces better and different than they found them. They are usually craftspeople at heart who found a way to make a living utilizing innate talents. The good ones are also extraordinary mathematicians, visualizers, problem solvers, people pleasers, and even artists. They take great pride in their work and in leaving you with an improved space.

They’re also often juggling an unpredictable supply chain, ever-increasing costs of materials, evolving technology in the building trades, zoning and inspection requirements, a shortage of apprentices, health concerns for their team, the weather, and the purely physical demands of the job. If they’re business owners too, then they’re navigating taxes, insurance, liabilities, budgets, personnel, and forecasting. And then there’s that job they’re starting after yours…

It all looks straightforward and easy on television, but the reality of construction is more like fits and starts of expertise with a good contractor keeping everything on the rails and balancing it out when it starts to tilt. Just like so many things in our world today, a little grace and respect go a long way on both sides of the construction equation.

So, as we enter Construction Appreciation month, we salute those who have the delicate touch to finish large sheets of sheetrock so that every joint is smooth and doesn’t reveal seams; the carpenters who craft deck railings for precision spacing, strength and mitered corners; the tile installers who line up joints, flatten floors, and think through all the cuts before they start. When you hire the right craftspeople, their eye for detail, spatial acuity, numerical accuracy, and creative solutions can be pretty remarkable.

We give thanks for the trades whose nuances and precision make sure pipes fit tightly and keep everything flowing and functioning correctly; who align shingles and make sure valleys drain properly; whose painting hides brush strokes but keeps crisp corners; who hide seams and make sure doorways align ; and who pull the right wire for size, safety, and efficiency.

Choosing a tile contractor ‘by the book’

When you hire a tile installer, or any other skilled trade, you want to know they’re using the best method for your particular project. You may ask your neighbors or look up some on-line reviews, but how do you really know the work is going to add long-term value to your home or business?

Neuse Tile’s Nyle Wadford serves on the TCNA Handbook Committee and is Vice Chair of the ANSI ASC A108 Committee.

A great place to start is by asking about what industry standards and methods they plan to use for your job. If the answer you get involves some form of “we’ve always done it this way”, then you may want to do some more investigating. Like everything else in our world, the construction industry has evolved and changed with new technologies and products, and a tradesperson who only knows one way to practice his or her craft could be limiting the performance or life of your project.

You don’t need to spend the time to understand the intricacies of all their options, but you do need to feel comfortable that the person or company who is about to work in your home or business has the technical and practical knowledge necessary to know which options will provide the best, long-lasting solution for your project. In the tile industry, our Book is the Tile Council of North America’s Handbook. The current edition is 437 pages, and includes more than 300 methods for installing tile. We couple that with a thorough understanding of the American National Standards Institute’s specifications for products and installations, and add to it with continual industry training and association seminars.

Other construction trades have similar standards and methods to follow, and you want to hire someone who brings that level of expertise to your project. Remodeling and new construction are large investments, and having confidence in the knowledge and expertise of the people you hire will go a long way to helping your space be all that you want it to be now and in the future.

Questions to consider are:

How do they stay up-to-date on current building codes, regulations, standards, and best practices?

What industry standard or method will they use on your particular project? Why?

Do they carry all required business licenses and insurance to do the work and protect your property?

Do they run a business such that you’d be able to find them in the future if a concern arose?

Do they have a track record of references and documentation of quality and service?

Neuse Tile is happy to answer any of these questions for you; we’re big fans of Books!

Expectations vs. Construction Reality

Like most people, we’ve had more than our share of ‘screen time’ this past year. We love watching home improvement highlights. (Until we have to turn them off because some of their tile “techniques” make us nuts 🙂

 However, due to the compression of time needed for entertaining video, they leave out a lot of details. In remodel situations, we very rarely run into a job that doesn’t have an unexpected detail. Sometimes it’s really rotten framing under what was thought to be a ‘new’ leak; sometimes it’s poor work done by a previous contractor that has to be corrected in order to do a new installation correctly; and sometimes it’s a visual change that the homeowner asks us to make because their project “concept” is still evolving.

All these things take time, materials, and expertise to adjust. We have a great team we can call on when unexpected details arise, and we keep things moving as quickly as possible, but the project might extend a bit. There are also occasional material delays or back-orders that you wouldn’t see on screen. Storms, driver shortages, and even port problems can sometimes delay tile getting to us for the installation. We try to factor all that in and hold off on starting jobs until the material is in-hand, but it doesn’t always work that way in the real world.

There’s also the reality of life – a vehicle that blows a tire on the interstate, an installer who breaks his foot playing softball the night before, a project manager whose family member dies, a key team member who has a heart attack, or maybe someone important to your job gets sick. You wouldn’t see any of that on screen, and we try not to let it impact your installation, but all these things happened in the past year, so occasionally things just haven’t gone as planned.

And then there’s the expertise to actually do the tile installation correctly… On remodeling shows, it looks like some mortar out of a bucket is troweled onto the wall and then in the next frame all the tile is up and being grouted with one stroke. Granted it wouldn’t be the most exciting thing to show all that happens before tile gets installed: floor flattening, weep-hole protection, ‘mud’ mixing, slope checking, layout manipulations, stud shimming, waterproofing applications, backerboard placing and taping, transporting heavy tile, keying in, back buttering, measuring and cutting, grouting and cleaning and cleaning some more.

We love tile, and the intricate, hand-made craftsmanship that makes it beautifully unique and long-lasting is one of our favorite aspects. However, a quality tile installation from substrate to finish just doesn’t happen in quick video-driven time. Let’s all try to enjoy the great things being done with tile today, and remind ourselves that the time-honored craftsmanship and know-how under the tile are an integral part of the beauty of a well-done installation.

Getting your money’s worth from tile

Our customers are making an investment in their property when they choose tile. It’s not necessarily the least expensive alternative; and it’s certainly not the easiest to install. But it is the most long-lasting and best investment.

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A recent study commissioned by the Tile Council of North America, Inc. (TCNA), determined that ceramic tile was the most economical of 12 floor coverings. An independent construction cost consulting firm compared various types of tile to 12 other floor finishes such as hardwood, laminate, concrete, stone, carpet, terrazzo, vinyl, and poured epoxy. Life Cycle Cost Analysis methodology was used to project all costs associated with each material: installation (labor, material, and normal costs), plus periodic maintenance expenses to preserve and maintain the project, as well as final costs to remove the floor covering at the end of its useful life.

Over time, ceramic tile was found to cost less per year than all the other floor coverings over the life of a structure. Glazed ceramic tile came in at 0.33 cents per square foot per year over 50 years, and porcelain and quarry tile at 0.36 cents per square foot per year. Products such as carpet and vinyl have significantly higher life cycle costs due to the shorter life span of these non-permanent finishes.

When you want beauty that lasts and makes the most sense for your investment – choose tile installed by your local qualified craftsmen!

Life_Cycle_Costs_Table-2018_TCNA_Tile-the-Natural-Choice-1

Do one thing and get really good at it

We had a conversation recently about ‘diversification’. We appreciate dialogues that challenge “the way we’ve always done things,” so we spent some time thinking about the way we’re structured versus how some of our competitors operate.

For 56 years we’ve installed tile and stone in the Triangle area of NC. Some of our competitors have decided to install all things that go on floors and walls. They’ve created large enterprises and expanded their package possibilities. We’ve considered and discussed this kind of expansion many times, but it still just doesn’t make sense to us. Tile is a specialty product– there are endless tile options, and literally thousands of methods and application possibilities. It’s installed in all kinds wet areas; it doesn’t bend or flex; and yet it’s really meant to be a permanent finish. Therefore, the craftsmanship and knowledge needed to install tile that lasts over time is significantly different than that needed to put down a plastic or vinyl floor covering that’s intended to be changed out every 5-10 years.

We’ve spent decades getting really good at what we do –long-lasting tile and stone installations. We know a lot about the materials and methods needed to successfully install these unforgiving materials.  The artistry and precision needed to install tile well is a true craft, and the tile and stone industry is continually creating new products and uses to keep us challenged. Today we’re seeing larger and thinner tiles used to transform walls as well as thicker paver tiles set on pedestals for decking. Endless imagination and innovation ensure an interesting and growing future for our craft.

So, we’re not going to muddy our focus and tell you we’ll install everything because we still choose to do the one thing we’ve done for 56 years. We’re really good at it. It’s our craft, it’s our art, and it’s our service to our customers and friends.

For now, that’s enough to keep us challenged and creating every day. Thank you for the opportunities you give us to keep going.

Tile for an outdoor oasis

School has started (sort of), the nights are getting a little cooler, and Fall will be upon us before we turn the calendar. While this strange year has already made us think a lot about ‘outdoor living’; this Fall will reinforce the beauty and enjoyment of porches, decks, sunrooms, and open spaces.

Are you ready for it? You’ve still got time to give us a call about tiling your porch or renovating your deck before it gets cold. North Carolina Falls host some of the best porch-sitting weather, and in 2020, we’re all appreciating any great space that’s safe to share.

During the quarantine, we finally finished our long-awaited, personal porch project, and we can say it’s probably the best renovation we could have done for our family. We’ve eaten dinner together on the porch almost every evening since April, and it’s a perfect place for morning solitude.

All the porcelain tiles available today give you plenty of options for an outdoor space, and we’ve got systems that allow us to tile over concrete, deck boards, enclosed spaces, and even roof decks.

We are always passionate about using experienced tile installers, but it’s absolutely essential when dealing with outdoor installations that you select a team who has both the product and installation knowledge to stand up to the weather. Give Neuse Tile a call today and let us help you create an outdoor oasis to carry you through this Fall and well into the years to come.