Stone and tile finishes for the retail environment
The phrase "when properly installed" brings up an important point; the ability of these finishes to perform over the long term is related to the quality of the installation systems and to the installer's skills. The purpose of this article is to discuss the former item and leave the installer issue for another day.
What installation system should be specified, and what ultimately gets used? Do I want the least expensive? What do I really get for my money? What is the reputation of the manufacturer; does the company provide a guarantee? There are a myriad of questions and concerns, with many people ultimately throwing up their hands and stating, "Hey, it's all the same stuff, some Portland cement, sand and some other whiffle dust." But with that mindset, an end user may not get the performance that is expected. Nothing is worse than having sections of flooring coming loose, or cracks developing in the tile, or grout joints looking like they were saturated with diesel oil. So, it is best to try and understand installation systems from the bottom up.