DALLAS, TX -- The Marble Institute of America and Stone World Magazine partnered with Daltile and Custom Building Products to provide Dallas area installers with the groundwork for success. The April 9 Natural Stone Flooring Installation seminar, held at Daltile's facility in Dallas, brought together over 40 stone industry leaders to discuss the numerous elements that affect the correct installation of natural stone flooring. 

"I've been working with stone since 1982, but this class demonstrated for me that you can never stop learning," said Craig Tally of Choice Stone, LLC. "Classes like this one are so valuable."

The half day event covered three major subject areas: Knowledge of Stone (facilitated by Danny MacNair), Stone Installation (facilitated by Mike Micalizzi) and Stone Care & Maintenance (facilitated by Rod Sigman). Some of the key takeaways from the day include:

Knowledge of Stone

• The selection of large-format or mixed-sized stones will impact installation techniques.
• Know the stone’s absorption rate when used in wet areas.
• Sealing may impact the pigment of grout.

Installation and Surface Preparation

• Substrates need to be true and smooth.
• Use a medium-bed high-performance mortar.
• "Give your stone a break" by using expansion joints.

Care and Maintenance

• Not all stones need to be sealed.
• The purpose of a sealer is stain resistance and reaction time.
• Water-based and solvent-based sealers provide similar protection.

This event is one session in a year-long Stone Industry Education Series. Future events include:

May 14- Salt Lake City, UT