CustomTech Flooring Prep
CustomTech – the industry’s leading collection of technologically-superior, easy-to-use, professional grade subfloor preparation products designed for all types of floor coverings.
Surface Prep
Quality begins from the ground up. Preparing your surface is the most critical task of any tile or stone installation. Custom Building Products offers you one source for the needs of virtually any job.
Setting
The foundation of precise tile and stone setting. Whatever the application, CUSTOM® offers the broadest line of tile and stone setting materials in the industry to give the exact performance your job demands.
Grout
Tile grout with dependable performance and color. Look for tile grout with rock-solid durability, consistency and the largest color palette with Custom. Our grouts are easy to work with yet deliver hard, dense joints.
Care & Maintenance
Stains can RUIN Stone & Tile.Protect Yours Now! Stains on stone, tile or grout happen easily - and can leave permanent stains. Protect your surface against both oil-based and water-based stains with the right sealer.
Aqua Mix®
Professional Solutions for Professional Results Offering the largest selection of Sealers, Cleaners, Problem Solvers, Grout Colorant and Stone Restoration products, we provide professionals with the right tools and solutions; making us the #1 Contractor Preferred Manufacturer of Sealers and Cleaners.
Profiles & Transitions
Discover a better choice in high-quality profiles and transitions. Create stunning designs in tile and stone without unsightly edges. A complete line of high performing, aesthetically pleasing edge-protection profiles. Available in the most popular designs and styles, they integrate with most field tile to increase design flexibility and minimize safety risks.
Tools & Accessories
Precision demands the best. SuperiorBilt® Tools are professionally preferred for tile, stone and floor covering installations.
DIY Homeowners : DIY How-To Guides
Learning how to tile floors, countertops, and walls is easy when you use our 4 simple steps. Watch our do-it-yourself (DIY) videos and follow our step by step guides to discover how to install tile the easy way. Pick your tile installation project:
View Step by Step Instructions
Prepare your floors properly for a long-lasting tile installation. The tile must be placed on a rigid, level, structurally sound surface that is clean, dry and free of contaminants that could prevent a good bond.
Laying out the installation ensures your tile is set in a straight line and is square and level with adjacent surfaces. Often the best approach is to center the main field of full tiles in your project area, and adjust the field to leave partial, cut tiles-that are about the same size-around the edges. A scale drawing on paper can help you visualize what the installation will look like and estimate the number of tiles and cut tiles needed.
Clean surfaces prior to tiling.
Mark centerlines of the floor. Use a 3-4-5 triangle to check for square.
Do a dry run to determine tile placement and cuts. Place a row of tiles along each line, using spacers.
If the space at the wall is less than 1/2 tile, shift centerline to eliminate small cuts. This will allow wider tiles at both walls.
Work in chalked grids (typically 2 tiles by 2 tiles) allowing space for grout joints.
After setting your full tiles, go back to set tiles requiring cuts. Mark cuts with a grease pencil or china marker.
Make straight cuts using a tile cutter or wet saw. Notched or curved cuts and v-cap or quarter-round tile cuts require a wet saw.
For unique shaping, use tile nippers to cut away small pieces of tile.
Creating a strong bond is an essential part of tile installation. In areas that may be exposed to water or heavy usage, we recommend using a polymer-modified thin-set mortar.
Set tile firmly into place while slightly moving the tile back and forth to help tile settle. If tiling a wall, ensure the first row is level before adding more rows.
Use spacers to ensure proper distance between tiles.
Clean off any mortar left between the tiles or on the surface of the tile with a sponge or scrub pad.
Using cool, clean water mix the grout to a lump-free, non-pourable consistency.
Using a grout float held at a 45° angle, spread grout firmly into tile joints. Make sure grout joints are completely filled.
Allow grout to set for 10-20 minutes then lightly clean tile and shape grout joints with a damp sponge. Use a damp, not wet sponge for best results.
Buff off remaining grout haze with a clean, dry cheesecloth after grout has dried for about 2 hours. Let grout dry 48-72 hours before sealing.
Following proper maintenance techniques with TileLab®, AquaMix, or StoneSpecific™ sealers and cleaners will keep your stone, grout and tile looking like new. Sealing stone or grout after installation ensures future maintenance will be quick and easy.
Wait 48-72 hours after installation to seal. Even if your tile is glazed, the grout can get stained and needs to be sealed.
Test sealed surfaces for effectiveness every year. Sprinkle water on the surface at various locations; if it penetrates, then renew by applying one coat of sealer.
Routine Cleaning
Preparing the Surface
Setting Tile
Grouting
For best results, use SuperiorBilt® tools.
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