Answering Your Tile Questions
- What is the difference between porcelain and ceramic?
- Do I have to seal the grout?
- What is epoxy grout?
- My tile is cracking. Why?
- I am tiling a small area. What size tile should I use?
- Where can I buy Yankee Hill Brick and Tile tile products?
- How long does it take to get a special order tile?
- Where can tile be used?
What is the difference between porcelain and ceramic?
Porcelain is 30% more dense than granite. Therefore it is wear resistant (ideal for high traffic areas), frost proof, through body color, and scratch resistant. Due to its low porosity it is great for counter tops, is easy to maintain, and requires no waxes, sealers or other surface coatings.
Do I have to seal the grout?
On grouts that have no stain resisting additives it is a good idea. We recommend Miracle 511 Impregnator. On high traffic areas we recommend using Laticrete SP100 Epoxy grout.
What is epoxy grout?
It is a self-sealing grout that comes in three parts. A&B Hardeners and colorant. Epoxy grout is more expensive but it requires no grout sealers and very little maintenance. We recommend Laticrete products.
My tile is cracking. Why?
Most tile cracks because of improper installation. It is mandatory that where tile is to be installed that there is no deflection in the sub floor. Any movement in the sub floor will result in tile cracking. We recommend the usage of fiber and cementatious board such as HardiBoard and Durock. Tile is best installed by a professional tile installer.
I am tiling a small area. What size tile should I use?
The bigger the better. Larger tiles such as 12x12 and larger actually make a small room appear larger and help reduce amount of grout joints.
Where can I buy Yankee Hill Brick and Tile tile products?
Yankee Hill Brick and Tile sells to qualified tile installers and floor covering shops. Please go to “Where to buy” on our website.
How long does it take to get a special order tile?
Yankee Hill stocks a significant amount of tile and tile related products. If you like something that needs to be special ordered we have routine trucks scheduled that ensure prompt service. Special orders are typically available in two weeks.
Where can tile be used?
Tile can be used for showers, tub surrounds, backsplashs, entry way’s, bathroom walls & floors, hallways, kitchen floors, and countertops. Most tile can be used in all of these applications. Porcelain tile can also be used outside, even where water freezes repeatedly. White bodied wall tile, on the other hand, should only be used on walls or where foot traffic is light, such as bathroom floors.