***TILE CLASSIFICATIONS***

[Bud Cline]

Most consumers and Do It Yourselfers are not aware that: All tiles are not created equal.


Classifications of Ceramic Tile

P.E.I Wear Ratings from the Porcelain Enamel Institute

Group I: Tiles that are suitable for residential bathrooms with light foot traffic. Generally wall tile products fall into this group. Some wall tiles can be used on the floor. Consult the manufacturer of the tile for their recommended areas of application.

Group II: Tiles that can be used in residential traffic areas, except areas with high traffic, such as in kitchens, foyers, laundry rooms, etc.

Group III: Products that are recommended for all residential installations.

Group IV: Tiles that are suited for all residential and light to medium commercial.

Group V: These tiles can be in heavy traffic areas and are recommended for wet areas where safety is a concern, such as in food service areas, exterior areas, shopping malls and swimming pools just to name a few.

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[kalford]

Yea but how does a customer(DIYer) or someone who is just buying there own tile,at Lowes for example,determine the classification of a particular tile?

[John Bridge]

People buying tile at home centers, etc., have to be aware. That's why I've always advised folks to go to full line tile suppliers to buy their stuff. It's not because I'm particularly in love with tile suppliers. It's just that they have to know about the products they sell.

I won't even start about the "experts" at ..... again. Well, I guess I have, though.

[Bud Cline]

I posted this information for the consumers that come here.

Consumers must be made aware that not all DIY operations are what they see on saturday morning TV programs. In fact these programs only serve to do a few things for/to the consumer. They introduce consumers to concepts and home improvement products. They misrepresent the potential for costly failures of home improvement projects. They never fully delve into the whys and wherefores of any project they reference. They over simplify the knowledge and ability required to complete a project successfully. All this is done to promote the sale of the sponsors products.

[Harry]

Building centers are popping up everywhere supporting the quick fix and the easy installation for just about everything. I personally support the efforts of the Do-It-Yourselfer, but am against the quality of information being transfered by sales maketing groups who teach the sales departments in various outlets how to sell, sell, sell, while all the time claiming to be an expert. All the bells, whistles and multimedia used to promote their streamlined procedures are just another form of smoke and mirrors.

Many retail giants show video tapes to DIY's which are disquised as "Instructional Videos", supposedly with all the information needed to successfully complete their project, when in fact it is just a "Marketing Tool" meant to build enough confidence so they will purchase more products, and the bottom line is .... the less information they have, the less questions and doubt.

[John Bridge]

Hear, hear!

[Bud Cline]

I'm sometimes surprised at the people "in the business" that don't know there are "use classifications" for tile. This is not common knowledge you know. Just like the DIY'ers that think $5 is a good buy on 50#'s of thinset.

[selvalee]

hey Bud, just a question to stir up some trouble, and, cause trouble, and, be a ahole, and, well, you know, those carpet cleaners are putting together a class to inspect your installations, but, they will have no direct knowledge by doing it, or, hands on, nothing at all but reading a book, now, how do you feel about some carpet cleaner who has never install inspecting your work? and, the only time he will see it before the "class" is when he walks on it,
selvalee

[Bud Cline]

"GREAT TOPIC" Mr. Tucker. It will be interesting to see where this goes. But I've had acouple of all-nighters and I'm going to bed for now. Somebody remind me to talk about Carpet One's Installation Excellence Program along these same lines when I can think.

[kalford]

If a carpet cleaner steps on my installation and presumes to "inspect" it,my kids will be telling there friends about the time Daddy went to jail!!

carpet: a temporary "rug" used to cover a botched up floor.

[cm]

Who gives a bleep? Most people will be sick of the color long before the tile ever wears out. When is the last time you actually saw a properly installed tile wear out in a private house?

[cm]

I never even hear of tile classifications until a few years ago when all these hacks and retailers started getting into the business.. They will push a custome to buy a higher rated tile which is more expensive and then these hacks will put the walls up over greenboard and they will glue the floors down over plywood.. what the hell good is that $_it? How is that a better job?



[Edited by Bud Cline on 08-16-2001 at 08:21 PM]

[cm]

sorry for the typos...

[Bud Cline]

Tile classifications serve an important purpose when it comes to the need to indentify a tiles ability to serve for a particular use.

Light weight wall tiles with a soft bisque will not serve properly on a floor. A tile intended for use in a home would not serve well to drive forklifts on in a warehouse.

All of this may be obvious to those of us in the business but certainly not to everyone.

Many times a specific tiles class requirement is mandatory in architectual specifications to serve a particular purpose and to meet a life expectancy.

[cm]

bud...my family has been in this business for almost 100 years and my father and grandfather didnt need some bs classification to figure out that a white 4 1/4 wasnt suitible for a commercial floor that was going to be driven over by forklifts..

[Edited by Rob Zschoche on 08-16-2001 at 09:35 PM]

[Bud Cline]

Hey Chris, calm down a little.

I said this was obvious to those of us in the business but not to everyone. I also said in an earlier post, I posted this information for the benefit of DIY visitors to this board. This information is used everyday in the real tile world, I work with it frequently in determining exactly what it is a designer or architect wants from a particular product.

Now would you kindly edit your previous post just a little?

Thank you.

[Edited by Bud Cline on 08-16-2001 at 11:02 PM]

[Rob Z]

CM

We're all friends here, and if not friends...at least courteous acquaintances.

I'm not threatened by the tile rating system. To the contrary, I like it because it helps customers know what tiles are superior to others. I don't think it's part of a big conspiracy to oversell tile to the public.

Rob

[cx]

Hey, I haven't noticed conspiracies come up before.

I like conspiracy theories.

Can we have a conspiracy forum, John? But nobody can talk dirty or play rough like here, OK?

Cept prolly nobody would talk about conspiracies, like nobody never talked about boats on the boat forum that we kinda had.

[chip]

Just when I thought we could have some good ole' country fun, someone had to go and make a rule that we had to be civil.

Man you just can't find any forum's that let you cuss, berate, ridicule, chastize and all those other fun things, my family has been doing to others, for hundreds of years.

Before long, they will be listing classifications of civility, and then look out! I'll be hotter than a hornet!! I'll call you every thing but a white boy!! I'll be on you like white on rice!!!

You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could ya?



[Edited by flatile on 08-18-2001 at 03:36 AM]