Adam Esparza of Ale Tile joins Aaron and Tracy this week to talk all things tile! Adam shares his winning formulas, top tips and insider knowledge to help make your next tiling project a breeze.

LET’S CHAT!

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MOST COMMON DIY MISTAKE ACCORDING TO ADAM:

• Not figuring out layout

TRENDY TILES THAT AREN’T PRACTICAL:

• Cement tiles are high maintenance (require sealing), consider the same look in a porcelain tile.

TIPS:

• Asses foundation before deciding on your base flooring products.
• Large format tiles help hide difficult flooring areas.
• Choosing a cement base as opposed to Kerdi board is a more durable and affordable option, in Adam’s opinion.
• To deal with different levels of flooring (wood that transitions into tile etc.), the new mats filled with thin set are a great option. Adam urges you to get creative and use a threshold or a T molding if necessary.
• You really need to back butter plank tiles because they have a natural bow.
• Always figure out your layout, pick the right tile for the job and start small when you’re learning! Try not to cut corners- be patient.
• As your learning Adam suggests using the same color grout as the tile.

HARD-WOOD VS. HARD-WOOD STYLE TILES

• Wood gives the warm feeling
• Tile is more durable (great if you’re considering renting down the line)
• Heated mats for under the tile are an option
• Grout maintenance (Adam recommends a thin grout line close in color to the tile)

ADAM’S WINNING FORMULAS:

WALL MUD:1 shovel cement + 1 shovel lime to 4 shovels of sand.

FLOOR: 1 shovel cement to 4-5 shovels of sand.

 

TILE ON A BUDGET:

• Do something classic that doesn’t go out of style like subway tile.
• Big box stores will always be cheaper

 

KITCHEN GROUT MAINTENANCE:

• Epoxy grout is great for backsplash. It doesn’t stain or crack.

Adam recommends this company- https://laticrete.com

 

SANDED GROUT VS. NON-SANDED:

• Non-sanded grout is for grout joints less than 1/8th of an inch. Sanded is for anything larger.

 

QUICK TILE RUN-DOWN:

• Porcelain works anywhere and can take a beating.
• Ceramic is common in showers because of the glaze- it can also chip easily, so it’s better in lighter traffic areas.
• Glass is great for backsplashes
• Cement tiles stain easy and require a lot of maintenance- but look great!
• Marble and stone ages, and requires a lot of maintenance as well.

 

DIY MUST HAVES:

• Wet Saw
• A scouring cutter
• Trowel
• Mortar mixer

 

PHONE CALLS:

Q: Is Red Gard necessary?A: It’s a great sense of insurance for crack prevention. Adam highly recommends Laticrete Hydro Ban as well. More expensive but an amazing product.https://laticrete.com/en/tile-and-stoneinstallation/waterproofing/hydro-ban

 

Q: I’m going to tile my tub surround, how do I keep the bottom row from falling off?A: Adam leaves the first row out and then you can put a piece of stick or a straight edge to create a line to stack on. Once it’s hard the next day you can cut in the first row.

 

Q: We had a hard time pulling out the “plus sign” spacers. Is there a better product?A: Adam suggests leave in spacers that become part of the thin set, or you can just make sure they’re not protruding and don’t get thin set on them. Push them all the way in.

Aaron suggests the horse-shoe shaped ones and the self leveling ones.

 

ADAM’S INFO

Website | aletile.comThe Gram | https://www.instagram.com/aletile

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