Frequently Asked Questions
Want to understand more about tile and why it's a good choice? Read our frequently asked questions and let us know if we can help with anything else!
Tile is a healthy choice, ceramic and porcelain tile is made from natural ingredients and free from toxic chemicals that can make you sick. Tile is the smart choice for a healthy home from the ground up! Tile is a hypoallergenic flooring option, naturally resistant to dust and other harmful pollutants that are known to cause a variety of health issues. Tile is a great choice if you suffer from allergies or asthma. Tile is impervious, meaning it's inhospitable to dust mites, bacteria, fungi, mold, and other irritants. Tile is inherently inorganic, emitting zero VOCs. VOC's are emitted by virtually all other types of flooring. VOCs are harmful gases that can cause headaches, nausea, and nose, eye, and throat irritation. VOC emissions are also a leading cause of "sick building syndrome". Tile is also a solid material meaning tile does not contain the binders common to other flooring and wall surfaces- binders like formaldehyde. Tile is also free from PVC, a resin commonly used in other surfaces to improve mechanical flexibility and heat stability. PVC contains phthalates and organotin, both regularly a subject of concern and discussion among health experts. PVC link.
- Tile is a sustainable building material, Certified Green.
- No other flooring or wall covering choice can compare to tile when it comes to longevity. When installed correctly Tile will last for many generations. This combined with tile being a zero-waste manufacturing material made it the most eco-friendly choice when it comes to flooring or wall coverings.
- Ceramic tile is plastic-free and completely recyclable.
- There are many tile options available that are made from recycled materials. Find some examples or here.
- Tile is Energy Efficient. Tile\'s inherent thermal mass reduces peak heating and cooling, which helps moderate temperature swings in your home. This means less work for your HVAC system and more energy savings for you.
- Manufacturers of tile have the lowest carbon footprint of any flooring choice! Tile manufacturers typically use materials found within 500 miles of manufacturing facilities, dramatically reducing the energy and emissions that come from long-distance shipping of materials.
Over the centuries, tile has represented the perfect union of art and architecture. The richness of tile adorns our greatest buildings and historical icons. Whether you are looking for a durable surface for your flooring or something with a wow factor, tile can and should fulfill both desires!
Short answer No. Why is this important? When considering a tile contractor to construct and tile your shower or bathtub surround please keep in mind that your shower will have an average of 1100" of water ran per year, in comparison the average rainfall for Seattle Washington is 36" per year! Make sure that whomever you choose to install your new shower tile has a plan for waterproofing before installing tile!
- Porcelain Tile, porcelain tile is impervious, meaning its water absorption is 0.5% or less. A great choice for any application. Easy to maintain and very durable.
- Ceramic Tile, similar to porcelain ceramic tile is fired clay. Ceramic is not fired as hot and long as porcelain making it a softer product. Ceramic tile also absorbs water at a much higher rate, making it a poor choice for most outdoor applications.
- Mosaic Tile, tiles having a facial area of less than 9 in². Typically mounted on sheets or strips with other mosaic tiles.
- Encaustic Tile, tile decorated with colored clays, inlaid and fired. Often referred to as Cement Tile.
- Marble Tile, marble that has been cut into tile sizes.
- Gauged Porcelain Tile Panels/Slabs; Large format tile that is gauged to a certain thickness, often only half the thickness of standard tiles and up to 63"x 126".
- Natural Stone, tiles cut from naturally occurring material, travertine, marble, etc.
- Feature Tile; tile that is used strictly to make a statement, express your artistic taste, and beautify your home. The choices are endless and as unique as you are! 3D tile, metallic tile, stone-look tile are just a few of the options.
- Brick joint or Running bond, Tile installation with each row offset, typically with half its length. (If the side to be offset is greater than 15", a maximum offset of ⅓ is recommended.
- Bullnose, trim tile with a radius on one edge, is used for finishing an edge.
- Backerboard; An underlayment material used as a substrate for tile. Some backer boards are waterproof and some need to be waterproofed for proper shower construction.
- Grout; the material used for filling tile joints.
- Honed; a satin surface with little or no gloss.
- Lippage; A detectable change in elevation between the edges of tiles sharing the same grout joint.
- Membrane; An underlayment material, usually in the form of a sheet or trowelable liquid applied to the substrate prior to tile installation. A couple of common uses of membranes would be to isolate substrate cracks from the tile and mortar (crack isolation membranes), waterproofing (waterproof membranes).
- Thinset mortar; A blend of cement, sand, and additional compounds to improve adhesion and add strength.
- Rectified Tile; A tile that has had all edges mechanically finished to achieve a more precise facial dimension.
- Trim; Various shapes of bases, caps, corners, moldings, angles, etc. to finish or trim tile.
- ANSI, American National Standards Institute, a standards development organization.
- ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials International, a standards development organization.
- NTCA, National Tile Contractors Association, Established in 1947, the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the professional installation of ceramic tile and natural stone. It is widely recognized as the largest and most respected tile contractors association in the world.
- TCNA, Tile Council North America. TCNA is a trade association representing manufacturers of ceramic tile, tile installation materials, tile equipment, raw materials, and other tile-related products.
- Coverings, The largest event dedicated strictly to tile. Experience nine miles of the latest tile and stone trends. https://www.coverings.com/
- CTDA, Ceramic Tile Distributor Association,
- CTEF, Ceramic Tile Education Foundation,
- TCAA, Tile Contractors Association of America.
- TCA Team, The TCA Team, a subsidiary of the TCNA, was launched to address the growing demand for tile installation consultations, inspections and expert witnesses.
- Tile Heritage Foundation, For research and preservation of ceramic surfaces
Rating
I can't say enough about the great job Rob at Conroe Bath Pro did for our bathroom! The tile work is beautiful, and his attention to detail is refreshing! He was professional and courteous throughout the whole process! We would definitely use Conroe Bath Pro again for our home!
Bathroom is a 9/10 and the results where above my expectations. Definitely love the heated floor. Robert pays attention to detail. Great worker.
Rob did a wonderful job in my bathroom shower, making it like brand new by giving it a much needed refresh! I had been using the guest bathrrom shower instead of my own until Rob made it enjoyable to use again. I highly recommend him for your handyman projects. I will certainly continue to request his services for our future home projects. C. Smith
They are amazing. Fixed our problem in 20 minutes at an incredibly fair price after having plumbers come out and say they couldn’t fix it. Call them first and get treated the right way.
Have you ever had someone that truly cares for your needs and ensures the job gets done right? Look no further. Rob ensures that all your needs are met. He truly puts care into the work he does. You will not be disappointed when you have him turn your project into a work of art.
Rob did a great job for us. His work was top notch and he was very personable. I recommend Conroe Bath Pro.
Rob went above and beyond for our shower remodel. His work was excellent and the cost of the project was VERY reasonable. He does amazing work and has the best attitude and suggestions. An all around great person who does great work. We would recommend him to anyone!
Professional and did a wonderful job after I was taken advantage of by another contractor. Thank you for making it right and making me love my bathroom as me and my late husband envisioned it.
Rob is very detailed oriented and has an incredible work ethic. He thought of things I didn’t think of and accommodated our wants and needs. My secondary bathroom renovation came out great. I’m very pleased with the results.
Rob Black, owner of Conor Bath Pro, is a professional, personable, talented craftsman. He took our master shower from totally unusable for a disabled person to a dream come true. He raised the shower floor 6 inches to be level with the bathroom floor, provided a new drain and installed a stone flooring that blended perfectly with the shower and adjoining tub surround tile. The addition of two handicap support bars provided an additional safety element to our renewed master shower stall. Share your dreams & needs with Rob and he will make them a reality at a very reasonable cost.
Highly recommend!! Rob did an amazing job on the renovation of our master shower after we had a water leak. The water leak required several tiles to be removed by a water restoration company. Rob found a great match and made our shower look brand new.
We hired Conroe Bath Pro for several reasons: 1) veteran owned, 2) only one person coming to the house every day and a non-smoker at that, 3) Experience and knowledge, and 4) He said I could help as much as I wanted! Rob is very responsive to phone calls, texts, and emails, and he came out a couple of times to help while the countertops were being installed. Rob arrived on time every day, worked hard all day, and made friends with my dog. He expertly remodeled our kitchen and master bathroom. We asked him to lower the kitchen bar to counter level, and it turned out terrific. He also installed appliances that we love. I highly recommend the Fisher & Paykel drawer style dishwasher, by the way. Rob did an outstanding job on the kitchen backsplash, as you can see in the photos below. Once we got that done, it was on to gutting the bathroom and getting rid of that horrible bacteria factory also known as a jacuzzi tub. My wife would not use it. Rob is a master at shower renovations, and this is where my DIY knowledge ended. He installed the Schluter system making the shower water tight! He modified the plumbing, and even rerouted the bathtub drain in the concrete. Nothing seemed hard for Rob. I finally got to help by “buttering” the backs of the tiles as we tiled the new shower and later the bathroom floor. Rob installed a fold down teak seat in the shower and together we installed a beautiful new shower door weighing around 175 pounds. The bathroom floor turned out to be one of our favorite things, and as you can see our bathroom has surpassed the builder-grade level by leaps and bounds. We are so impressed with Rob’s expertise and workmanship. We have another bathroom project planned and we will be calling Rob to do it. Side note: The quartz countertops in kitchen and bathroom and bathtub were supplied and installed by a local stone supplier and will be reviewed separately.
He was very responsive! Very helpful and understanding! A good man to work with and very explanatory! Will book him for future renovations/projects!
Robert’s work is professional, beautiful, and timely. He repaired and remodeled our shower, and we couldn’t be happier. He used the right products for a difficult job, made great suggestions and finished when he said he would. I fully trust and highly recommend him.
Robert is a skilled, efficient, knowledgeable general handyman. A Colorado school of mines graduate, he will recommend the best and most efficient materials for the job, how to to do the job based on your requirements and will complete the job in a timely manner. We are truly fortunate to have Robert working in our area
Excellent quality of work. Rob is also great about giving helpful suggestions on things you may not have considered.
Rob was very professional did the work in a timely fashion cleaned up every day I will use him on all my projects