Many Homeowners See Benefit of Using Tile Inspectors
by Anonymous

Although we are considered to be a nation of do-it-yourselfers, many projects are outside our ability. In this case, we hire these jobs out for other people to do. Tiling a kitchen floor or a shower are just two examples.

"Our typical customer is one who has had work done in their home recently and the tilework has failed or they simply aren't satisfied with the results," says David Taylor, a tile inspector and director of Tile-experts.com. "Most often, they have sufficient reason to believe it wasn't done well. Technology has given our industry new materials and methods to use, but we see few installers taking the training that's needed to install tile correctly. Even though the tile industry has seen large increases in market share, the amount of skilled people to install tile properly has not kept pace."

That's where Taylor steps in and looks at items ranging from subfloor preparation to the tile itself. "Tilesetting is one of the few forensically perfect trades. There's nothing an installer can do to hide their mistakes." If there are faults in the installation, Taylor prepares a report for the client and if need be, appears in court for them. He and other inspectors are considered expert witnesses.

How does a homeowner prevent a faulty job? The answer is simple, Taylor says. "First and foremost, check and verify your prospective installers' credentials. In some jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada, we are required by law to produce them before we walk on a jobsite. Few people know that tilesetters take as much training as an electrician or a gasfitter." The second way is to ask for a list of the installers' recent and long-term projects. Lastly, Taylor offers pre-project inspections, well before the first tile is laid. "Prevention is key. You have to know what you're doing because the costs of fixing a poor tile installation are greater than having to change a piece of baseboard or to re-paint a wall."

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