House of Shame

Daltile

The picture above is a Travertine tribute to the 4-1/4 wall tile and 2x6 (S-4269) cap, the staple of our industry in the 50s, 60s and 70s. In those years no company came close in quality to American Olean in the manufacture of basic wall tile. When American Olean went down it was the worst thing that could happen to the residential thin-set tile installation. Daltile has stuck its head in the sand for many years in terms of quality thin-set tile installations.

Nowadays, the 4-1/4 wall tile is made so cheaply, with most of the edges having minor defects and an overly rounded edge, it's all but impossible to make a quality grout job. I get around the grout problem by grouting the tile twice, making sure I rub the joints down on the first coat to leave room for the second coat. The finished grout is uniform and flush, slightly riding up on the bevel, a little bigger joint but out there where you can clean them. This technique also covers the rough Daltile edges.

Its a crime what Daltile has done (which is absolutely nothing) to the residential mosaic installation in terms of quality finished look. Once a very popular floor, nobody buys mosaic tile floors anymore and you can't blame them. The way the tiles are spaced it takes a very experienced tilesetter to make sanded grout look good. More often, it looks like hell in a couple of weeks. You would think Dal would experiment and try to improve the look of the installed tile. What gets me about Daltile, they don't give a shit. I guess they figure customers don't have to choose tile, Mohawk offers many other choices.

Once again I get around the problem by grouting the mosaics twice with unsanded grout. Very smooth, very flush and then the floor is sealed with an oil based penetrating sealer to produce a quality bathroom floor.

All of my clients would upgrade if better tile were available, no matter the cost. Some clients like the simplicity and history of basic wall tile. Quantity and cheap seem to be Daltile's main objectives, and the installation ignorance goes on year after year.

Lexington Courthouse butt-joint Quarry Tile 1896

It's irresponsible for Daltile to recommend that their tile must be spaced 1/4-inch and filled with a sanded grout, not to mention stupid. Take a look at the installations pictured at
Lexington Antique Tile Tour. These installations would not exist today if they were spaced and grouted as Daltile recommends. The grout joint is "installed tile's weakest link!"