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" or 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
Irving did a wonderful job on our master bath shower and tub! Throughout the whole process everyone was so wonderful to work with and they kept the bathroom clean so we didn't feel like we were living in the middle of a construction zone. These guys are great to work with and definitely trustworthy, they make sure to get the job done right!
Drue and Heritage Tile were so easy to work with. From the moment Drue returned our call and came to our house for an estimate we knew we didn’t need to talk to another company. They were very professional and timely and their tile work and expertise speaks for itself. Our 50 year kitchen looks amazing because of them!
Drue and his team were amazing. We had them do our kitchen backsplash with Zellige tile. Very professional and respectful. They listened to all of our neurotic requests and the project looks great. 100% recommend! We will be using them again in the future.
In our years of home ownership we have NEVER hired such a talented, kind, respectful, clean, on time, patient and skilled group! Irving, Gabriel and Drue transformed the ugliest bathroom into something magical! They were so easy to have around, hardest workers and just truly nice guys! I kinda miss their company! Our project was difficult, but they did it. I will tack on before and after pictures when the room is done. We also fully intend on having them here for our next project….the kitchen!
The crew from Heritage was polite, timely, and did a fantastic job on our bathroom floor. We asked them for a herringbone pattern and they took their time to ensure the pattern was beautiful. We HIGHLY recommend them and will use them again in the future. Thanks again guys!
Amazing work! Very professional, great communication and timely work. Highly recommend! They were also phenomenal with my four kids who had lots of questions and were always trying to chat them up. 😆
Irving did a fantastic job on our tile backsplash! The process was very easy and quick responses from both Irving and Drue. We love it!
Drue is seriously the best! He answered my call immediately and got me a quote back same day. He was up front about the timeframe which I appreciated. My backsplash was demolished and installed within 3 days. Eric was amazing to work with and was able to complete my job effortlessly. I can’t recommend Drue and his team enough!!!
Fabulous work on a very difficult job--nobody else would touch it. The guys are skilled, hard working, friendly, and dedicated.
The guys at Heritage Tile were great. We had a small bathroom project but they treated us like their #1 customer. Service was great, communication was was awesome and the finished product is exactly what we were looking for. Highly recommend Drue and Irvin for your project!
Wow! Heritage tile just finished up my new house and I have never been more pleased with any contractor in my life! Irving and Drue were respectful, honest and communicative through the entire process. Can’t thank these young guys enough for their hard work and great attitudes!
I was having a new bar in a highly visible area of the house. The project was underway, and I needed to have everything completed by Thanksgiving which was only a few weeks away. I reached out to Dru and his team at Heritage and they swiftly responded to my request. They were able to complete the backsplash installation within a really tight timeframe while also working with a really challenging tile selection. Their work on the tile backsplash really put the perfect finishing touches on this new addition to our home. Heritage did a fantastic job throughout, with an impeccable attention to detail and professionalism. They were incredibly responsive and paid strong attention to job site cleanup and limiting any impacts to other areas of the house. Will be looking for them to take on our next tiling job.
Drue and his team are not just skilled craftsmen; they are true artisans who take pride in their work. It's evident that they have a genuine passion for what they do, and this enthusiasm translates into the exceptional quality of their projects. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellence in both Traditional tile and Porcelain Slab Installation, set them apart from many other "Tile" companies in Kansas City! If you're looking for a team that combines skill, passion, and a dedication to exceeding expectations, Heritage Tile and Stone is the way to go. I highly recommend Drue and his team for any tile or porcelain slab installation project. They truly find pleasure in their work, and it shows in the results. A solid 5-star recommendation!
Drue, Irving, and their team did a fabulous job on my master bathroom remodel. They took over from a different contractor after all the tile had been ordered. They were responsive, professional, courteous, adaptable, and focused on education and innovation in their field (and proud of it!). They listened patiently to what I wanted and offered very helpful suggestions without being pushy. Thanks to them I have a much more functional master bathroom with the most cleverly hidden niches. The heated floor is amazing and undoubtedly a worthwhile extra expense. The marble and limestone mosaic shower floor makes me smile daily, and Drue happily worked with it without trying to discourage me from using natural stone like others before him. He was also very helpful with product recommendations to clean and seal the stone.
I was very impressed with Heritage Tile. They did a fabulous job on our kitchen backsplash. They were professional, timely and always cleaned up at the end of the day. I would not hesitate to recommend them to others or use them again for another project.
Drue, Irving and their team did an awesome job ripping up old tile that was improperly installed and cracking. They properly installed a new sub floor along with our handmade tile. They were the only installers that seemed to care about the tile and correct installation process when providing a bid. I would highly recommend them, they have a great attention to detail and truly care about their craft.
