What's Behind Your Tile Matters More Than the Tile

CSG West Granite & Floors, at 3905 Fort Worth Hwy, Weatherford, TX 76087, (817) 274-9378, is certified in Schluter® Systems installation. That matters because a tile shower or tile floor almost never fails at the tile. It fails behind it: water getting past the grout, or the floor underneath moving and cracking the tile on top. The waterproofing and membrane you never see decide whether your tile lasts.

You'll spend weeks picking tile. Spend five minutes asking what goes under it.

Grout is not waterproof

This surprises people. Tile is tough, but grout joints let water through. In a shower, that water has to go somewhere.

• Old-school showers rely on a liner under a mortar bed and hope it drains.
• When it goes wrong, water sits in the wall or the pan. You get musty smells, dark grout, loose tile, and sometimes rot you don't find until the drywall's soft in the next room.
• By the time you see it, the fix is tearing the shower out.

Decide on the waterproofing before you decide on the tile.

What Schluter actually is

Schluter Systems makes the parts that go behind and around tile: waterproofing membranes, shower pans and drains, uncoupling membranes for floors, and the metal and PVC trims on tile edges.

• KERDI is a waterproofing membrane that goes on shower walls and floors, right under the tile. Water stops at the membrane instead of soaking into the wall.
• DITRA goes under tile floors. It's an uncoupling membrane, which means it lets the floor underneath move a little without passing that stress up into the tile and grout.
• Trim profiles finish tile edges cleanly, so you're not looking at a raw cut edge on a corner or a step-down.

The products only work as a system when they're installed the way Schluter specifies. That's what the certification is about.

Why this matters in Parker County houses

Houses around here move. Wet seasons, dry seasons, and slab foundations all put stress on hard floors.

Tile is rigid. When the floor under it shifts, rigid tile cracks. An uncoupling membrane gives that movement somewhere to go besides your grout lines.

This ties into something we tell people all the time. If your house isn't reliably climate controlled, like a lake house, a barn apartment, or a weekend place near Possum Kingdom, tile (including wood-look tile) is our pick over LVP or hardwood. Tile doesn't care about humidity swings. But it still needs the right base under it.

The good, the bad, the ugly

The good

• A shower that stays dry behind the walls. That's the whole point.
• Fewer cracked tiles and grout lines on floors that move.
• Clean finished edges on niches, corners, and transitions.

The bad

• It's more material and more labor than slapping tile on backer board. You'll see that on the quote.
• You can't see any of it when the job's done. You're paying for what's behind the wall.

The ugly

• Skip it, and you pay twice. A failed shower means demo, new waterproofing, and new tile. The tile you loved goes in the dumpster.

Questions to ask any tile installer

Whoever does your shower, ask these:

• What waterproofing goes behind the tile, and is it the full wall or just the pan?
• What's under the tile on the floor?
• Are you certified on the system you're using?
• How are the edges, niches, and curb finished?

If the answers are vague, keep shopping.

Tile, stone, and the rest under one roof

Pick your tile in the showroom, including lines from Dowtile, and match it to your shower curb, bench, or vanity top from our yard of over 600 slabs in stock. We do flooring, countertops, and kitchen and bath remodels in one shop, so the tile crew and the countertop crew are working off the same plan.

We work in Weatherford, Parker County, Aledo, Willow Park, Hudson Oaks, Azle, Benbrook, Granbury, and west Fort Worth. See our service area FAQ for the details.

FAQ

Is grout waterproof?

No. Grout lets water through. A tile shower needs a waterproofing layer behind the tile to keep water out of the walls and floor.

What does Schluter certified mean?

It means the installer is trained on Schluter Systems products, like KERDI waterproofing and DITRA uncoupling membranes, and installs them the way the system is designed. CSG West Granite & Floors in Weatherford, TX, is certified in Schluter® Systems and Dekton® installations.

What is an uncoupling membrane?

A layer under tile that lets the floor below move without cracking the tile on top. Schluter's version is called DITRA.

Why does my tile floor keep cracking?

Usually because the floor under it is moving or flexing, and rigid tile can't move with it. The fix is what's under the tile, not just new tile.

Should I use tile or LVP in a house that isn't always climate controlled?

Tile. LVP and hardwood both need a climate-controlled house. Tile, including wood-look tile, handles humidity swings.

Do you do tile showers near Weatherford?

Yes. CSG West Granite & Floors, 3905 Fort Worth Hwy, Weatherford, TX 76087, installs tile showers, tile floors, and full bath remodels across Parker County and west DFW. Call (817) 274-9378 or visit csgweatherford.com.

Can you match my shower tile with a stone vanity top?

Yes. We keep over 600 slabs in stock, and you can pick tile and stone in the same visit.

Come see it before it's hidden

Bring your bathroom photos and your tile ideas. We'll show you what goes behind the tile and tell you straight what your shower needs.

CSG West Granite & Floors 3905 Fort Worth Hwy, Weatherford, TX 76087 (817) 274-9378 · csgweatherford.com