Where tile is used
Commercial tile appears in washrooms, lobbies, kitchens, showers, corridors, entrances and feature walls. Common types include porcelain, ceramic, natural stone and glass mosaic. Large-format tile gives fewer joints and a clean look, while smaller tile suits wet areas and curved surfaces.
The right product depends on slip resistance, traffic, cleaning and appearance. Entrances in a winter climate need tile that handles wet boots, salt and sand.
Substrate, waterproofing and layout
Tile cracks when the base moves or is uneven. The substrate must be flat, firm and clean. Large-format tile needs especially flat floors, which can mean levelling the slab first. In wet areas, waterproof membranes protect what is behind the tile.
Our mechanical crew sets floor drains and plumbing fixtures at the correct elevation so floors slope to drain. Our interior systems team provides a solid, flat wall base, and our electricians locate boxes so they land in the centre of a tile or on a grout line, not in a half-cut mess.
Layout is where installers earn their keep. Starting lines, cut sizes at edges, and alignment with doors and fixtures decide how the room reads. Our installers dry-lay patterns and adjust to avoid thin slivers.
- Floor and wall tile in washrooms and kitchens
- Entrance and lobby tile
- Large-format porcelain and stone
- Waterproofing membranes
- Grout, sealing and movement joints
What to plan for
Cure and set times are real. Thinset, grout and sealers need time before traffic or cleaning, so tile should be placed early enough to leave room in the schedule.
Movement joints are important. Tile on large slabs needs joints that follow the building's structural joints, and these should be planned with the design team.
Order spare tile. Matching colours and finishes years later is difficult, and a few boxes make future repairs simple.
Last, think about grout colour and cleaning. Grout shows dirt, and the right colour and sealer make maintenance much easier.