You are confusing a stain with a "paint". There are grout "paints" that have an epoxy base that can go over any existing grout. stained or sealed. Check "Aqua Mix" on line for their grout paint color selections. Can't find what you want, write again. Armen Tavy

Care and patience is the only way. The problem with loose tiles is probably "OE" operator error. The only mortar products that are recommended for outdoor installations, especially in freeze-thaw climates, are Mortars that have their "own" Liquid Latex additives. Get off as much of the loose mortar as possible and then "Skim-Coat” (with the flat smooth edge of a full size tile or “plastering trowel”) the entire deck with Liquid Latex Additive Mortar, such as Laticrete's Megabond with Liquid Latex Megabond Additive, or Mapei's Kerabond Keralastic with Kerabond Liquid Latex Additive, etc., allow the skim-coat to dry overnight to be sure it "sticks" (check it thoroughly) and then set your tiles with it as well using no less than a 1/4" x 3/8" tile setting trowel. A very thin skim coating on the backs of your tiles just before installation is prudent. Your problems should be over, good luck and tell all, that outdoor tile installations always work best with Mortars that are designed to be mixed with their own Liquid Latex Additives. Armen Tavy

Successfully adding Top Sealers to tiles with a shine or matt finish can also be hazardous. It's difficult to find sealers that will stick to the glaze and not be slippery as well. If your tile grout joints were properly sealed with a grout "Top Sealer", Mop and Glow type products should not be an issue. You could look in your Yellow Pages for a "Janitorial Supply House", and pay them a visit because they have products that no one else has access to and may have one to suit your needs. Armen Tavy

It should be allowed to dry long enough so that it won't come off as you spread tile-setting mortar. There are many "jobs" that can keep you busy while the "tape sets". If you have the expertise, a few minutes and care is all it takes. Armen Tavy

The correct or normal procedure is to start from the outer edges of you installation and work inwards. Obviously, the size/width of the cuts in the inside corners of the walls are directly affected be the location of the outer tile/s. All inside corners should have a grout space, tiles should never fit tight". Inside corners should be grouted. If you are looking to have two full tiles on both sides of the/any inside corner all it would take is your ability to place the tiles perfectly to balance the tiles to "perfection", as you say, half a grout joint on each side. An "inside miter" doesn't work with Ceramic Tiles because it would compromise the "factory edge" of the tile/s, however, it does work with "stone" tiles. Armen Tavy

"9 Spotting" 12" stone tiles is a seldom used practice that requires an experienced installer that understands exactly what happens or should happen when the tile is actually installed. In order for this technique to be efficient it must be prefaced by certain preparation techniques. The substrate must be "Skim Coated" just before installation, as must the tiles before the application of the "9 spots". The mix must be of the right consistency so when the tile/s is/are installed, the "Spots" will spread easily as tiles are flattened/pressed and tapped into place. The mortar in the "9 Spots" should spread and cover a minimum 90% of the stones under surface. The popularity of this system was the "speed up" of the installation process and the ability to effectively have better control for leveling or rather pluming each tile installed with the adjacent tiles. The "spots" must be placed as precisely as possible on the backs of the tiles in order for the "Spots" to spread, as intended. Once this technique is learned, a better and quicker installation is the reward.    A "9 Spot System" is Never a good practice for installing floor tiles. However, a thick Slurry of stiffer Medium Bed Mortar over a fresh skim coating of the floor substrate, as well as on the backs of the tiles, is an accepted "Stone" floor installation practice. This procedure "lubricates" the subfloor and the backs of the tiles so there is less friction during "placement". This technique also allows the mortar to spread evenly/uniformly, usually 100%. Each tile set must be leveled individually to "perfection" and mortar in exposed perimeters around the tiles must be packed into/under each tile and perimeters cleaned before installing additional tiles. Tiles should be spaced properly to effectively allow grout, during the grout installation, to penetrate "fully" in-between the stone tiles. In the early days, flat toothpicks, were the spacers of choice. I have since invented, patented, still produce and sell the Only "Marble Spacer" in the World, 1/32". I also have the only Omni Directional “Marble Level”.  www.tavytools.com for sources. This tiling technique is an "Art" that is not learned quickly. Armen Tavy

Defective mortar would not last 20 years and then turn to powder. There has to be another explanation but I can't help with so little information. However, you obviously are going to remove the 12" tiles and just want to tile over the original "well bonded" tile flooring, so my recommendation is to purchase a name brand "Liquid Latex Modified Tile mortar to install your new flooring over the old original. The grouts today are all "hard" if you mix and install them properly. An option, if you want the best, would be to switch to "Epoxy Type Grouts" made for ceramic tile installations. "Mapei" and "Laticrete", available in most Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses, both make one that's not that difficult to install, if you read and follow the directions. Epoxy Grout is as hard a grout as you can get, and it Never needs sealing. Lowe's also sells "Liquid Latex Modified Tile Mortars". Armen Tavy

Contact your nearest "DAl-Tile" or "American Olean" tile store. They should have a variety of colors. Find them in the Yellow pages or "On Line". Armen Tavy

You would get yourself into trouble installing Hardi-Board first and then trying to level after. I would recommend that you install "Galvanized Wire lath" over the existing floor with 1 1/2" galvanized roofing nails and then pouring a "Self Leveling Portland Cement Mix over it (available at most tile retailers). You would have to "Dam" the perimeter of the installation and around the Toilet Flange as well as any "holes" around the tub or anywhere else. A primer, sold for/with the system is required and simple to apply. It would also go down before the wire lath. You would also have to determine how many units of "Self Leveler" you would need to fill the void. Simple math (the area of a triangle) can help you arrive at the square feet and/or cubic feet of "Dry Mix" you would have to purchase. If you use this system, which I am recommending, you can tile directly over it without adding Hardi-Backer or any other underlayment, including mine. When using "Wire Lath" the primer is not important but I recommend it anyway because, if nothing else, it will seal the existing wood subfloor. Purchase enough to do your job and have a spare bag on hand in case you need it (keep it clean so you can return it for credit). It would be best too have two people to install leveler because you should have additional units of leveler mixing and ready to pour consecutively. Need additional help, write again. Armen Tavy

The only tool that could do this job without damaging or breaking tiles by removing them, is a small "Angle Grinder" that is designed to hold a 4" dry cut, tile cutting, diamond blade. However this tool has an rpm of 10,000 to 11,000 and needs a steady hand by the operator. These tools are in the $85 to $110 range and add another + - $40 for the diamond blade. If the speed/rpm of the tool intimidates you, you can purchase a "Speed Reducing Tool" designed for "Wood Routers" in the $40 range that can slow it down to 4,000 rpm and make it easier to handle. If you don't care to invest $85 to $110 for the more professional grade tool, you can go to places like "Northern Tools" or "Harbor Freight" and find inexpensive versions of the more expensive name brands, i. e. DeWalt, Makita, etc., in the $30 to $40 price range. If you can call a couple or three tile contractors in your area and ask them if they have this tool, they may do this simple job for a reasonable rate, like + - $100 for about 15 minutes work. Once you have cut thru the tile/s, trimming the wood underneath would require a "Saber Saw" or similar tool. It is a rather quick and easy job when you have the right tools. Always wear eye protection and have a vacuum cleaner handy to catch the dust and debris. Armen Tavy

It sounds like you have "hairline" cracks. These are generally "shrinkage cracks and "spider cracks" that can appear in slabs anywhere. When this very fine "crack" appears it also cracks anything that is installed over it with "cement mortar". The only soloution is to re-install new tiles in those locations with an anti-fracture underlayment to prevent new replacement tiles from cracking as well. There aren't many underlayments that are thin enough so your repair won't be higher than adjacent tiles. "Protecto Wrap" and my TAVY "Thin-Skin" (in the right margin of this page), are two that will work for you. Remove the tiles, clean the mortar off the floor, install the underlayment and then use thin-set mortar to re-install new tiles. If you do not have left over grout to match, you may have to use an epoxy grout paint to change/stain all the grout the same color. Do not use old grout powder if it has lumps in the bag. Armen Tavy

The word is out now, and you may get lucky; we will see. Armen Tavy

I cannot imagine a "Bullnose" tile at the floor level of a tile wall. Perhaps you meant a "Cove Base" tile that has an "inside curl" towards the floor and if so, you can remove and replace these tiles with a like product or use a sharp chisel wearing safety glasses to break and remove the lower portion of "Cove Base" tiles and then cut some strips of 1/2" backerboard that can be used to "fir" behind "Mud Set" tiles (build them out)  so they can be applied over the existing tiles less the "Cove" portion that you would have removed; this tile is called an "A-4402" and similar “Mud Trims”. Another method would be to tile over the old floor after making repairs to the crack/s and their cause/s and butt up to the existing wall with or without a trim transition piece. If the new tiles don't fit up tight enough to the old wall the bottom edge of the floor tiles that would abut the old could be "beveled" with a wet saw, which would allow closer placement of a new floor tile to the old wall or use a "Mud Trim" tile called a 1/4" round "Bead Tile" also known as an "A-106" at this transition. When in doubt about tiling over an old tile floor and you want assurances that the new tiles will stick/bond correctly you can use products like my TAVY "Thin-Skin" (seen in the upper right margin of this forum page) to insure a perfect bond. Transition adjustment can be made with a Marble Threshold under the door. If you already have one, it can be removed and a thicker one custom made at a Marble Fabricating Shop can be installed in its place. Armen Tavy

It's quite simple for any handyman to pour concrete but this is not how a shower pan is built. Send me your e-mail to: "spacerman @tavytools.com" and I will send you (my) details on how to build a shower pan. Armen Tavy

You can control the way you build up a floor by the "sleepers" you install before adding any plywood. Two separate layers of plywood totaling at least 1 1/8" are what the industry recommends before tiles are installed. Since you would be using "sleepers", lumber (2 x 3s, 4s, 6s, etc) that are supported by another flat surface, deflection should not be an issue. Make certain that you remove at least a 16" minimum joist space of plywood from the old floor so you can overlap the second layer of new plywood over the older section of flooring to tie both floors together. I have to admit that I know nothing about "Plex" brand "underfloor" heating systems. It's no secret that any type of "Underfloor" heating systems are not my personal favorite and it's not my policy to "knock" a product I'm not familiar with. However, "UnderFloor" systems have to heat two layers of wood sub flooring before they can begin to warm up the tiles. This type of system logically requires longer wait times before enough heat "radiates" to the surface of the tile floors, they work, but they might not work as efficiently as "under tile" systems unless they are left on for longer durations. If you have not already done so, ask your retail source or the manufacturer for a written guarantee that this "under floor" system won't use more energy dollars than an "under tile system". If the cost is about the same, it's up to you to make a choice. Armen Tavy

You are still being vague, because you are not telling me where in the country you live. Extreme changes in temperature from one season to another, as well as from day into night, plays a major role in expansion, contraction, deflection and the effects that these 3 things can have on a tile installation. For instance, I know that in Minnesota there can be well over 100+ degrees in temperature variations from one season to another. This can put enormous stresses on an outside tile installation, unless all the necessary precautions are taken. So, to be blunt, you have to tell me where you live and if this outside deck is exposed to the elements, Sun, Heat, Cold, Rain, Condensation, Snow, Freezing, Ice, etc. Is the deck a concrete slab or suspended wood, and how has this outside vinyl, which I have never heard of, faired so far? If this installation is exposed to all the elements and it is over a suspended wooden deck, the odds of it lasting, installed by anyone, especially a “DIY” (No Pun Intended) with little experience, are slim to none. However, on the plus side, we have amazing "Liquid Latex Modified" Mortars that can endure and survive extreme climatic temperature changes in (example) Minnesota; but if excessive flexing/deflection of a substrate at its center point exceeds 1" in 30 lineal feet, there is little hope that "fractures" will not occur. There are ways to do an installation like this, but the instructions and explanations differ with the location; the substrate, the type of tiles, the installation materials and tiling techniques are all relevant. Tell me more and be explicit, not so "vague". "All We Want are the Facts, "Sir". Armen Tavy

It is know by the code number: "A-8262", also reffered to as a "Counter V-Cap". Armen Tavy

It would be a shame to spend all the money and waste the labor to install new tiles on a questionable floor surface only to have it fail. There are many "Horror" stories out there of cases where installations have gone bad. When in doubt about tiling over a substrate, it is unwise to gamble. In the right column of this site you will see an advertisement for my TAVY Thin-Skin Tile Underlayment" with "007" Glue, which allows you to tile over any sound surface, old or new, that is questionable. There are other brands of Underlayments that can be used as well, such as "Ditra Mat", Cement Backerboards, Mapei's "Mapalath", etc., but none are installed with a glue that sticks to everything, as does TAVY "007". Go to www.tavytools.com for sources.  If you are not sure about mortar choices for the tiles you have chosen or correct trowels and tiling techniques, please write again for help. Armen Tavy, "TIRTGIM"

There are some tiles in various sizes that have what looks like "chips" around their perimeters however; these areas would have the same tile glaze on the "chips". To say "Chips" are common on large format tiles is not a true statement. If you have an extra tile left over, or a scrap piece of one that has the "Chips" on it, take it to a tile store and have a knowledgeable person examine it for you. Sub Standard Tiles would not necessarily have chips on them, but tiles that have been taken out of their safe containers and just stacked recklessly in piles might sustain damage, such as chips, and sold as is. If he provided the tiles and qualified the "Chips" as a normal occurrence in 18" tiles, it certainly "Raises a Red Flag". Armen Tavy

I am sure you have heard the expression, "You can't have your cake and eat it too", this also applies to sealers when you ask for the best but include fastest in your request. "Stand Up" aerosol sprays are the fastest and work quite well but are not the best. Foam brush or special roller application of "higher end" sealers is the best but take the longest to apply. You also have to decide if you prefer a "Penetrating Sealer" which does not change the appearance of the grout or a "Top Sealer" which will darken the grout to the color it was when it was being applied. If you don’t want the grout darker another option is to first seal with a “penetrating sealer” so the grout color is not influenced (darkened) by the/any Top Sealer, should you want an extra layer of protection. Any type of Sealer/s are not a guaranty that your grout joints will stay clean, they just give you "a window of opportunity" in which to clean any contaminating spills before they become permanent. Since cement grouts are extremly porous, the better the sealer or sealing, the less chances that the/any "stain" will penetrate "deeper" into the grout. Ask again, if you are confused.  Armen Tavy, "TIRTGIM"

You didn't say if you or your family members walked on the floor as he claims. however that in itself would not cause all the issues you are complaining about. Yes, you should call a reputable person or company to look at it and give you a quote on repairs, should it even be possible. The odds, as I have told you before, are probably against saving anything. Sorry  Armen Tavy

"Lucite" conducts light and might be a better choice. I would get a sample and glue a piece of Onyx to it with clear silicone and run a test. Of course you will be "breaking all the tile rules" but if it's not to large of a room and you are able to focus a light source from a closet or cabinet on an extension of the Lucite it might work. Interesting project, but materials will be costly, so run extensive experiments before proceeding. Your existing subfloor will have to be sturdy enough to keep flexing at an absolute minimum and the "Lucite" would have to be secured with a suitable adhesive to the subfloor. Stay with light or neutral colors if you can, however the "Lucite's" ability to conduct light should not be detrimentally affected by the color of the adhesive you use to fasten it to the subfloor.  Good Luck, Armen Tavy

You haven't told me where this deck is, inside or outside. The word "deck" implies "outside", but vinyl does not fair well outside, so please clarify so I can help you. An ideal subfloor to tile over should be no less than 1 1/8" thick consisting of two layers of exterior glue plywood or acceptable substitute, with alternating seams. The second layer of "Wood" should be nailed/screwed in an 8" grid patteren everywhere in the "field" and every 6" on seams and perimeters. A "soft joint" around the perimeter and solid objects is prudent. Expansion space under baseboards is an option to a soft (caulk) joint. Armen Tavy, "TIRTGIM"

You should have checked the qualifications of the installer more carefully because the problems you are having tells me that the installer may not have been a trained professional. Cracked grout happens when tiles are not set properly or the floor is flexing, and if your installer installed cement backerboards he/she may not have followed proper installation techniques. Once grout starts cracking, the underlying cause/s must be resolved and the odds that your tiles are "loose" or not bonded to the mortar or to the/any underlayment that was installed before tiling are “suspect”. The dusty look and grit is most likely grout haze that should have been removed before the installer left the job for the day, usually within 30 to 60 minutes after the final sponge wash. If you can tell me what you may have observed while he was installing, I may be able to pinpoint the problem more accurately. My "gut feeling" is that there is no saving this floor. Sealers would not have made any difference since their purpose is to give you a "window of opportunity" in which to clean up any spills that might otherwise stain your grout if not "neutralized", before they “set”. Penetrating grout sealers do not change the appearance of the grout and grout “enhancing sealers” stay on top of the grout penetrating only slightly, giving your grout a “wet look”, the color the grout was when it was (wet) being installed. You do have a serious problem and you may need to look at your legal options for satisfaction. Armen Tavy, “TIRTGIM”

Gratino is not in my vocabulary nor is it in "research" spell checks. What do you think it might mean in another application? Could it be "Grout" in another language? Armen Tavy

Your concerns about slipping on steps would be best addressed by installing non-ceramic stair nosings. Go to www.schluter.com for a variety of choices. Your question about adhesives for underfloor heated screeded areas is not clear, please illucidate. Armen Tavy

It's way past the time

Don't wait any longer

Give her a break

Take advantage of this date

                         Armen Tavy

I "Googled" Azulindus and there is much information there about this tile. I suggest you check each source on the Google Page until you have exhausted all sites.  There is also a possibility that one of our readers may have some info for you, we shall see. Armen Tavy

You would be required to waterproof a/any shower slab before adding any new slab (dry pack) to the existing slab. The assumption is that this is a suspended concrete slab since you have used the word "structual" in your description. It would be lighter if you could pre-slope the pitch you desire (1/4" per running foot) with lumber, then waterproof, and then install the traditional "dry pack" mortar bed to tile over, keeping the entire "Dry Pack"mortar thickness to a minimim 2" which would help reduce the weight. Remember to protect (keep open) the "Weep Holes".  Armen Tavy, "TIRTGIM" (Tile It Right To Give It Might)