Technical Information - How to get the right information from the professionals
Technical Information, getting it right
I get asked a lot about what adhesives, grout, baseboards I use so I want to share my approach to getting the right information on technical subjects so you can get the correct materials.
Walking into a tile shop and looking for the right bag of adhesive you need can be daunting at first if you’ve no experience and although generally the staff in these places can be quite knowledgeable it is good to know the right questions to ask.
Firstly you must realise that you are the expert! It could be the very first mosaic you’ve ever done but if you have a very clear idea of what you want the stuff to do then you become the expert in your requirements. Every suggestion that you are given can be matched against your need to see if it fits.
Let’s take as an example you have your mosaic glued onto a sheet of mesh and you want to cement it onto your wall in your kitchen. You need to be able to explain;
1. What you have – Marble mosaic pieces 10mm x 10mm and 5mm thick
Gaps of 2 - 3mm
Glued (using waterproof glue) onto special mosaic mesh.
2. Where it will go – Interior use, some condensation from cooking
On a wall (brick/plaster)
3. What it needs to do - Be suitable for natural stone
Will adhere to both the mosaic and the wall (brick/plaster etc).
If you can answer these 3 questions for your adhesive then you become the expert on what you need and it does help the staff in the shop to determine what is best for you. If you are in any doubt about what they are recommending then you can always ask why specifically they chose that product.
Another thing which is good for anything you buy is to always, if possible go back to the source. Go to the company that makes the product and talk to them. Most companies now have technical help lines, use them! They are the ones who have developed the product and it’s their guarantee that’s on the box.
Again the more specific you can be about what you want it to do, the easier it is for them to help you, but always remember, it’s your mosaic so if you’re not sure what they’re recommending is best then do a little more checking, go to another tile shop and see what they say. Talk to another company, most things are the same stuff but under different names.
This applies to anything, the more questions you can think of about what you want it (adhesive, tools etc) to do the easier it will be for you to find the best product. At the end of the day it's your money, you know what you need so be specific. And if you don't feel they appreciate your particular needs then find someone who does.
Take a look at the links page, I've a number of different suppliers there and also some of the talk forums where you can ask questions too. And as always I'm happy to answer your queries if I can and if I can't I'm sure I can point you in the right direction
