Installation and Repairs
The largest section, about a third of the exam: installing tile and stone, joint treatment, repairs and restoration, and showers and steam rooms. The study guide gives it four chapters.
Setting
Key mortar into the substrate, comb straight in one direction, move each tile across the ridges, and lift a tile to check coverage.
Grout and movement joints
Grout joints are at least three times the tile's size variation and never under 1/16 inch. Movement joints go at perimeters, changes of plane and over structural joints, filled with silicone, urethane or polysulfide sealant.
Showers and steam rooms
Code minimums include a 1,024 in² compartment that holds a 30-inch circle, a 22-inch door and a 2-inch drain. Pan liners sit on a pre-slope and are flood-tested; every horizontal surface slopes to the drain.
Repairs
Diagnose before repairing: hollow tile, linear cracks, tenting, dark grout and efflorescence each point to a cause that must be fixed first.
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