Like most innovations and inventions, rigid cement backer boards were born out of necessity. Historically, builders would use drywall or wood to support tile installations because these two materials proved to work well at first, but they inevitably failed over time.

With the resurgence of real concrete tiles comes the uprising of why they lost their rigor in the first place. Their beauty and rich cultural pattern diversity no one disclaims, but their unfavorable attributes and tedious installations and limited installations have not been forgotten.

Balfegó is the surname of a family from a small town on the Catalan coast, who for five generations, have fished red tuna in the Mediterranean. Today, Balfegó is one of the largest international producers of red tuna, and is highly regarded by the world’s most famous chefs.

Sealers, repellents, impregnators, protectants — whatever word is used to describe them — can provide fantastic long-term benefits for tile and stone installations to help meet the needs of challenging environments, applications and customer expectations. For the purpose of this article, all of these materials will be referred to as sealers.

For this edition, we sat down with Martin Brookes, founder of Heritage Marble & Tile, Inc. in Mill Valley, CA, a National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Five Star Contractor.

TenaxSkudo Universal Plus is a strong water-based sealer that provides excellent water-oil stain protection. It does not change the appearance of the material and won’t alter the natural breathability of the material. High capacity of penetration into more compact material allows extra protection ideal for indoor and outdoor use.

Proband Fix from Progress Profilesis a silicon-based moisture-curing sealant with high adhesion and elasticity. It is used to waterproof and seal the bond between Proband and Profoil for junction of Proband at fixtures and sheet metal in general.

The improved Pearl P4^™ADM^™Reactor^™blades for porcelain are the Pearl Abrasiveexclusive technology in tile/porcelain blades, the only patterned porcelain tile blades in the industry.

SubSeal^® liquid is a one part, ready-to-use, elastomeric waterproofing membrane from NAC Products, which also functions as a sealant and moisture barrier for interior and exterior applications.