How it began
John got started in the tile business when he was about nine years old helping his father clean and prep floors back at Glacier Tile Company, in the suburbs of Chicago.

John’s great grandfather emigrated from Berlin, Germany in 1856 to the Davenport, Iowa region, stonemason skills in tow. John’s grandfather went the carpentry route, and John’s dad chose the tile setting trade. “He started in the 50’s as an apprentice,” John said. “Everything was in mud – he had to soak the tiles and use string as spacers. It would take at least a week in a bathroom.”

Though he helped his dad cut tile, move materials and mix mud, John’s initial passion was carpentry. Under his grandfather’s direction and with encouragement from his father, John developed his remodeling and tile setting interests – so much so that he finished his maternal grandmother’s basement at age 15. “I was so enthusiastic!” he said.

John pursued a variety of jobs through high school, adding interior decorating work and drapery to his repertoire and remodeling and tile setting for several family members.

Go west, young man
At 19, John moved to Wyoming, inspired by a trip through the Rocky Mountains he made in his mid teens with his dad. Through a friend, he rented a basement apartment from a judge in Lander, Wyo., and started doing drywall, tile and some painting jobs.

John and Donna established Red Canyon Tile & Stone in 1984.

“It wasn’t long after I was doing a tile job or two that it was pretty obvious how much nicer the installations were looking than what [his employer] was used to,” John said. After two years, Donna came into his life, having relocated to Lander from Montana between jobs. They set down roots and married in 1984.That same year, the couple decided to concentrate specifically on tile. They established Red Canyon Tile & Stone, named for the scenic area just south of town where the Mandels built their own home.

Tragedy – and opportunity – struck when John fell 16 feet off a roof and sustained injuries to his wrist and vertebrae. With John’s instruction, Donna took over the work while he recovered.

“John was a very good teacher,” Donna said. “There was only one right way to do it. And he repeatedly told me the right way to do it,” she joked. “Since I was trained as a piano technician, I was used to dealing with small measurements and could easily pick up deviations – 1/8-inch was no big deal to me.”

After getting back on his feet, John and Donna traveled around the state pursuing commercial work that included schools, highway rest areas, churches, and hospitals.

Their first child, Mary, now 19, came along. For awhile, “Mary would tag along with us on jobs – she didn’t have a choice,” Donna said. “She was so tiny; she could fit in a mosaic box. We’d put a blankie in there and wherever the blanket was, that’s where she would go to sleep.” Then came Josh, now 15 and Alan, now 12. The Mandels made the decision to focus more on local residential work, and hired a tile setter to help with the projects.

Everyone gets into the act when it comes to setting tile!

In 1987, an American Olean rep encouraged John to take the Ceramic Tile Consultant (CTC) course given by the Ceramic Tile Institute of America (CTIOA). “I argued a little that I had learned tile from my dad and I know the industry, so what more is there to know?” But the rep convinced him that the comprehensive course would be beneficial. With work slowing down due to mine closures, he decided to attend the course which was held in Denver one weekend a month for seven months.

“It was the one of the best things I could have done,” John said. It was there that John met Ralph McIntosh and Herman Schock and learned about installing murals and round showers and Roman tubs – the work that’s won him two prestigious awards. “I got encouraged to do more of that challenging work,” he said. Donna also benefited from the class since John taught her what he’d learned once he returned home.

Jackson Hole boom
And just in time, too. Jackson Hole – three hours away from Lander – was beginning its condo and custom home construction boom in the late 80s and early 90s. Though Roman tubs and round showers weren’t immediately in demand, the Mandels were able to bring high-end craftsmanship and artistry to those projects.

Work cycled closer to home again as the Mandel children grew up and the economy strengthened, bringing more opportunity for high-end residential work.

Today, the company runs a small showroom and specializes in residential – about 80 percent of the business. They added their own fabrication services in 2000.

“Any job or client that allows us the freedom to be artistic and take advantage of our experience and talent is always the most enjoyable type of job,” John said.

One such job was a shared bath in a Park City, Utah custom home that utilized Habano travertine from Peru. The challenge here was to avoid lippages due to the large 18x24 tile formats. The Mandels installed travertine throughout, including the floor and tub surround. The light/dark variation inherent in the stone offered a luxurious sense of movement. Chair rail molding formed the trim around the door and window and glass block was used in place of a curtain or door. A glass counter flowed seamlessly into a glass bowl sink, and the floor was kept cozy by radiant heating.

Another project, obviously, was the master bath in the Mandel’s own Lander home, which won the 2005 Spectrum and 2006 TileLetter grand prize awards. The project uses mosaic tile set in a lacy pattern that complements the Victorian furniture in the adjoining bedroom. Tile flows from columns to Roman tub to soffit panels. Look for a detailed profile of the award winning project in the May issue of TileLetter.

Contemporary challenges
Today’s products – such as non-sag thin-set and fast-setting mortars, uncoupling membranes like Schluter Ditra, and epoxy grouts – have made the job easier, the Mandels said. But today’s consumers offer a bit of a challenge.

Presented with so many choices, end-users often have trouble deciding between products. A selection process that used to take 40 minutes can now take much longer. “Customers start asking me to track down specific products they’ve seen on television home shows or Home Depot and I have to pick from six different suppliers,” Donna said. “I can invest 12 hours of consulting and still not have a choice.

“Too many people have cable now and think they are experts,” Donna continued. “There are so many pretty ideas and home stores offer a lot, so it’s hard to narrow it down. Then they start researching on the Internet and they are really in trouble.”

John added, “Many carpet stores in our area are dealing with tile, but don’t seem to know customers’ needs. They may recommend tile that is too slick or too light in color and then they wind up disappointed when it darkens. They also believe that you seal grout and it’s bulletproof – but you still have to clean sealed grout!”

Popular tile choices in the region have ebbed and flowed over the years, from Saltillo tile to real slate to low-maintenance slate-look tile. Today, the Mandels like to combine complimentary but different textures and sizes, such as 4x4 tumbled stone on the floor and the same material micro-staggered on the upper wall, with a granite wainscot that matches the granite countertop and under-mount tub. Glass is also gaining ground, though its higher price is keeping it from totally exploding in the Wyoming market.

Why NTCA?
“I wanted to participate more in the industry and connect more with professionals,” John said. “I’m hoping to attend more events.” John is also looking forward to the Chicago setting for Coverings in 2007, and the opportunity to see family as part of that trip.

Red Canyon Tile & Stone from Lander, Wyo., won the Residential Grand Prize in the 3rd Annual TileLetter Awards. Accepting the award and $1,500 check from NTCA were company owners Donna and John Mandel with son Alan.

The Mandels really enjoyed Total Solutions in 2005, held in Las Vegas. The presentation to Paul Dinkel, creator of Wonderboard, brought back memories. “I was about eight years old when that came out,” John said. “I remember my father trying it – it was so new. It changed the industry. I’ve seen all these products come along.”

You can see Red Canyon’s work at its elegant website, found at www.redcanyontileandstone.com, complete with background serenade: Pachelbel’s Canon in D major, John and Donna’s wedding music.

Together this husband and wife team has built a living – and a life – on the enjoyment of the craft and each other as well as their synergistic contributions to tile-setting artistry and originality they bring to each project.