A coastal residential tile installation in Sitka
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Breathtaking ocean views and abundant wildlife sightings inspired an Idaho-area family to purchase a second home in Sitka, Alaska. To bring some of the beauty of the surrounding landscape inside and ensure resilience to the region’s monsoonal climate, the homeowners selected nature-inspired porcelain tiles as the primary floorcovering and for use throughout the home’s complete interior renovation. Approximately 3,800 sq. ft. of floor and wall tile were installed in the 7,200-sq.-ft. home, which includes a self-contained two-bedroom rental unit on the lower level, a key feature that attracted the buyers.
Determined to find the best tile installer for the project, the homeowners searched in their home state of Idaho for traditional tile professionals. They kept hearing the same name: Mike Foster, President of Tile Trends, a retail store in Idaho Falls. Though retired from hands-on tilework for seven years, Foster’s reputation for exceptional craftsmanship remained strong. The homeowners’ compelling offer and the allure of Sitka’s natural beauty convinced Foster to come out of retirement and take on the challenge as the home’s sole tile installer.
Foster immediately reached out to Chris Kain, Digital Technical Manager at TEC Specialty Products, to get Kain’s recommendations for the best installation products to handle the high Alaskan humidity. Foster had gotten to know Kain and others from TEC through the MUD event that Tile Trends hosts, an annual hands-on training on mud set installation for tile workers. TEC has long been a proud sponsor of this unique event.
Overcoming remote-location logistics
After product choice, the first hurdle was the transportation of materials. The tile and setting materials had to be shipped by barge from Seattle, Wash.—a six-day journey to the remote coastal town of Sitka. Thanks to careful planning, everything arrived on time for Foster to begin work. The project began in the lower-level rental unit, where porcelain tile was installed on the floors of the mudroom, bathroom, and laundry room, and on the bathroom walls and kitchen backsplash. The homeowners’ living areas upstairs featured porcelain tile throughout—on the living room floor, kitchen floor and backsplash, bathroom floors/walls/ceilings, laundry room floor, mudroom floor, and garage entry floor.
Preparing for precision
After demolition, the concrete first floor and plywood second floor substrates were left uneven and in need of leveling. Foster meticulously cleaned the surfaces and prepared them for leveling, taking special care to protect the home’s hydronic heating system. Proper sheeting was laid over the hydronic tubing before proceeding, and he applied TEC® Multipurpose Primer everywhere the manufacturer’s instructions specified before leveling.
For waterproofing and crack isolation on all shower walls, Foster applied TEC® HydraFlex™ Waterproofing Crack Isolation Membrane. This ready-to-use, flexible, mold- and mildew-resistant waterproofing crack isolation membrane forms a smooth, monolithic, watertight surface over walls, floors, and ceilings to stop in-plane cracks up to 1/8″ or up to 1⁄4” wide (based on application) at the subfloor from telegraphing through to tile. In addition to properly waterproofing to protect the home’s hydronic heat system, HydraFlex membrane added a layer of protection against tile damage from Sitka’s humid summers.
Achieving a flat, smooth surface
To level the substrate, Foster chose TEC® LevelSet® 300 Self-Leveling Underlayment. Since working alone, he mixed and poured the product from one 32-gallon container at a time, spread LevelSet with a gauge rake, and then used a laser to confirm flatness. Foster benefited from LevelSet 300’s self-healing properties, easy application up to 2”, and fast drying time (walkable in 3 hours and tile-ready surface within just 4 hours). LevelSet flowed evenly across the substrates to form the flat, smooth, and durable surface needed to install the flooring.
Installing diverse tile types with one mortar
Foster favors using TEC® Ultimate 6 Plus Polymer Modified Mortar because of its versatility for installing most sizes and types of tile on both floors and walls. In addition, the mortar is exceptionally easy-to-use, has excellent non-sag/non-slump properties, and offers extended open time. Throughout the Sitka home, he was installing mostly large, nature-inspired tiles: 12” x 24” slate- or sandstone-look tiles on floors/walls/ceilings, 24” x 48” nebula patterned gauged porcelain tiles (GPT) along with 8” x 48” and 8” x 36” wood-look GPT on floors, and 4” x 8” mixed stone/glass/metallic-look tiles for the kitchen backsplash.
“With so much tile to install on my own, especially with three sizes of GPT, I appreciated the extended open time and strong grab of Ultimate 6 Plus,” Foster said. “Ultimate 6 Plus streamlines my process, giving me the flexibility to grout six hours after installing the tile.”
Long-term beauty and protection
For grouting, TEC® Power Grout® Ultimate Performance Grout was selected for its advanced performance, including superior stain protection, color consistency, fast set time (4 hours), and zero-efflorescence guarantee. Power Grout joints are strong and resistant to shrinking and cracking. With narrow grout joints showcasing the tile throughout the house, Power Grout ensures long-lasting beauty without ever needing to be sealed—even in wet bathroom areas.
To finish and protect the installation, Foster applied flexible, durable, and water-resistant TEC® Accucolor 100® 100% Silicone Sealant to all expansion joints.
In Sitka’s demanding coastal environment, this project proves what’s possible when proven materials meet expert installation. Facing remote logistics, humidity, hydronic heat, and a one-person install, Foster relied on the TEC installation system to deliver lasting performance and a finished space that reflects the natural beauty just outside the door.
Written by Chris Kain, TEC Specialty Products
