A fellow amateur radio operator reached out to me several days ago. My vanity call sign was coined after my Ask the Builder business. It’s W3ATB. The W3 stands for www for my AsktheBuilder.com website ...

Q: I’m putting ceramic tile flooring in my kitchen and live on a 10-year-old, ground-level concrete slab. Do I need to put any type of underlayment or vapor barrier underneath it? A: It’s perfectly ...

Q. My husband and I are deep into installing new flooring in our home. Flood damage ruined the carpet. We decided to install a combination of laminate flooring and ceramic tile. The tile work is much ...

Q. I want to install ceramic tile on a concrete floor under a freestanding fireplace and on the drywall behind the fireplace. I live in a colder climate, and the floor is very cold to the touch. Can I ...

For some people, a concrete floor is the right choice. However, others may find a concrete floor with no decorative elements or color tinting to be ugly and boring. When renovating and updating homes ...

Q: I grew up in an old home that had ceramic fireplace tile. I'd love to re-create that look in a home that I'm getting ready to build. What does it take to install a ceramic-tile fireplace? Where's ...

Lee Wallender is a home improvement writer of nearly 20 years and specializes in home remodeling, repair and maintenance. Sami Allen is the managing editor at Forbes Home, with over seven years of ...

Ceramic tile is a rigid product that has a high compressive strength. This means you can squeeze it and it won't crush. However, ceramic tile, concrete and natural stone have low tensile strength.