Fritz Terrazzo Tile

[Toulouse]

I bought a mod house in Glenbrook Valley over 2 years ago and had 2000 square feet of Fritz Tile installed. I have not been happy with it at all. After about 6 months the colored stones started getting darker in some areas. I contacted Fritz Tile headquarters and they told me it wasn't their problem and offered no help at all. According to them, the problem was my slab, which they claim was having moisture issues, therefore affecting the tile. The dealer that installed my floor did offer to replace the damaged tiles. I decided not to replace since it would cause such a disruption. Last weekend I was out of town and an upstairs bathroom pipe burst, causing the ceiling below to collapse and much of the tile to be additionally damaged. I was not surprised to see that many of the tiles buckled up, like paper or cardboard would do. I will likely have it replaced with some sort of terrazzo tile, but definitely not Fritz Tile. The way it buckled led me to believe that fritz tile isn't precast terrazzo, but some other material that isn't nearly as durable as stone.

If you are looking for terrazzo I would strongly urge staying away from Fritztile.

[domus48]

"If you are looking for terrazzo I would strongly urge staying away from Fritztile."

Caveat emptor.

Fritztile is not a "precast terrazzo tile", rather an epoxy based substrate with stone aggregate of various sizes. The product itself cannot be identified as inferior without additional scrutiny with respect to this installation. Was the adhesive utilized by the installer a product approved by the tile manufacturer? And the condition of the slab is certainly a potential factor in terms of moisture wicking up from below -- are the discolored tiles random or in select areas? Prior to installation of tile on grade -- of any type -- a moisture test should be conducted by a tile installer.

That said, the installer of the product should be the one who addresses issues associated with a given product. One doesn't phone Honda corporate headquarters when there's a problem with their Honda. Fritz Tile (or any flooring product) is wholly subject to conditions as potentially brought about through site conditions, installer procedure and post-installation care and maintenance.

Finally, was the installer utilized qualified by Fritztile to install their product? Was the installer a sub-contractor for the dealer of the product or in-house staff?

These are relevant questions that have to be addressed first, and acted on accordingly prior to posting a negative, blanket comment on a given product.

I can certainly sympathize with you "Toulouse", and I would urge you to work with the dealer first. Have a moisture test -- at various areas within the scope -- conducted by an independent source. If the results are negative move on to the facts regarding the installation itself (adhesive utilized, etc.). Once you have full documentation of all related issues -- and all are within product guidelines -- then you should contact the local product representative for Fritztile for their assistance.