There will be a bit of ambiguity in my answers...because there's no true right or wrong way. But here I go anyway: 1. Is the decision to go with epoxy or non-epoxy grout based primarily on resistance to mold and/or staining or is one type better than the other as far as preventing water penetration? Epoxy grout will allow less water penetration than a cement-based grout. Being non-porous, it'll also be less liable to staining. I consider epoxy to be overkill in residential showers, unless you're into dying your hair in the shower, etc. One other thing, you have a kerdi shower. That will limit water penetration, so it's sort of one more reason that epoxy could be considered overkill. 2. If we don't go with an epoxy grout in the shower, would the Polyblend grout used on the floor be suitable or would you recommend something different? Polyblend or any other manufacturer's cement based grouts would be fine. I use product from several manufacturers. Some people are preferential to just one manufacturer. 3. I think I'm confusing "caulk" and "silicone"... Are they used in the same applications? If not, what is the difference? Think of silicon as a type of caulk. There are, in general, three types of caulk typically used in residential shower construction; latex, siliconized-latex, and silicon. Latex is easy to work with, but the least durable and the most prone to mold and mildew staining. Silicon is the most difficult to work with, but has the best water-repellent capabilities. Siliconized-latex is a hybrid, it's in between the other two. In a well-built shower, any of the three could work fine, though I usually use caulks with some silicone in them, either S-L or 100% silicon. Look for a caulk that is color and texture matched to your grout, that way the caulk will look like your grout. Some 100% silicon's are only offered in color-match, but not texture. Since you mentioned Polyblend, here's a link to Custom's Color Matched Caulk. 4. Is caulk and/or silicone necessary in a Kerdi shower? I have nightmares about mold forming on my caulk (or silicone?) and having to tear it all out. The only proper way to avoid caulk completely is to do a floated mud shower with reinforced corners. Other than that, properly pitched surfaces, proper ventilation, and 100% silicon caulk will give you the best chance. 5. If we do caulk/silicone, I've heard that it should be done at every change of plane. Would this include areas that would not be taking a direct hit with water or having standing water on them? Correct. In lightweight shower construction (tile backer board over wood framing, for example), adjacent surfaces can move independently of one another. Caulk will flex. Grout could crack. Now you have a Kerdi shower, that works in your favor, as water can only penetrate to the membrane. But in general, yes, for lightweight construction, caulk all changes in plane. 6. Specifically which product would you recommend? A caulk that is color and possibly texture (sanded or unsanded) matched to your grout. A caulk that has some silicon in it. So the brand of caulk could be related to the brand of grout used if your goal is to color match. 7. Although our tile is porcelain, we are using a travertine base molding that has many nooks and crannies that will need to be filled. I understand that they get filled in by grout. This base molding is lighter that our wall and floor tiles and the matching grout that we're using there. Can I use a lighter grout for just the base moldings? Yes, you can change grout colors within the wall itself. 8. Finally, would you recommend sealing everything once it is done? Or just sealing the travertine pieces? I'd just seal the travertine. Porcelain is already non-porous. Sealing grout can be an adventure within itself. Regardless, use a penetrating, vapor-permeable sealer.

Bill V - THank you - that is all I wanted to know. My gut told me the installers were not at fault with the installation - but I do not have your experience to go from. tuesday - When did I ever mention lawyers or legal or imply I in any way planned to go after the installer?! I said I was giving them the benefit of the doubt because I wasn't sure how they could have known before installing given the nature of the tile. I am still very friendly with the rep who sold me bad door trim. Its business - I was fair and reasonable with her and I will still recommend her because she did everything she could to remedy the situation and it isn't perfect but it is acceptable. Mistakes happen. The other day my dh told me my GC paid me a great compliment when the ice stone fabricator came by to talk about the fabrication he - admittedly - totally messed up. While they waited for me my GC said "L is more educated about building than a lot of homeowners and she knows how things should be, but she is reasonable. If you explain what you can do and are honest with her she will work with you." I am not looking to skewer anyone or get something for less than it is worth - but I do want what I - in good faith - paid for. CA - where I live is a no fault state - but I have no idea what that possibly has to do with ordering an expensive custom tile and receiving defective product? the "free tile" is hardly an "absolute gift" nor is it free. I paid good money for a product I saw in a showroom - I did not receive that product and if I want what I paid for I have to pay thousands of dollars to have the defective stuff ripped out and the new stuff installed. Sorry but I don't see the gift in that. Seaglass - I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Oceanside - that must have been very disappointing. While they appear to be much more responsive in this case I still don't really feel grateful or satisfied because I am still out a lot of money and the responsibility for the defective tile is theirs. My rep is a top dealer for Oceanside and said her experience with them has only been positive. I'm not giving up and will be talking to her on Monday and see what we can do. Cheri - thank you for the kind feedback. I also hesitated over that faucet. One reason I chose it was the huge expanse behind the sink - it begged for a faucet of some substance. I personally do not like any kind of pull-out - integrated or on the side - so I love how the sprayer works. I love the backsplash too - from 10 feet away ;-) If it did not look exactly like mold growing behind the tiles I would probably just deal with it - but something that looks like mold in a kitchen is just not something I want to look at every day while I work at my sink. I splurged on my backsplash because I do not have a window and I wanted something light reflective that would be visually appealing to someone working at the sink - not quite happening the moment.

They are techincally painted, yes. But they call it a PermaShield finish because it is applied in such a way it should last just as long as any vinyl-and they include it in their 20/10 warranty. And as someone who has put hundreds or more CKs in-I would advise you that you technically probably *can* put the CK in, but it wouldn't advise it-it's not designed to fit tightly to the old primed frame,and would look out place. In addition, some of the angles & sizing were just enough different you will run into trouble. If you can afford to-you may be able to get a full-frame 400 Series Tilt-Wash Window close to the same price as the CK. I believe your windows are surrounded by brickmold, so the siding likely wouldn't have to be removed-you simply remove the brickmold, remove the window & install the new TW window, and trim the outside with some vinyl or PermaShield trim to be maintenance-free. It's the window that the CK is based on, and uses exactly the same sashes. Hope you find a suitable solution!

I'm not an expert, but do have 4 bathrooms, a laundry room, and 2 kitchens under my belt. It definitely sounds like the pre-mix didn't set up correctly for some reason. You should have had difficulty removing the tile after 20 minutes or so, and 16 hours latter you should have needed a hammer and chisel to get them off. I assume you washed off the tile and are going to re-use the same tile when you redo the job. Go online and find out what kind of adhesive the tile manufacturer recommends, if possible. Otherwise talk to the folks that sold you the tile about the problems you had. You may be able to use a mastic instead of mortar. If I were you I'd ditch the ready-mix and get some thinset and mix it yourself. It's really not that difficult. The folks who sold you the tile can give you plenty of advice on how to mix mortar or you can find information sheets online at the website of the mortar manufacturer, and find out exactly what they recommend for substrates, how to mix, what the set times are, open bucket times, etc. You need a good clean surface that the mortar can bond to. If the drywall had been painted, you need to either sand the paint off down to the paper, or replace the drywall. It would probably be easier to just replace the drywall. The outlet boxes are really no problem. If you're replacing the drywall, of course you can just re-mount the existing boxes for the added thickness of your tile. If you're using the existing drywall, you can get box extenders or plastic spacers to space out the receptacles so they aren't loose.