Slippery Rock Gazette

Don’t Be Afraid to Tackle Lippage

Bob Murrell 

Special Contributor

(Hover over photos for captions)

Most of us know what lippage is and it is not the flak we get from our significant other.           

Just to be clear, lippage is the height difference between one tile and another. It can be moderate to severe but is none the less present in every installation of marble, granite, ceramic tile, precast terrazzo, etc., that has not been ground flat. 

To my knowledge, there are no lippage-free installations even with modern day install gadgets like spacers, lasers, straight edges, and the like. It is true, that used effectively by an experienced technician, these devices can certainly help to minimize the lippage but they can’t eliminate it altogether.

In Europe, most every installation is finished by grinding in place to remove all lippage. Europeans rarely use 12 x 12 3/8˝ tiles to begin with and commonly use ¾´-1 ¼˝ material in 1´x 2´ or larger sized pieces. 

In true craftsman style, they are set in a thick mud bed and each piece is leveled in place. Even though there is minimal lippage after the install, the floor is still ground to a monolithic state. They have been installing stone for many hundreds of years and have many traditions, as well as strict local codes.  

Here in the USA, the common use of the 12 x 12 3/8˝ tiles in a thin set bed compounds the lippage issue, especially when inexperienced technicians are setting the stone like they would ceramic tile, with grout joints that are too large and in many cases, sanded. Sanded grout can and will inhibit the restoration process.

A ground in place monolithic floor is much more valuable than a newly installed floor. Building owners must be educated that flat floors are safer, look better, and are easier and more cost effective to maintain. 

If a floor can be kept clean, polished surfaces will last 3-5 times longer, thereby reducing maintenance costs. Fewer trip hazards are for sure a good thing. Better and more consistent light reflectivity is also a good thing. We all know that lower maintenance costs are definitely a good thing. 

Other benefits include the ability to restore a floor many times by starting at any abrasive grit level necessary to repair wear areas. If there is no lippage, you can start at a 400g, 800g, or whatever is required to remove wear patterns without the fear of window panes or picture frames (low areas that never get properly honed). So even if you just replace a floor, you will be right back where you started, with lippage. 

Removing the old floor and thin set will cost upwards of $4-$5 per sqft, then you have the cost of the replacement tile which will probably be at least double what the old tile was, and then you have the cost of installing the new tile at least at $4-$5 per square foot, too. So paying the restoration professional a fair amount for a complete lippage removal and up restoration is a true value.

Now, for the nitty-gritty part. Lippage removal can be accomplished using coarse grit resins in minor cases. However, most of the time it will require the use of metal bond diamonds for efficiency’s sake. Of course there are flexible diamonds and rigid diamonds. 

Flexible diamonds in combination with rubber spacers, follow the low and high areas easier and with more forgiveness. Rigid diamonds make for a more monolithic floor though. 

Planetary machines are more productive than single disc machines in most situations. So it will be a case by case basis depending on the type and condition of the floor. 

Of course lippage removal will be a mess, count on it. Slurry disposal must be dealt with according to the client and local codes. Also, one of my rules of thumb is “you can never make up in the end for what you did not do correctly in the beginning.” The floor must be clean and dry to properly evaluate whether the lippage has been sufficiently removed to proceed to the next honing step. Remember my rule of thumb. 

Also, doing the border work is essential to completing the lippage removal process and ensuring a good-looking floor. Of course this is the hardest part and no one wants to do it. Baseboard removal really helps here, if possible. Low areas show up after the high spots have been removed. Hand tool work may be required to even this out but be careful not to scratch or gouge the floor as these marks are tough to rectify.

The biggest recommendation I can give is do your research first before bidding. What kind of floor is it? How much detail work is there (how many borders)? Is the sanded grout? What final finish is required (honed or polished)? What is the expected result? These are all issues that must be answered. 

Having a good supplier of products and technical support is essential, even for the most experienced restoration professional. Doing a full lippage removal and up restoration project is a value to both the building owner and all who use the property. Just make sure you are ready and make a profit.

Bob Murrell has worked as a supplier of products and technical support to the natural stone industry for over 35 years. He has written numerous articles for various trade publications and has also trained thousands of contractors over the last 25 years.