When a ceramic tile installation fails, it's rarely because of a problem with the tile itself. More than likely it's because the installer used the wrong setting materials for the job or didn't follow correct installation procedures. This article focuses on setting beds for ceramic tile installations in wood-frame houses. In the past, when most tile jobs were installed over mortar setting beds, the tile subs used the thick mortar beds to correct substrates that were out of plumb or level. But in today's fast-track thin-bed market, an attractive outcome depends more on the skill of the framing carpenter than the tile installer. You can't expect even the most highly skilled tile installer to straighten out a poor substrate
