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Shower Waterproofing Crash Course: Navigating through 4 different methods
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How to Install GoBoard Tile Backer Board | Video
How to Install GoBoard Tile Backer Board It’s time to work on DIY’ing your tile shower and you’re not looking forward to working with the dreaded cement board again. It’s dusty, crumbly, and hard to start screws into. Not to mention how heavy it is. Sure, there are waterproof foam backer boards on the market […]
Tips & Tricks
Miserable Pebble Tile Flooring
A crash course on installing pebble tile flooring How can installing pebble tile flooring be a miserable endeavor? After all, when you use words like organic, zen, natural, and feng shui to describe the bathroom that you want aren’t pebble tiles always in the scheme somewhere? Well I have a huge pet peeve about pebble […]
How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Recessed Shower Niche Part 3: How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche In this post we cover: Situations where you would consider modifications A technique to check if your foam niche is still waterproof Method and tools to customize a foam shower niche Staying out of trouble […]
The trick for getting better thinset coverage under your tiles
The trick for getting better thinset coverage under your tiles I’ve worked with some fussy tile setters in the past. Everything has to be a particular way with them. The boxes of tile have to be opened a certain way, their spacers have to be positioned just so, and their tools have to be organized […]
Waterproofing
How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Recessed Shower Niche Part 3: How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche In this post we cover: Situations where you would consider modifications A technique to check if your foam niche is still waterproof Method and tools to customize a foam shower niche Staying out of trouble […]
5 signs your new tile shower will leak
What to look for in proper tile shower construction You’ve hired someone to build your tile shower in your bathroom, but how do you know he or she’s doing it correctly? How do you know that you won’t have an upstairs shower leaking into your downstairs kitchen? Most homeowners don’t know all the in’s and […]
Kerdi no longer acceptable for tile steam showers
TCNA tightens steam shower requirements In 2013, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), the organization that sets the guidelines for tile installations, is rumored to have made a modification to their specifications for constructing tile steam showers. It’s all about perm ratings- and Schluter Kerdi fabric no longer cuts it. (edit: this is now […]
Tutorial
Why a centered tile layout is a bad idea
This post deals with tile layout as a concept. If you are looking for a more How-to, nuts & bolts post then be sure to check out my related post on Bathroom Floor Tile Layout in 5 Easy Steps. Typical tile layout advice is: Measure off of each wall Find the center of the […]
Sealing the tub flange for tile
That pesky tub flange. You have the tile backerboard installed and everything is waterproofed. Everything except that gap between the backerboard and the tub flange. How do you waterproof that? What to do with the tub flange? To begin with you can try reading the instructions for the backerboard… which then will reveal… nothing. What about […]
Bathroom Floor Tile Layout in 5 Easy Steps
Bathroom Floor Tile Layout It seems like a simple project- a small bathroom floor. You’ve picked out your tile at the local box store along with a few supplies and you’re ready to go. The problem is: Where do you start? See my previous post on tile layout concepts and why this layout was chosen. […]
Tile Installation Products
4 New Tile Installation Products Released at Coverings
Coverings Atlanta Recap Coverings is the biggest trade show in the tile industry. This is where I look forward to seeing new and innovative products released. Well, this year, there were 4 new tile installation products that I thought deserved mention. I’ll list them in the order that I think is coolest to just cool. Starting […]
Ebbe Drains: The shower option that you never knew you had
Usually when one is designing a shower or remodeling their bathroom they put a lot of thought into the tile, paint, and faucet selections but the boring shower drain is selected based on whatever the plumber has in their truck. Why put an ugly drain in your brand new tile shower pan if you […]
MK-EZ Profiler- Tool Review
I was anxious when I first was trying out my new MK-EZ Profiler machine. Nobody had one yet (mine is number 38) and it’s a lot of money to throw away if it doesn’t work very well. After the first day of bullnosing my 3/8 inch through body porcelain tile I was ready to throw […]