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Tired of Bullnose Tile Trim? Here are 5 Tile Edge Trim Alternatives
Here are 5 alternatives to common bullnose tile edge trim. One of the mistakes that I see a lot of homeowners and DIYers make with […]
Recent Posts
Trowel Size Matters: Which trowel size do I use…
You want to know which notched trowel to use for your tile project. The boxes of tile that you buy usually don’t tell you which trowel to use with them. Consequently, I get asked about trowel sizes quite a bit. Finding the instructions on the trowels or the bags of thinset is a hopeless endeavor. […]
Self-Leveling Underlayment: The Ultimate Guide…
Self-leveling underlayment. It sounds soooooo easy, doesn’t it? You simply pour the leveling cement over the floor and the product then just levels itself all on its own. Sort of like…magic, right? Self-leveling underlayment is not what it seems Self-leveling underlayment is, quite likely, the worst named product in the world of tile. Why? What […]
5 Ways to Screw Up your Cement Board Installation…
Cement board installation is not something that is incredibly difficult. I think most people worry about how to cut it and once they have a plan for that then they think it’ll be a breeze. But I’ve seen these screw-ups for several years now. It’s the same ones over and over. Which products are we […]
Shower Waterproofing Crash Course…
4 Shower Waterproofing systems for tile showers Waterproofing a shower. This seems like common sense, doesn’t it? Well, a lot of showers that are built these days still have no shower waterproofing whatsoever. Or they have poor or improper waterproofing. This post contains affiliate links. The site owner may earn a commission should you click […]
Tired of Bullnose Tile Trim? Here are 5 Tile Edge…
Here are 5 alternatives to common bullnose tile edge trim. One of the mistakes that I see a lot of homeowners and DIYers make with tile installations is that they sometimes don’t use any tile trim on the exposed tile edges. Many times they think the edge of the tile looks OK or they simply […]
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Tips & Tricks
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 Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Recessed Shower Niche Part 3: How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche […]
Tile Layout and the Golden Ratio
The golden ratio is a mathematical equation found everywhere. From snail shells to hurricanes; from pyramids to stock market charts. We don’t need to know every detail to use the golden ratio in tile applications, nor do we have to be a math wiz to know how it works. We just need to know the […]
Sealing the tub flange for tile: 3 methods
That pesky tub flange. You have the tile backer board installed and everything is waterproofed. Everything except that gap between the backer board and the tub flange. How do you waterproof that? How to waterproof the tub flange? To begin with, you can try reading the instructions for the backer board… which then will reveal… […]
Waterproofing
Is Hardibacker and Durock cement board waterproof?
Reader question: Hi there. I recently finished grouting my tile surround in my shower. I posted photos on Facebook and somebody questioned whether I had waterproofed the Hardiebacker 500 board. Much to my dismay, I had never even heard of this… Anyway, I went to the James Hardie website and see nothing about waterproofing being […]
Exterior tile installation over occupied space
This week I got an email about tiling outside over an occupied room. This isn’t something that I’ve talked about so far but this is a high-risk situation and I wanted to expand on it a bit. Here’s the question: Exterior tile installation over living space Hello.. I was hoping you could provide some advice. […]
6 Things NOT To Do When Building a Tile Shower
Drywall and other bad ways to build a shower Sometimes it’s nice to know what not to do when remodeling a tile shower in your bathroom. Alternatively, it’s nice to be able to monitor the progress on your own remodel and see if the tradespeople are doing things correctly. This post covers 6 mistakes that […]
Tutorial
Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Custom Recessed Shower Niche Part 4: Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch This post covers: Cement board, foam board, and Hardibacker Cutting into wall framing Waterproofing LOTS of photos! Sometimes there’s no good way around it. Building your own custom recessed shower niche from scratch can be […]
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 […]
How to Build a Recessed Shampoo Shelf
In this post we discuss: How to cut an inset niche into the wall What tools to use to build the recessed shampoo shelf Blocking (framing) for a recessed niche How to make sure your niche is waterproof Tile inside and around your shower insert The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Recessed Shower Niche […]
Tile Installation Products
Tile Grout: What Kind do I Need for my Project?
Why do things have to be complicated? You pick out a grout color and now you’re faced with another decision: sanded or nonsanded? Which kind of tile grout is right for your project? First, we’re going to break down the tile grouts into two categories cement and non-cement. This post will examine the different kinds […]
Trowel Size Matters: Which trowel size do I use for …?
You want to know which notched trowel to use for your tile project. The boxes of tile that you buy usually don’t tell you which trowel to use with them. Consequently, I get asked about trowel sizes quite a bit. Finding the instructions on the trowels or the bags of thinset is a hopeless endeavor. […]
Do Uncoupling Membranes Really Prevent Cracked Tile Floors?
You want to tile your concrete floor. But there’s a problem. The concrete has cracks in it. You know that if you tile right over the crack that you soon will have floor tile that’s cracked in the exact same spot. So what can you do to keep the tile from cracking? Do Uncoupling Membranes […]
