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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 […]
Popular 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. What! No Waterproofing!? How can this be? Well, I think there are multiple parties to […]
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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Recent Posts
Tile Thinset Mortar: How to Buy the Best Adhesive for YOU!
It’s difficult enough just selecting your tile let alone a tile mortar. Now you walk into the thinset aisle at the home improvement store and there are eight different choices of thinset mortar. Suddenly, questions start furiously bouncing into your head: What’s the difference between the $6 bag of thinset and the $40 bag? Do […]
How bad of an idea is a marble shower?
The appeal of a marble shower is quite understandable. Marble is beautiful and timeless. So, why would anyone frown on putting natural stone in your home? As a contractor, I get asked about putting marble and other natural stones in bathrooms quite often. In fact, it’s quite common for a homeowner or designer to have […]
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. […]
Tips & Tricks
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 in a certain manner. Good thinset mortar coverage underneath your […]
Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch
This post covers: Cement board, foam board, and Hardibacker Cutting into wall framing Waterproofing LOTS of photos! The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Custom Recessed Shower Niche Other niche building posts: Planning and Design Installing a prefab niche Modifying a prefab niche Part 4: Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch Sometimes there’s no […]
Why a centered tile layout is a bad idea
Typical tile layout advice is: Measure off of each wall Find the center of the room Draw intersecting lines Start tiling from the center intersection You’ll find this type of information on many DIY sites that also have tips for cleaning out your gutters, staining your outside deck, and painting your ceiling. But let’s put […]
Waterproofing
5 signs your new tile shower will leak
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 ins and outs of remodeling their bathrooms. Sadly, the contractors they’ve […]
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 […]
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. What! No Waterproofing!? How can this be? Well, I think there are multiple parties to […]
Tutorial
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… […]
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 […]
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 […]
