On DIY Tile Installation

DON"T DO IT!

Or this could be how you spend your evening.

The DIY Show's and HGTV are incredibly entertaining and exciting to watch, but what is rarely made clear is that more can go wrong for the novice tile setter than can go right. Not be down on your dreams of remodeling your entire kitchen in your 35 year old house, but there is just too many variables: The floor could be unleveled, rotted, flimsy, flexy, warped, or just weird. In a perfect world, the old floor would be ripped up quickly, easily and perfectly, and the new floor would be stuck down straight and secure... this is not a perfect world. So before you start taring up the room that needs new tile, consult a professional tile setter for help and or advice.

Instead, let this be how you spend your evening:)

On Glass Backsplash Preparation

RIGHT! You Must Trowel the Thinset on, then float it. WRONG! You Cannot Simply Trowel the Thinset on as normal.

The average tile setter may assume that glass tile gets thrown up on the wall like most ceramic tile... this could be the ruin of your backsplash. How to determine whether or not your tile setter is set apart from the rest is by simply asking how and with what he intends to lay the tile. The Correct answer is: with White thinset, trowled on, but then floated (so as not to see the trowel lines - rather a smooth float). The reason Glu will not do, is that most glass tile will allow enough light through it so that the thinset (mortar) will show through. One must use thinset because unlike Glu, it does not discolor yellow from UV Rays.

On Backpslashes

Two factors to think about when choosing a backsplash are style and design. One might think that the two are one, but I have laid many a backsplash lacking one or both. Many people are content to throw up some 2" squares that match everything else in the house, while hoping that the next home owners will like it as well. The thing is, backsplashes are cheap, and fantastic opportunities to express oneself threw vibrant colors and creative designs, without having too pay to much extra. Right now (2010) there is pretty much only one design that is possible to simply lay 1" square tile on the walls, having the only compliment be the grout color, glass. This works for now in modern kitchens, because usually the tile choice is already beautiful and shiny and fun, serving as a bold and colorful accent to the entire kitchen, rather than blend in.
for the rest of the kitchens we must try to think in terms of subway, brick, diagnol, or new patterns when we lay our backsplash tile. The world of kitchens simply cannot bare one more neutral tile color, with no pattern whatsoever.
Finally, MAKE USE OF THE AREA ABOVE YOUR STOVE!!!!!
aka, do something fun with that perfectly sized canvas.

NOT THIS!

For more tips on choosing your backsplash visit this tile installers website!!!

...............................THIS!!

On the Tile Process

What does a Shower Renovation Involve Anyway???

There are basics steps to Remodeling your shower that you may already know, like:
* picking a tile
* picking a design: shelves, bench, colors, accent,etc.
* choosing a qualified tile setter

... but there are others that are not so obvious:

* Covering exposed area (bathroom, etc.) with plastic, as well as sealing off the room
* Removing old shower & Plumbing (best if done by a pro, like.. US!)
* New Plumbing: Drain, fixtures, Pan liner, etc.
* Frame or build base of new shower
* Hang Mold Resistant Hardi
* Tile
* Grout & Seal

How to not Die this Halloween! (from black mold)

Black mold exist, it will show up pretty much anywhere water sits in a cool, dark, unventilated area - aka, in your shower walls, beneath your shower pan, etc. The problem with black mold is that it is toxic to breathe, not to mention that the areas that cater to mold also cater to termites.
How to spot black mold when it is not visible:
* Look for bloating in tile wall
* Look for black seeping out of grout joints or caulk joints
* Notice if particular areas of the shower will simply not be rid of mold, no matter how many times you bleach it, it keeps coming back
* Knock on Tile to see if it sounds hollow: this is not always an indication of mold.


The best way to rid yourself of this mold, is to tear our all or the portion of shower infected. Allow for area to dry out (this will practically kill the mold by itself). Kill any remaining mold with bleach. Then take the opportunity to rebuild the custom shower you like, by a trained Shower Installer.

For more questions or for a free estimate on Mold Removal and Shower Installation, check out tilefast.com