My house projects
12-23-2009, 04:21 PM
#42
Bent = #1
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12-23-2009, 09:20 PM
#43
COME AT ME BRO!
you don't need to seal the grout really. Just be careful because sometimes the sealer can effect the color of the grout. Not sure what brand of sealer you bought, but the best is to get the same color sealer/stain as the OG grout color. Also go buy some hobby brushes and use the 1/4" flat brush to apply it. 
Sometime if you use the roller sealer is doesn't apply it evenly and can effect the color of the grout....Again you did a superb job for a rookie!
Sometime if you use the roller sealer is doesn't apply it evenly and can effect the color of the grout....Again you did a superb job for a rookie!
12-23-2009, 09:25 PM
#44
COME AT ME BRO!
To awnser jonesi's question & not that Im a professional or know what is correct if there even is, but I thought you were supposed to lay tile starting in the center of the room with full pieces and move out from there in case walls are not square or what not, idk though
p.s I do this for a living.
12-24-2009, 09:43 AM
#45
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It really depends. The size of the tiles, how many doorways are in the roo, etc. But yes for the most part you want the grout line to be centered in the middle of the door way, and work out towards the sides. (NEVER EVER step on the tiles you just laid, for at least 12hrs. your body weight will change the level of the tile, and it will no longer be flush with the adjacent tiles.) If you are doing the tiles in the diamond pattern you want the corners to center the doorway.
p.s I do this for a living.
p.s I do this for a living.
Not only is it rough on your knees, it's rough on your hands (specifically fingertips), breathing in all the dust from the tile saw sucks, mortar on the hands sucks, grouting sucks, etc. Just did my kitchen and foyer, and hopefully that tile stays down forever. (btw, I suck at tiling, it's really not that complicated, just labor intensive, and I still suck).
No thanks.
Props to you.
12-24-2009, 09:46 AM
#46
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
you don't need to seal the grout really. Just be careful because sometimes the sealer can effect the color of the grout. Not sure what brand of sealer you bought, but the best is to get the same color sealer/stain as the OG grout color. Also go buy some hobby brushes and use the 1/4" flat brush to apply it. Sometime if you use the roller sealer is doesn't apply it evenly and can effect the color of the grout....Again you did a superb job for a rookie!
Sometime if you use the roller sealer is doesn't apply it evenly and can effect the color of the grout....Again you did a superb job for a rookie!
12-24-2009, 01:58 PM
#47
COME AT ME BRO!
Can't believe people do this for a living. Now I know why they charge so much. Laying tile sucks.
Not only is it rough on your knees, it's rough on your hands (specifically fingertips), breathing in all the dust from the tile saw sucks, mortar on the hands sucks, grouting sucks, etc. Just did my kitchen and foyer, and hopefully that tile stays down forever. (btw, I suck at tiling, it's really not that complicated, just labor intensive, and I still suck).
No thanks.
Props to you.
Not only is it rough on your knees, it's rough on your hands (specifically fingertips), breathing in all the dust from the tile saw sucks, mortar on the hands sucks, grouting sucks, etc. Just did my kitchen and foyer, and hopefully that tile stays down forever. (btw, I suck at tiling, it's really not that complicated, just labor intensive, and I still suck).
No thanks.
Props to you.
laying tiles is easy. The only part that sucks is lifting boxes of tiles in and out of the truck. Other than that its not bad.. You get used to working on your knees (yeah yeah I know how that sounds, you sickos
) Doesn't bother me at all. Doing tile isn't always easy. A lot of times floors are far from level and walls are out of square about 99% of the time. SO it takes some time to make sure everything looks even, when its not.
12-24-2009, 02:24 PM
#48
Team Owner
We have a friend who lays tile for a living. He loved it because he got to work in the house when everything was closed up and the heat was on (in the winter).
There are some really cool things you can do with tile these days. Sooo much better than when everything was just glazed ceramic.
There are some really cool things you can do with tile these days. Sooo much better than when everything was just glazed ceramic.
12-24-2009, 03:17 PM
#49
COME AT ME BRO!
We have a friend who lays tile for a living. He loved it because he got to work in the house when everything was closed up and the heat was on (in the winter).
There are some really cool things you can do with tile these days. Sooo much better than when everything was just glazed ceramic.
There are some really cool things you can do with tile these days. Sooo much better than when everything was just glazed ceramic.
12-29-2009, 09:04 PM
#50
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
Finished
From this..
To this..
Got the cabinets from Ikea... Took almost 6 hours with a dinner break for my Dad and I to assemble and install the cabinets. The room is now complete! Well except for when one of the old W/D stops working then we can get a matching set
To this..
Got the cabinets from Ikea... Took almost 6 hours with a dinner break for my Dad and I to assemble and install the cabinets. The room is now complete! Well except for when one of the old W/D stops working then we can get a matching set
12-30-2009, 10:07 AM
#54
Team Owner
That's a pretty good dog bowl upgrade.
12-30-2009, 10:14 AM
#55
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
12-30-2009, 10:30 AM
#56
Team Owner
12-30-2009, 11:22 AM
#58
Earth-bound misfit
Looks beautiful!
Looks great. Can't wait to see the transformation in the kitchen.
12-30-2009, 12:03 PM
#60
Very nicely done.
Since You're not done on the kitchen yet, I was going to make a recommendation to go with a little more earth tone or something with some color in the kitchen. With the granite being blackish you don't want too much of a gray and black but maybe something to accent the speckles in the granite, or something to complement a colorful backsplash.
What an amazing job you did. Awesome!
Since You're not done on the kitchen yet, I was going to make a recommendation to go with a little more earth tone or something with some color in the kitchen. With the granite being blackish you don't want too much of a gray and black but maybe something to accent the speckles in the granite, or something to complement a colorful backsplash.
What an amazing job you did. Awesome!
12-30-2009, 01:07 PM
#61
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
Very nicely done.
Since You're not done on the kitchen yet, I was going to make a recommendation to go with a little more earth tone or something with some color in the kitchen. With the granite being blackish you don't want too much of a gray and black but maybe something to accent the speckles in the granite, or something to complement a colorful backsplash.
What an amazing job you did. Awesome!
Since You're not done on the kitchen yet, I was going to make a recommendation to go with a little more earth tone or something with some color in the kitchen. With the granite being blackish you don't want too much of a gray and black but maybe something to accent the speckles in the granite, or something to complement a colorful backsplash.
What an amazing job you did. Awesome!
I won't start the kitchen for a couple of weeks.. gotta save up some money and try some things out on the cabinets. We are going to use the same tile but in 16x16 sizes and will probably do a different pattern than the laundry room.
The kitchen will get new tile, new backsplash and going to stain the cabinets a different color. Will post updates when it happens
12-30-2009, 06:24 PM
#62
it's me, Alan Rickman.
Stagger the kitchen tile or do a pattern of some sort.. my entire downstairs, except for two rooms, is like 12x12 tile ceramic tile and it just looks like a long row of cheap tile [it's not the best tile but thats what the previous owner had the builder put in]. Granted it's better than carpet, but i'd prefer a nice pattern with some other sizes or even a 4x4 tile thrown in every so often for some visual interest.
.. Maybe xnay on the footprints but something like this:
or even a straight line pattern so long as there is variance in the tile design:
Also if you have small baseboard you should replace it with beefier bigger stuff while doing the tile.. It seems like a minor useless detail but there is a huge difference in 'visual value' when a room has small baseboard. The previous owners of my house didn't upgrade it, it's like 1" tall cheap-o stuff and totally cheapens the entire house.
just my two cents
.. Maybe xnay on the footprints but something like this:
or even a straight line pattern so long as there is variance in the tile design:
Also if you have small baseboard you should replace it with beefier bigger stuff while doing the tile.. It seems like a minor useless detail but there is a huge difference in 'visual value' when a room has small baseboard. The previous owners of my house didn't upgrade it, it's like 1" tall cheap-o stuff and totally cheapens the entire house.
just my two cents
Last edited by timmahh; 12-30-2009 at 06:26 PM.
01-06-2010, 12:09 PM
#63
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Nice work HL, the Laundry Room looks great with the paint and tile all matching very well. I'm looking to do my basement Laundry room in a similar fashion, curious how much the cabinets ran you from ikea?
01-06-2010, 01:13 PM
#64
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
The cabinets were $800 for everything (cabinets, doors, mounting brackets). My Dad split it halfway for my Christmas present (very nice I know). They were really easy to install though. I did look at Home Depot and I think the cabinets there may have been a little cheaper, but I don't know if the installation would have been as easy.
01-30-2010, 05:56 PM
#66
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
01-31-2010, 04:21 PM
#67
Oderint dum metuant.
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Long before I got a house all I ever heard was "it's always something"...they were right. But it does suck when things you need to do get in the way of things you want to do.
02-08-2010, 11:08 AM
#68
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
nice job! Keep us updated on the projects as they go along.
05-29-2010, 09:55 PM
#69
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
And now the kitchen begins..
I plan to replace the tile on the floor and the backsplash. May eventually replace the cabinets to a darker color, but that is down the road. The new floor tile and backsplash will match the tile put in the laundry room. The kitchen floor tile will be 18X18 tile, while the backsplash will be 2X2 tile diagonal pattern.
Right side of old backsplash
Center of the old backsplash
Left of the old backsplash
After the demo...
With the left side & center new drywall up
Will finish the drywall tomorrow and put the tile on.
Right side of old backsplash
Center of the old backsplash
Left of the old backsplash
After the demo...
With the left side & center new drywall up
Will finish the drywall tomorrow and put the tile on.
06-01-2010, 08:27 PM
#70
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
Grouted today. Just waiting till the grout dries before I put on the outlet covers then it's done The tiles are a little darker than they seem in the pictures. It is a huge difference over the old tile IMO
The tiles are a little darker than they seem in the pictures. It is a huge difference over the old tile IMO
06-02-2010, 08:05 AM
#72
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
Yeah I am pretty happy about it. The hardest part was removing the old tile and putting up new drywall. I used SimpleMat Tile Installation Mat instead of Thinset. It is similar to double sided tape, and the guy at Home Depot said everyone that has used it loved it.
There was no mess, and I didn't have to wait to grout after putting the tile on the wall. It was also nice since I could get solid squares on the wall, and then cut the bottom/top pieces on the wet saw without worrying about the Thinset drying.
Edit: Just noticed that the product didn't get great reviews on Home Depot's site. If anyone does plan to use it just take your time when you put the tiles on the wall. I had a couple problems when I put the tiles on and they weren't straight but I was able to pull the tiles off right away with no problem to reposition them.
There was no mess, and I didn't have to wait to grout after putting the tile on the wall. It was also nice since I could get solid squares on the wall, and then cut the bottom/top pieces on the wet saw without worrying about the Thinset drying.
Edit: Just noticed that the product didn't get great reviews on Home Depot's site. If anyone does plan to use it just take your time when you put the tiles on the wall. I had a couple problems when I put the tiles on and they weren't straight but I was able to pull the tiles off right away with no problem to reposition them.
06-02-2010, 10:07 AM
#75
Bent = #1
Thread Starter
It is very solid.. There were a couple tiles that were put on crooked and I wanted it to be perfect... I had to PULL them off... the adhesive is very strong, and once the grout is down then it's one solid piece.
06-03-2010, 04:02 PM
#76
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Nice work HL
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