Category Archives: Tile

Tile work

Bathroom Tiled

Posted on March 29, 2020 by ellen

This last week the tile in the back bathroom was finished by a contractor. I decided that these jobs are taking me entirely too long. I might have even skipped this remodel if I didn’t have to do it for … Continue reading →

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Brick Patterns

Posted on March 21, 2020 by ellen

In the middle of the bathroom floor I planned for an accent inset. The tile I wanted to use was 3″ x 6″ tumbled marble that I bought at the Restore. I only had one box of the tile but … Continue reading →

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While I Was Away

Posted on March 17, 2020 by ellen

It’s unusual to see progress while I’m not even home. But having a contractor seems to have helped. The room was drywalled before I left and sprayed with texture to match the house the next Monday. Then the Kerdi board … Continue reading →

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Prepping the Tile

Posted on March 9, 2020 by ellen

When we started this gut remodel project the goal was to purchase as many used and recycled products as possible. Besides the LEED mandate to reduce the use of new materials I was looking for items that would lower the … Continue reading →

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Finished Pillar

Posted on December 5, 2019 by ellen

When I finished the pillar I realized the stone is another heat sink in the living area for the warmth of the sun. After the stone was all glued on, it took a few days to scrub the stone. I … Continue reading →

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Progress on the Pillar

Posted on November 26, 2019 by ellen

The weather this November has been colder than usual. We have already had several snowstorms with the typical melt in between. The challenge was to cut the faux stone tiles outside while the weather was warm enough. At first I … Continue reading →

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Tiling the Pillar

Posted on November 16, 2019 by ellen

The installation of the tile is a matter of cutting it to fit and mortaring it to the cement board. However, there are challenges involved in cutting and fitting. The first block I cut with a grinder and while tapping … Continue reading →

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Change of Plan for Living Room Pillar

Posted on November 14, 2019 by ellen

Not only was there not enough stone for the pillar but it was way too bulky to install in the house. So instead I am going to use it to cover the broken stucco on the garage wall. This pile … Continue reading →

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Imported Tile

Posted on October 28, 2019 by ellen

My son was very impressed with the beauty of some Moroccan tile in a specialty tile shop in San Francisco. The cost was $250 a square foot. So he did some research to see if there was a shop nearer … Continue reading →

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Patching the Tile Floor

Posted on June 13, 2019 by ellen

At my son’s new house we shortened the kitchen island because it was so long it interfered with the breakfast area. The eat in kitchen was important for the young family so the last island cabinet and an ancient trash … Continue reading →

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Reused Vinyl Plank Flooring

Posted on May 15, 2019 by ellen

The master bathroom in my son’s house had practically new vinyl plank flooring installed over the old tile. The tile in the mud room was dated and unattractive. I decided to salvage the master bath floor and taking it up … Continue reading →

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Tile Removal Means Drywall Repair

Posted on May 6, 2019 by ellen

I did not take my time removing the tile backsplash in my son’s kitchen. I hacked the tile off with a pry bar and hammer. Directions after the fact said don’t do it this way, Remove the grout first and … Continue reading →

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Caulking Mess

Posted on November 22, 2018 by ellen

Have I ever mentioned I hate caulking? The family room shower is large and that meant lots of caulking. At the ceiling, at the floor, in the corners and inside the niches; all needed caulk. I used the same dark … Continue reading →

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Setting the Granite Shower Bench

Posted on November 21, 2018 by ellen

I had a nice piece of dark brown granite already cut for the bench. Originally I wanted to use left over granite from the sink top but it was not wide enough to completely cover the bench, and the narrow … Continue reading →

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Grouting the Shower

Posted on November 21, 2018 by ellen

It took me several days to get the family room bath shower grouted. My right arm got really sore. But after a few days it was back in shape. This shower took a lot of grout. I mixed seven batches … Continue reading →

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Shower Floor is Mortared

Posted on November 11, 2018 by ellen

The shower is getting closer to being finished! The floor layout has finally been mortared into place. I mortared the mosaic tile first, then waited a day to mortar the trim tiles. That way I could adjust them to the … Continue reading →

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Shifting Tile Layouts

Posted on November 5, 2018 by ellen

No matter what I do the tile in the family room shower is not going to be square. The walls are off square and my job is to figure out how best to hide the tapers. Of course I asked … Continue reading →

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Kerdi Shower Floor Installation

Posted on October 26, 2018 by ellen

The Kerdi shower floor is made of sloped pieces of EPS styrofoam that are fitted and mortared to the floor with a non-modified mortar. I had to trim the pieces of shower floor to fit my shower. The floor pieces … Continue reading →

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Leveling Cement on the Shower Floor

Posted on October 25, 2018 by ellen

I was fortunate to pick up a couple of free 50 lb bags of Mapei Novoplan 2 self leveling cement compound for free. I needed it to level the shower floor. Although some filling had been done with mortar, specifically … Continue reading →

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Wall Tile in Shower Completed

Posted on October 25, 2018 by ellen

The final wall area was around the shower head and under it on the bit of ceiling that has the shower light. I didn’t mix mortar for these two areas but used the acrylic mastic. Plain unmodified mortar is specified … Continue reading →

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