Never placed those bigbox generic ceramic tile 1 foot squares with the little 2 inch tiles embedded on the plastic web before.
Any special hints on what to watch out for?
Thanks
Engineered-stone shower panels are waterproof, but proper installation relies on tight seams and silicone sealing.
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Replies
I haven't done the actual work myself but my tile guy tells me that if there is the least irregularity in the tiles, it is very difficult to hide the joints between the sheets. He says it's because the tile is irregular but the sheets are very uniform.
BILL
hmmm, thanks.
the plot thickens.
unroll the sheets into place and stagger the joints as much as possible...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
They used (and still do I suppose) to come with a thin webbing. The stuff I just put down was more like glue strings. Big/small blobs connected. To "right" a cocked tile b/4 you'd take a knife and easily cut the web (on the wall) and slide one over. Now, try to easily cut the backer............
They are all over the place-the homo bought from lowes-daltile's have been more uniform. Always watch out for the no name brands.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
you brought up a point...
test the sheet for flatness on a piece of plywood before putting it to the thin set...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Setting bed has to be dead flat. Any hill, valley or birdbath will tranlate right to the surface of the sheets. Flatten the setting bed with SLC or a long straight edge and some thinset or patching compound.
As another poster stated, stagger the joints.
Try to buy the 4 and 5 point halves for the tile (if you can get them from the manufacturer) or make your own.
Use a 3/8 inch V Trowel, as the half inch ones will lay too much thinset on the setting bed and it will ooze up in the joints making grouting difficult.
Many of the individual tiles will have irregularities, such as crooked tiles or ones chipped or set on the plastic at an angle. Cut those rascals out and use a full tile in its place
Regards,
Scooter
"I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Be aware that the water from your tile saw will disolve the glue that holds the pieces to the backer-mesh. Nothing you can do about it, but be aware, and semi prepared.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
That is the way I remember most of the sheet tile. This recent stuff from lowes wouldn't leave that backer if you soaked it for a hundred years.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Thanks all.
be Halfway to not wanting to do it now. snorK*
be Halfway to not wanting to do it now. snorK*
scaredy cat...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Edited 8/21/2007 9:10 am by IMERC
shoulda been.
that the most frustrating part in my opinion. otherwise, they are very easy to work with. If possible, cut the individual tiles off the sheets and lay the remaining full sheets, then cut the small peices by themselves.
Squint.
It's easier to judge if the spacing between the sheets matches the spacing between the tiles if you squint at it.
well, I got it now.
3/8s notch and squint. View Image
Just did 2" hex Daltile sheets...
I cut EVERY tile free and set individually. I just could NOT get the sheets to lay well. If one is out of true in a sheet, the sheet that followed would be way out for the entire run.
I may just be too anal, though.
Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-- George Washington
heh heh yeppers on out of true, and anal with tile is one place it is good for.
Alas, after heading into 2am last night I'm glad I explained to the guy that there would be various imperfections showing where, why and how and he was ok with that so I was able to escape the clutches of analicity somewhat.
Previously they'd wanted to try laying it themselves and I got the call after the fact.
Discovered this after I asked how come some of the tile sheets had remnants of white on them. snorK* ssshh It was to be a secret.
And they'd tried using an opened bag of thinset they'd had sitting for quite a while which I discovered was getting lumpy.
After the fact I'm thinking the installation of a few designers tiles random on the floor might have eased the eye away from all those grout lines.
Had them exchange the grout color to one as close as possible to the tile color.
Nothing like a good salvage operation.
be in hiding and be by the hour
With tile, I find a good thing to remember is "Speed is not the answer."
'Specially by the hour ;)Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington
So there I was yesterday in my little 6x6 cell..er...room prepping the grout lines from mortar squeeze while noticing how amazingly close the glue pads from the webmesh came towards the top of the tile on some of the pieces and got to thinking about this thread.
Seemed everytime I do a tile job it's been long enough from the last that I think to brush up a tad before starting and go searching for one of my two copies of Taunton's 'Setting Tile' by Rex Caldwell that always can't be located and I refuse to buy another. Luckily I find it.
Eyeballing the lines I became very glad I had the owner exchange the darker grout for one close to the color of the tile.
But after positive comments by people seeing the floor I realized I might have been overconcerned since I'm thinking it seems most people just see ceramic tile and like it irregardless of the displayed lack of precision and the C grading I gave myself
and that C just because I pulled it off seeing the owner is content,
but in respects to introspection it pretty much was real low caliber. Sucks to be me. snorK*
be goterdun and closer to paying off the CC wahwah