Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 12, 2000 09:25pm | #1

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   i My problem is the depth of the tile and mortar

   No, this is not the problem.

   i Problem is that the top of the outlet plate projects about 1" above the top of the backsplash

   This is the problem. What you should have done is a layout before commencement of any work. You're right, it does look like crap. You do have options though.

   One, increase the ht of the tile splash. Two, cut the splash away from the box and trim. Three, move the box up or down the wall to have it fully in or fully in the splash. Four, get rid of the wife, get some guy room mates and live with it.

   BTW: do you suppose you rely to heavily on magazine articles?

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 12, 2000 09:45pm | #2

   *See if you can compromise by finding a matching, but shorter, bullnosed tile for the top edge.

2. 
   Roger_Martini | Sep 12, 2000 11:00pm | #3

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   Well, shucks. Perhaps I do rely too heavily on magazine articles, but we DIY types don't have a lot of options in that regard. I make do and accept that my work is not as good as a professional's. I know DIY is a dirty word in this forum, but I am what I am. Sources of information such as FHB have helped me make my house more liveable in a manner that I can actually afford.

3. 
   Guest_ | Sep 12, 2000 11:20pm | #4

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   I liked the idea of moving the outlet down by using an old-work box, and fixing the tiles. That seems to be the only way to get what you want. A pro may have "adjusted" the outlets with the tile layout, or vice versa, layout is everything with tile work.

   I'm not loving tile over laminate but you are where you are at, and hey, don't stress being a DIY'r, I have seen "pro's" do worse. We learn something new everyday, right? Yeps, and we learn by doing...

   Question though, I am a little lost as to how you buried your sink mounts, what is up with that?

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 12, 2000 11:55pm | #5

   *Roger, do you have a decorative strip along the top of the backsplash, or just a row of the counter top tile? There are millions of trim tiles to match any color scheme and theme you can think of. Adding an inch or so of trim might solve your problem.If you don't fix this NOW, you're gonna have something that looks like s**t in your kitchen for a long time. It's gonna be the first thing you see in the morning & the last thing at night, your eyes will be drawn to it everytime you walk in the room.Fix it now, before you grout. The inspectors from Good Housekeeping Magazine are on their way to your neighborhood. Joe H

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 13, 2000 12:37am | #6

   *Roger, now don't go turning this into a DIY thread. What I meant was that one should not rely on a single source of information, especially a magazine article. (Hey you ever wonder how those guys in the pictures keep their well manicured hands so clean? Me too, but I figure they're not gonna' show the real low down of the work, might scare some folks away.)Too, to support my earlier position of not relying on a single source I'll mention that you have found your way to BT, yet did not avail yourself of advice until after the fact. Pro or DIY doesn't even enter into the equation here. The matter of the fact is that you made a most basic error and only now are wanting to enlist some help. Excuse me while I laugh.While I'm on the subject, that quip of mine about losing the wife was in jest. See, because of a lack of foresight you have a crappy looking splash. "All those who don't like it are kindly asked to leave" was my kind of thinking when I said what I said.Too, if you hang around here long enough you'll not only learns tons of stuff, but you might develop a sense of humor. Before you feel like I'm picking on your sorry ass, know this: I've made tons of errors, some so basic to my level of experience that they were more than embarrassing. This is why I can laugh. Welcome to the club Roger.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 13, 2000 03:34am | #7

   *Hi Roger, have you found the fix for your problem yet?Since you are covering the splash with tile you can afford to butcher up the old splash a little. When we have limited space (such as a splash) we turn the outlet horizontal rather than the familiar over/under. This allows you to keep the wife happy with the height of the splash (and the cover doesn't stick up over the top).Try it, you'll like it.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 13, 2000 08:24am | #8

   *This afternoon's fun was moving a sink 3/4" left so as to line up the tile properly. I was feeling pretty smug that the edge and field came out with no cuts. Picked up 10+ foot of tile & then went ahead and cut the sink out centered in the cabinet. Dumb move, tile sure didn't fit that way. Joe H

4. 
   Roger_Martini | Sep 13, 2000 06:06pm | #9

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   Thanks for the advice, all. Looks like I'm going to add either a row of bullnose or another course of tile. This will help fill my next Saturday.

   As far as the sink mount thing goes: The original countertop is 1" plywood with 1/8" laminate. Add a layer of thinset, tile-backer, more thinset, and tile, and the total depth is about 2" This turned out to be enough that the mounting brackets on the sink are halfway buried in this countertop depth. I solved the problem by removing some plywood depth at the mount locations. I imagine that depending on design, not all sinks would have this issue.

   cheers.

5. 
   Guest_ | Sep 19, 2000 01:07am | #10

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   about the "tile over laminate" thing: I've had two customers recently ask me to participate in jobs where tile was to be laid directly over laminate on a kitchen countertop. I didn't want any part of it. Is it just me or does it sound like a bad idea to trust your new work to the old adhesive bond on a 10+ year old laminate job?

6. 
   Roger_Martini | Sep 19, 2000 06:29pm | #11

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   I agree, which is why the tile backer is screwed into the existing countertop in addition to the mortar. BTW, the 50 (?) year old laminate on my counter was still stuck like crazy, it had just entirely worn away in places.

7. 
   Roger_Martini | Sep 20, 2000 11:21pm | #12

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   I just installed a tile countertop and backsplash over the existing laminate. My problem is the depth of the tile and mortar makes finishing off the electrical outlets difficult. I cut the tile in such a way to have the face plate of the outlet lie on the tile surface. Problem is that the top of the outlet plate projects about 1" above the top of the backsplash, and stands proud of the wall by about 3/8". I originally thought that I could trim the sides of the outlet plate where it hits the tile to make up this difference, but I see now that this is not possible. It really looks like crap as it is now.

   So what are my options? I am thinking that adding another course of tile to the backspash is the best way, thereby surrounding the outlets with the tile, but my wife likes the height of the backsplash as it is. Any other ideas?

   thanks in advance.

   BTW, I did this counter following the method for tiling over existing laminate counters featured in a recent FHB. Worked great, except the increased counter depth resulted in the sink mounts being buried in the countertop! I wish the article had mentioned this possibility.

8. 
   Guest_ | Sep 20, 2000 11:21pm | #13

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   Instead of an extra entire row of tiles, you could box around the electrical boxes with some nice trim pieces in either the same tile or a contrasting color. Just watch out for tiles of a different thickness. I have that problem with my accent pieces.