Replies

1. 
   Frankie | Nov 27, 2002 02:19am | #1

   I miter all tile moulding corners and use grout to fill the seam/ joint/ gap. Caulk always looks bad - worse than the crack that may occur in grout.

2. 
   Scooter1 | Nov 27, 2002 02:48am | #2

   1. What does one use to 'glue' an outside miter with tile crown molding? Caulk? What kind? Grout?

   Answer: Use thinset. Thinset will hold it to the setting bed. Keep the same grout line as the rest of the wall, e.g., a sixteenth, and eighth, etc. Scrape out the thinset between the tiles for grout. Fill the surface of the molding with grout. Grout is our friend.

   2. Does one cope inside corners with tile? I can't even begin to wonder where I can find a coping saw blade that would handle ceramic tile...

   Answer: Don't cope, just miter it. Pray that you have square corners or have some extra pieces. Don't be embarassed if it is not perfect. Grout is our friend.

   3. Is there an easy way to clean mortar out of grout joints without damaging tiles?

   Answer: I use a steel punch, sized for the grout joint or a little less. Grout joints are about a 16th? Get a 16th inch steel punch and drag it through the grout lines. You don't have to take out all the thinset. If you have half the thickness of the tile, you are golden. Did I mention that grout is our friend?

   By the way, I would not have selected crown tile molding, except for very straight applications. Corners are very problematic, and there are only a couple of saws that cut compound miters. I think Imer is the only one I am familiar with. So you will be cutting on one plane, and most saws do not have a 45 degree attachment. You may have to eyeball the cut. This will drive you nuts.

   My suggestion, having done this, is to go ahead and layout the miter; try to fabricate a 45 degree fence for your saw, out of a scrap of 2x4, and set up the molding standing straight up (as if would be setting on the wall, exactly as installed) and make your cut. You will f u c k it up, OK? No worries. Make the corresponding cut, and s c r e w it up too, OK?

   Now, get yourself a a Bosch or Makita grinder(s) installed with both a diamond saw and a grinder, and cut, grind away until it is OK. You may have to use a rubbing stone, too. This whole process may take an hour or more for each corner.

   Hopefully the crown is a different size and you are not worrying about matching up grout lines. If it is the same size, then stagger the joints on the corner miter (like a running bond) and continue the stagger on the crown, so the grout lines don't match up.

   Good luck and next time just but the joints and leave the crown behind.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927

1. 
   robkutner | Nov 27, 2002 03:26am | #3

   Great tips, Boris!  Thanks!

   You know, I was thinking about setting this tile and molding on the way home from the tile place a month or two ago, right after my wife picked it out and I agreed.  'Course, this was after a couple of hours of deliberations, so I had been worn down.  But I still should've listened to my instincts and opted for a compromise between ease of installation and design.

   I'm actually renting a tile saw from the 'Depot, and they do have a 45 ramp for cutting crown that I think just might do the job for an outside miter..  But I'll rent an angle grinder for good measure...

   Next time, square tiles with neat designs instead of oddball diamond shaped tiles with crown molding.  Criminy!

   Rob

1. 
   Scooter1 | Nov 27, 2002 03:41am | #4

   A trim carpenter without a grinder? Jeez, I have two, they are used weekly. One has a cutoff blade for metal, and the second generally has the diamond blade or a grinder on it. I use them for demo work and sharpening everything from shovels to framing chisels.

   They are very cheap tools, and for less than $60 you too can own one (or two).

   Honestly, I would take the crown back if you can. It can't be that expensive. Rent the saw for day and try to cut it if you can. Remember to stand the crown up against the fence (those tile fences are really small, so you might have to build an outboard fence) and give it a try. Let me know how you do, but I wouldn't be either surprised or ashamed if it doesn't work.

   Regards,

   Boris

   "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927

2. 
   andybuildz | Nov 27, 2002 03:41am | #5

   Rob

        Just finished a backsplash in a kitchen a month and used ceramic crown around inside and outside corners. I mitered them both with a wetsaw and the miter attachment that clamps to my sliding bed. I used ceramic adhesive on all the corners. Looks great and I'm sure it'll last forever.

   HAve fun

        NAmaste

                 AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM