Tile Setting
Tile Around Tub Faucet
There is no need at all to cut complicated circles or holes (God forbid) into tile. All you will be doing is notching a square section out of a tile–one tile only–and fitting it into place. First, cut two parallel lines downward with a rod saw. A rod saw is a cheap saw, that can... »
Use Masking Tape When Caulking Sink or Tub?
Let’s say you’re caulking tile against a tub. This is one place you really don’t want to have excess caulk all gooped around. Because, if you didn’t know this already, caulking is a strangely archaic and inefficient process. You squirt the caulk bead where you want it and then… …Then you dab your finger in water... »
Tile Mastic Dries Before Installing Tiles?
Yes, this happens. What you do is lay down too much mastic in proportion to the number of tiles you can lay in the next column or row. Us DIY tilers often have “eyes” bigger than our “hands.” The opposite scenario is laying down just a little bit of mastic, laying down 2 or 3... »
Tile Outside Corner
You’ve got a host of problems to manage. What if the corner is not straight or plumb (and few corners are truly straight or plumb)? How do you match up the two tiles on either side so that you get a smooth corner? How do you deal with the problem of slipping tiles? Frankly, there... »
Stacked Tile or Overlapping Tile?
Let’s define what the two terms mean, and give some advantages and disadvantages for both: Stacked Tile You’re familiar with stacked tile, and it’s the most common tile configuration for showers and bathtubs. Stacked tile forms a grid-like pattern. Easiest tile design because you never have to guess about the placement of the next row. Too many stacked... »
Batten Board for Installing Tile on Wall
First, the problem: you lay down a row of tiles on the wall. Nice, good. We’re happy. Uh oh… You start to notice that the row is slipping downward. Sometimes, it’s not much, and it’s not always the entire row of tiles. While it may not seem bad, when you get that bottom row of... »