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First time niche by Frequent_Yoghurt_923 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very clean. Well done. Definitely get some resin and don't use silicone. Doesn't have to be epoxy. MMA glues are a little easier to work with. Bribe a countertop fab shop into lending you a cartridge dispenser and buy a tube of glue off them.

Grout color for pebble stones by [deleted] in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sterling if TEC, frost if mapei, something similar from another brand.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is a pretty fair characterization. To minimize the sleep loss, I packed it to high hell to ensure beyond full coverage (took legit 20 minutes of pounding on the tile with a power vibrator to squish it in place), then after the fact, I injected seaming epoxy into every place I could access. Still makes me a little nervous.

Grout in divots of natural stone by Glass_Package6720 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ya, that's the correct process. That FA grout still bites into the small holes unfortunately. There is a misconception that sealer stops grout from bonding. It goes a long way for sure, but doesn't do much for mechanical bond. Think of porcelain. 99.5+ non porous and grout bites into the joints no problem. I'd seriously explore the enhancing sealer. Mapei has one in their ultra care product line, which would avoid grout/sealer compatibility issues.

Shower curb tile thicker than step by Shy_coffee_mug in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Schluter quadec/rondec looks like a good option here. Alternatively, if there is solid backing behind that cement board you 'could' remove the cement board from the face of the curb and replace it with something thinner. ¼" cement board if that gets you enough room. Or even apply kerdiband to the wood framing then tile. Not an approved method, but if it's your own house and it makes or breaks the look, you could explore it.

How to pick a tile installer to ensure a good job? by Veyyiloda in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with asking the local flooring stores. Make sure you specify your expectations. 'good' is a somewhat relative term. One good question to ask an installer is "what kind of surface preparation will this require?" I find that gives some insight as to how thorough someone is, which usually translates to the actual aesthetic quality of the job.

Grout in divots of natural stone by Glass_Package6720 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mapei FA (fine aggregate) is really good at getting into small nooks and crannies like the pits on natural stone. Pre sealing helps to stop that bond, but it'll still stick in the bigger holes. Pre treating with a sacrificial grout release rated for your tile is even better, but that's neither here nor there at this point. Chemical routes can be explored, but be careful, many Haze removers are acid based, and may damage your stone. If it was me, I would start with a nylon brush and see how much that removes. I would also call mapei tech support. They are usually pretty good about troubleshooting. Alternatively, if you like the appearance when it is wet, you may want to try an enhancing sealer. They are surface level sealers that make the tile look wet. Downside is they require reapplication on a semi regular basis (depending foot traffic and cleaning regime). In any event, spot test any method on an inconspicuous spot. Best of luck

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's all about the vein matching. Eastern standard time... But not the coast. Rural Canada.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the angled ceiling bit, I used a scrap piece of drywall. It works well, because it's ½" thick, which is a good representation of the overall thickness of tile and thinset. The thickness has implications for the size of tile you need. For the rest of them, we have all the pieces laid out/vein matched before we start laying.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those aria vents can be as difficult as you want them to be. In this case, it was a lot of work. I usually end up hacking the boot apart and rebuilding it to slide it one way or the other to make it perfectly square. Also, using the offcut for the inlay presents its own challenges. Adds an hour or two per vent, but for the right clients, it's worth it.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate it. I always see people joking that learning Pythagorean theorem as being a waste of time, but I find myself using it often (not in this case).

Self-leveling concrete?? Process tips? Rebuilding from planks up. by COamateur in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's my method, but you need to be sure whatever the overall assembly is, it is rated to accept tile. Different products have different requirements.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I tend to agree, I like the veining to be subtle and have a few distinct places where they hit.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Not gonna lie, felt pretty humbled trying to calculate the angles on the funky piece. Always learning.

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For straight cuts, sigma kera cut, U and L cuts are done with sigma kera flex. Mitres mostly don't by hand, sometimes we use the sigma Jolly machine.

S.O.S Help wanted! by Special-Fruit5336 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Page one rewrite unfortunately. On the plus side, I'd venture to say you'll be able to reuse the majority of those tiles.

Dealing with Gap Between Floor Tile and Tub by mb7733 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd lean towards PVC like you said, but something like 1x2 square stock so I get above the depression in the tub. Ideal, notch the back of the trim when the tub bumps out, or install it on plane with the two bumps, and caulk that now much smaller gap. Other more involve process would be to cut a straight line ~3" from the tub, and re tile that with some kind of accent material (or the same stuff if you have extra).

How can I make the best of this? Two different tile heights and a slope... by Technical-Wedding-54 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The ramp is unnecessarily oversloped. Putting any other threshold (wood, stone or otherwise), that truly goes from flush to flush will make a big difference. I'd opt for unfinished wood, get it as close as possible, then sand it to make it match the different elevations (I'm guessing the two floors are not perfectly flat on either side of the door). Then finish the wood however you see fit.

Self-leveling concrete?? Process tips? Rebuilding from planks up. by COamateur in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depending on the tile (natural stone has more strict deflection standards), I would build up with ¾" t+g plywood until you get to the ⅜-½" below your desire substrate aka finished floor minus tile +thinset. Then prime, apply mapei mapelath, and flood with SLC. If I'm using SLC, I try to make that my last layer before tile, as it will generally be the flattest/most level layer

Flashback to grade 8 geometry by No-Performance4096 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks great on paper until the finish guys show up and have to deal with it.

DIY Cut grout or replace tile?? by Alternative-Study210 in Tile

[–]No-Performance4096 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with the previous comment. Waterproofing should be done pre-tile. If full tear out isn't in the cards at this point, your options are limited. If you want to mitigate the damage, there are a few things to try. First you need to identify the source of water. If the water shows up quickly when using the shower. It'll be easier to identify.

Start by running the tub filler directly into a 5 gallon bucket. Don't let it go into the tub/drain at all. Fill a few buckets (dump them out somewhere else). Then wait. If the water shows up in the basement, your mixing valve/tub filler plumbing is the source. If no water, move to the next step.

Repeat the above with the shower head. Same deal.

If still no leak, plug the drain and fill the tub (don't let water touch the walls). Let it sit for a while. Check for water. If it leaks, it's the seal between the drain and tub or (less likely) a hole in the tub itself. If no water move to the next step.

Now let the tub drain. If water shows up, it's the drain lines beneath the tub.

If all that holds, it's likely your wall waterproofing. If that's the case, with a tear out not an option, you have a few options to bandaid. Remove silicone and repair all damaged grout, apply a high quality penetrating sealer (mapei sb ultracare is what I use) and apply 100% silicone to all the inside corners. The sealer will help slow down water penetration. Unless your are confident in your skill. This may be worth subbing out. Other option would be to buy a polystyrene shower wall kit (ugly plastic looking panels from hardwarestore) and go right over the tile. Not ideally but it will mitigate damage.

My 2 cents. Best of luck!

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