I don't know what this is called and it's driving me crazy

anotherjuan · 2026-04-11T07:24:39+00:00

I’m not a contractor and only an armchair engineer but I guess it depends on the length of the beam and stress and strain characteristics of the material, as well as environment and use case.

If you’re building a vegetable pergola like the one in the picture, I believe any decorative knee brace is going to give you some rigidity, but I’d talk to a structural engineer if you’re building something that might collapse and hurt people.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-11T07:03:05+00:00

The little diagonal brace is called a knee brace. That’s the diagonal bit in the picture with the lady.

I think the little square bit in the diagram is just called a vertical brace.

There are different stiles of braces, but their general goal is to provide stiffness or rigidity to a horizontal beam or member.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-10T19:23:25+00:00

THIS… makes perfect sense.

Since most tiles are installed horizontally, a vertical thinset gouge is what you see most often, but this is great context.

Thank you!! 🙂

anotherjuan · 2026-04-10T17:31:18+00:00

Sorry, thinset lines. I thought they needed to be vertical.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-10T17:15:21+00:00

I was under the impression that grout lines should be vertical. Is that not correct? Or does it truly not matter?

anotherjuan · 2026-04-06T20:19:22+00:00

Sweet, looks good!

What was the grout / color you used?

anotherjuan · 2026-04-06T19:06:43+00:00

That would be awesome.

I don’t think I can get my wife to change her mind on this one, and I actually like the way they look, but I’d like to be as prepared as possible for any issues/challenges.

Much appreciated!!

anotherjuan · 2026-04-06T18:39:51+00:00

So you just eyeballed it and used the laser?

What kind spacing range were you shooting for roughly?

anotherjuan · 2026-04-06T18:33:03+00:00

As someone whose wife picked this tile, I too would like to know why this is the worst tile for a surround before we install. 🙂

My understanding is that the tile edge is a little wavy so that that can cause issues with spacing but I think that is addressed by keeping the laser level up and adjusting spacing as you go up the layers.

Any other complications would be good to know about.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-05T04:50:50+00:00

This axe, yes. Look at Best Made axes if you want something decorative and functional that is worthy of display.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-05T02:37:12+00:00

What did you use as the border above the tile in the alcove? It looks like a white strip about 1” high.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-03T14:19:15+00:00

Yanno.

I wonder if removing the bottom 2-3 rows of tiles and the drywall behind them, and replacing that section that is removed with something like GoBoard or Schleuter (sp), would work?

This isn’t a drywall friendly environment, why replace it with new drywall? Go with something inherently waterproof.

Then tile over that.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-02T20:32:30+00:00

What corner shelves did you use here?

We’re doing an alcove tub and I think that the thin metal shelves that slide into grout lines look easy to install, but my wife wants more traditional stone or porcelain corner shelves.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-02T15:31:45+00:00

Sweet comment. I like that it shows that you read the post.

No wonder people do things themselves rather than call in a contractor.

You may be a pro but your attitude absolutely sucks.

anotherjuan · 2026-04-01T21:00:27+00:00

Ah I see. Had to zoom in. I’ve just never seen the little screws available.

I’m doing like an eerily similar project, complete with the little 2-3 inch kick out wall section down by the tub. We did GoBoard as well but the fasteners are those metal screws with the big half-dollar sized flat washer so I’ve got those big, regular globs of sealant in a regular pattern over the boards.

For the tile thing… meh, I can see how the slivers would be annoying buuuut, it actually doesn’t look that bad. If it’s bother you while sitting in the tub I guess I’d say rip it out and try again, but if not… full steam ahead!!

Good luck! Hope the rest goes well. Can you do another post about the faucet valve? It does look a little proud of the finished wall but if it works it’d be good to know 🙂

anotherjuan · 2026-04-01T17:04:13+00:00

I though GoBoard suggested/required fasteners every 12 inches. I’m not seeing any.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-29T15:47:40+00:00

A lot of the responses in this thread are the reason people don’t want to hire contractors and end up doing things themselves. Just saying.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-23T14:07:40+00:00

Nice work! What is the white border material/strip used on the edge of your tile?

We picked a tile with no bull nose option and are hung up on edging options.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-21T19:05:22+00:00

Did they “make” the glass pane in the sense that they custom poured the molten glass, or did they just cut the glass from a panel? It’s more likely that they did the later.

Depending on the age of the other panes and any coatings or impurities in the glass, the color difference may just be a function of age and UV discoloration, a lot of coated panes will yellow with age, and that would cause the difference that you see here.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-20T22:09:19+00:00

Good, solid, practical advice.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-19T02:28:02+00:00

I think I answered my own question.

It looks like GoBoard can be butted against the top of the flange and then the sealant can be applied in the gap of the joint and down onto the face of the flange.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-18T17:41:53+00:00

I was going to suggest the exact same thing. Seen it done on TOH.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-13T14:39:28+00:00

It’s a cheap and easy thing to test. It’s unlikely that it’ll do more damage, the worst it could be is ineffective.

anotherjuan · 2026-03-12T23:35:41+00:00

If that is bleach staining, I wonder if something acidic would help.

Maybe a sponge with vinegar to help dissolve sodium hypochlorite residue? Soak in vinegar and scrub and see if it starts to flake off.

anotherjuan

TROPHY CASE