The "It's 2 am and we talkin renovation" thread

[GVF]

Thanks! We kicked around the soap recesses (good eye!) and went with the fake marble threshold material for both ease of installation and cleaning.

Rob is fanatically meticulous, but I felt that trying to cut 5/8” tile squares in those tiny spaces to match the tile in back AND align somewhat reasonably with the large format shower wall tile would just be way more trouble than it would be worth. So I just went back to Lowe’s (HD?) and grabbed them. They seemed good to work with for this sort of thing.

If I have a mosaic back on the recesses, I never cut them to match the surround surfaces. Whatever is going on the wall goes on the interior surround. Use flat trim for the leading edges.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Yeah, but I think he said it was cast iron/porcelin. Standard cleaners should be OK.

She just said splashing on marble.....I thought be floor was a poured marble. It it's porcelain then yeah, soft scrub should be fine. I'm wondering about the etched surface though and if it is as slick as the regular porcelain. Someone mentioned last night about using poured marble shower floors. Wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. Have had that for years in bathrooms and it eventually dulls and then it takes a lot of effort to bring the shine back. Also, the formed non'skid never seems to clean well unless you clean it after every use. I would rather just go with tile and sealed grout. Scrub the chit out of both with soft scrub and be done.

 

[GVF]

If the tiles fell off before they even got put on the wall it has nothing to do with the install. I bought the tile at Lowe's and at HD. There wasn't enough tamping in the world to level some of the glue drops out. Yeah, the full cuts I leave on, it's the intricate one's that go around electrical boxes etc. that have to be peeled. I've never to this day had a tile "peel" off after I installed it so don't know what you are talking about.

I see what you're saying. Guess I got a decent batch. Didn't have that problem tis time. Have you ever got the ones that had that plastic tab joining each tile ? Like a drop of candle wax.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Poured Marble ??

Poured marble with integral flashing can be curbless also. Comes ready to drop in.

!!!

 

[82_VOL_83]

I see what you're saying. Guess I got a decent batch. Didn't have that problem tis time. Have you ever got the ones that had that plastic tab joining each tile ? Like a drop of candle wax.

Yes, and have had issues with those also.....the "tab" is above the face of the tile. I guess getting the cheap chit from Lowe's I get what I deserve. Price isn't cheap though.

 

[tnuhcvols]

!!!

For years most bathroom vanitys with integral sink were poured marble. Some manufacturers started doing shower pans, textured countertops, etc. Very versatile and holds up over time. Basically resin and marble dust poured in a mold and cured.

I guess this is what you were asking.

 

[82_VOL_83]

For years most bathroom vanitys with integral sink were poured marble. Some manufacturers started doing shower pans, textured countertops, etc. Very versatile and holds up over time. Basically resin and marble dust poured in a mold and cured.

I guess this is what you were asking.

Nah, I don't think GVF had ever heard it called that. I have had that stuff in bathrooms for the last 30 years or so, I'm not a fan. We have it in our bathrooms right now. Will eventually replace with Marble.

 

[GVF]

She just said splashing on marble.....I thought be floor was a poured marble. It it's porcelain then yeah, soft scrub should be fine. I'm wondering about the etched surface though and if it is as slick as the regular porcelain. Someone mentioned last night about using poured marble shower floors. Wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. Have had that for years in bathrooms and it eventually dulls and then it takes a lot of effort to bring the shine back. Also, the formed non'skid never seems to clean well unless you clean it after every use. I would rather just go with tile and sealed grout. Scrub the chit out of both with soft scrub and be done.

Shower base was cast iron/porcelain. Marble was bath floor adjoining. I'm with you on the poured marble floors. Lot of money having basically a cultured marble countertop poured onsite on your floor, and not durable for flors IMO. My showers at previous home like you said. Mudbed, tile, grout. Done right, hard to beat. I am a traditionalist. Have always used premium fortified mortar, and good old sanded or unsanded grout. Sealer on high traffic floor. Didn't worry about low traffic. Never had to worry about warranty repairs for failures. This time since such a small bathroom, and its my house, I'm trying the premix mortar, and the premix acrylic grout. No shrinking, cracking or sealing. There was also the urethane grout pre-mix, but much more expensive, and a 3 day cure.

 

[GVF]

Nah, I don't think GVF had ever heard it called that. I have had that stuff in bathrooms for the last 30 years or so, I'm not a fan. We have it in our bathrooms right now. Will eventually replace with Marble.

Figured it out...Cultured Marble is what we call it. On site I guess it would be poured marble.

 

[GVF]

Nah, I don't think GVF had ever heard it called that. I have had that stuff in bathrooms for the last 30 years or so, I'm not a fan. We have it in our bathrooms right now. Will eventually replace with Marble.

Marble stone is beautiful, but slick when wet. Have busted my tail in a bathroom with marble floors.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Marble stone is beautiful, but slick when wet. Have busted my tail in a bathroom with marble floors.

Yeah, was talking about the counter tops. We had a slick issue with our tiled shower in OH because the tiles were too large. I'm still in the basic planning phase on the shower, the kitchen counter replacement and backsplash come first.

 

[GVF]

Yes, and have had issues with those also.....the "tab" is above the face of the tile. I guess getting the cheap chit from Lowe's I get what I deserve. Price isn't cheap though.

I always bought Lowe's or HD cause most of the jobs I took were side jobs, and smaller. So the deals were fine, quality was good. My house in GA, I got some gorgeous tile for screened porch from a local flooring warehouse. 1st quality closeout for like $1.50 SF off of like 7.50. sf. Got my bath floor tile at HD for .79 sf off a pallet deal. Got lucky on that one. No size issues or finish flaws. You just had to sort through it maybe. 90% of the pallet deals there are size variations only. And you can either cull them when you lay it, or since you don't really know till your trying to make corners match, you just work it out on the floor. The shelf items now seem to be as expensive as a good tile store. My brother also had a tile store at the time, so I had access. Now, you wouldn't catch my brother buying big box tile. He did it for a living. Until he opened his own store, he got from Dal-Tile or one other Tile house. No big box for those Peachtree City clients.

 

[GVF]

Yeah, was talking about the counter tops. We had a slick issue with our tiled shower in OH because the tiles were too large. I'm still in the basic planning phase on the shower, the kitchen counter replacement and backsplash come first.

I would have loved to started in the kitchen. Made a farmhouse kitchen out of it. Wife wanted bath done first. I could see about 1/3 of the cast iron tub from the cellar beneath. She won.

Some great looks out there that are awesome in the baths. I'm sure you've looked at a lot of design ideas. If my bath had been a little larger (we considered enlarging), I'd have gone with the fully tiled wall/floor wet area and just a drain in the floor itself with the shower units on one wall and a soaker tub on the other. either glass wall separating form vanity area, or cased in pass thru to wet area. I love that look.

 

[hmanvolfan]

Just took a shower and with all the tile talk around here realized after all these years the tile on the shower walls are square but the tiles on the floor are hexagon (same color of course). Is that SOP for 1989?

 

[VolNExile]

Yeah, but I think he said it was cast iron/porcelin. Standard cleaners should be OK.

Right, but I worry about it splashing onto the marble itself. Same with cleaning the toilet and porcelain vanity top. I do have the 511 clean and reseal for the marble, and of course we sealed it initially, so fingers crossed.

 

[GVF]

I think designs like this are sweet.

 

[GVF]

Right, but I worry about it splashing onto the marble itself. Same with cleaning the toilet and porcelain vanity top. I do have the 511 clean and reseal for the marble, and of course we sealed it initially, so fingers crossed.

I think you're fine, but a simple fail safe that should erase those worries is to use Tide, or other brand, laundry liquid, diluted to a gentle cleaner. Also a good choice if you have refinished an older cast iron tub. Sealed marble, and this mixture, no wories.

 

[VolNExile]

Marble stone is beautiful, but slick when wet. Have busted my tail in a bathroom with marble floors.

That’s why I got the small basketweave. Lots of grout lines. I’ve attempted some test “skating”, and it’s truly not slippery.

I had picked out all tumbled, but by the time I was ready to order, they had discontinued it and only had polished.

 

[GVF]

Just took a shower and with all the tile talk around here realized after all these years the tile on the shower walls are square but the tiles on the floor are hexagon (same color of course). Is that SOP for 1989?

Still pretty common in late 80's I think. Octagon tiles can be the 4" floor tiles, or the 12x12 mosaic sheets in 2" octagons, which is more dated to earlier period houses. That's what I'm going back to, cause my house was built in 1932. We added a touch of modern going with subway tile in the tub surround and brushed stainless shower panel system from AKDY.

 

[GVF]

That’s why I got the small basketweave. Lots of grout lines. I’ve attempted some test “skating”, and it’s truly not slippery.

I had picked out all tumbled, but by the time I was ready to order, they had discontinued it and only had polished.

I've used the tumbled, or travertine, on kitchen backsplashes. Seen a good bit in bathrooms as well. Great Italian look really, in any area if it fits the house.

 

[hmanvolfan]

Still pretty common in late 80's I think. Octagon tiles can be the 4" floor tiles, or the 12x12 mosaic sheets in 2" octagons, which is more dated to earlier period houses. That's what I'm going back to, cause my house was built in 1932. We added a touch of modern going with subway tile in the tub surround and brushed stainless shower panel system from AKDY.

My floor tiles have six sides which makes them a hexagon. Is that unusual?

 

[GVF]

My floor tiles have six sides which makes them a hexagon. Is that unusual?

Not unusual, but not commonly used or well stocked. Definitely dated. Typically, a hexagon tile may be oblong, where the octagon is symmetrical. I've never layed a hexagon.

 

[VolNExile]

Speaking of big box tile, we used this in the kitchen and laundry ell. Tile is from Spain, supposedly hand formed, irregular edges and wavy surface (shows up better on the green tile pic). I love it on sunny mornings, which today isn’t. It gives an underwater feel. I like thin grout lines, so it worked out well. Catalina from Home Depot. The green tile was packed well, but the white was a shambles.

 

[hmanvolfan]

Not unusual, but not commonly used or well stocked. Typically, a hexagon tile may be oblong, where the octagon is symmetrical. I've never layed a hexagon.

My hexagon is symmetrical, it looks like this..

Emser Tile W10CODSWH0607HX White Code - 5-7/8" x 6-7/8" Hexagon Floor and Wall Tile - Matte Stone Visual

 

[hmanvolfan]

Speaking of big box tile, we used this in the kitchen and laundry ell. Tile is from Spain, supposedly hand formed, irregular edges and wavy surface (shows up better on the green tile pic). I love it on sunny mornings, which today isn’t. It gives an underwater feel. I like thin grout lines, so it worked out well. Catalina from Home Depot. The green tile was packed well, but the white was a shambles.

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I’m thinking about putting tile on my den floor that looks like wood.