Friday, February 8, 2013

Tiling How to Tile Any Room #Contractors #HowToTile #FindAContractor #CeilingTiles #CrownMolding #KitchenBackSplash #Tiling #Flooring



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How To Tile Any Room Or a Shower! 
Same Techniques, and a Great Skill to Have!

#Tiling #HowToTile #Tile #Flooring #BathroomRenovation #Reno

Scroll down to the Bottom to see the Ceiling Tiles, Flexible Crown Molding, Kitchen BackSplash you can literally just roll on and glue - ah'mazing!

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How to Tile

This is the Sunroom at the Tiling Stage...



Clean the Floor completely and Lay out the Pattern. (Guess who got the lucky job of Cleaning the Floor?? That's right -- Meee! I get all the 'Glory Jobs'! The good thing is that I know that every job is critical to the End Product, and I happen to like the 'Glory Jobs'! )


Find the exact center of the room and mark it.



Dwight* and Steve have found the Center of the Room and have drawn a full square where the First Set of Four Tiles for the In-laid pattern will go.




This first picture is just to show you the pattern you will make on the Floor or Wall by dragging your Large Knotched Trowel through the Mud, although if you are working with Wall Tile, you'll use a product called 'Mastik'.

Go to the Tile Section of the Hardware Store to get all the tools you'll need to complete the job. You should be able to Rent the Mixer there, too, or go to a Tool Rental Center.





In the Second Picture, Steve is 'Buttering' the Tile. You put one 'mound' of mud on the back of the tile and smooth it out with a Small Toothed Trowel. I prefer the Plastic Trowels, because they don't make that horrible scraping sound, but when you're in a hurry, I'm sure you'll be happy to put up with any annoying noise to get the job done!
 Dwight and Steve have found the Center of the Room and have drawn a full square where the First Set of Four Tiles for the In-laid pattern will go.

You put a few mounds of Mud on the Floor with the Spatula, then spread it around to create thick grooves with a Large Knotched Trowel. It is especially important to make the grooves thick when you are working with Large Tile (16" or more).


Well, I don't know if you can see the little chip in this tile, so I circled it. Even though it's a tiny chip, you would want to save this for a Corner Piece, so you could still use the Tile, just for a cut piece.


Well, I don't know if you can see the little chip in this tile, so I circled it. Even though it's a tiny chip, you would want to save this for a Corner Piece, so you could still use the Tile, just for a cut piece.

There's Aidan in the Corner Window that goes to our Master Bedroom -- the Sunroom is adjacent to the Master, a very nice feature! You can see that I removed all the Curtains -- better to be safe than sorry... it only takes a second to stand up and get Mud all over the curtains! (Look how little Aidan is in this pic - and, here, I still look the same! lol!)


There's Aidan in the Corner Window that goes to our Master Bedroom -- the Sunroom is adjacent to the Master, a very nice feature! You can see that I removed all the Curtains -- better to be safe than sorry... it only takes a second to stand up and get Mud all over the curtains! (Look how little Aidan is in this pic - and, here, I still look the same! lol!)









 Mix the Mud to Lay the Tiles. You need to follow the directions on the Package, then sometimes add a bit more water until you have the consistency of a thick batter.





 Here's Dwight cutting the Tiles on an Angle. This is Dwight's favorite Tile Cutter because it can cut up to a 24" Tile. We are very partial to the big tiles, now. The tiles for the Steam Room are 18", and the tiles in this Sunroom are 16" Laid on an Angle with the five sets of four 4" tiles to form the inlaid pattern.
 Here's Dwight checking the Molding... and sanding the Cut Edge of a Corner Cut Tile.

 Now Dwight is measuring for the Schluter Molding (spelling?? I have no idea how to actually spell this!) -- sometimes it is just called Tile Trim, or an assortment of other names, but you'll find it nestled in the Tile Section, too. The Hardware Stores are kind enough to organize everything you will need for the entire job in one neat little area! You can buy all this stuff on-line, too -- even the tile. In fact, some of the best deals around are on-line, not too surprisingly...

The Schluter Molding is the transition piece between the Carpet and the Tile. Measure it very carefully, then cut and file it down to a smooth edge.

All the Cut Tiles along the Molding have to be sanded, too, to make sure no-one cuts their foot on a sharp edge.

The Molding goes over the Carpet Edge and is Nailed to the Wooden Floor. Dwight likes Roofing Nails because they cover a good portion of the Molding.


 To Set the Tile, you put it along the Straight Line, then gently let it drop. It'll be firmly in place, then you can adjust it to make sure it's evenly set all around.
 Place the Spacers in between the Tiles so they'll stay in place. Putting them upright will give you a tighter Grout Line.  See the little plastic thing on the tile?
 You start in the Center of the room and make your way into the farthest corner from you -- whichever corner will allow you to continue working without being boxed in.


When you've laid a tile, there will be excess mud around the edges. If you're not going to continue working in that direction, or it's break time (!), take the Spatula (can't think if that's the correct name, but that's what I call it! I think Tiling is very similar to baking!) and slide it under the mud along the edge of the tile. Have an old tile box handy to put any excess mud and other junk into.


When you've laid a tile, there will be excess mud around the edges. If you're not going to continue working in that direction, or it's break time (!), take the Spatula (can't think if that's the correct name, but that's what I call it! I think Tiling is very similar to baking!) and slide it under the mud along the edge of the tile. Have an old tile box handy to put any excess mud and other junk into.



And here's the Sunroom almost done -- we just need to Grout with a nice Biscuit Color and we're all done!














That's my 'Settee' where I like to Read -- what a gorgeous room this is!











How to Tile 

Find the exact center of the room and mark it.

Mix the Mud to Lay the Tiles. You need to follow the directions on the Package, then sometimes add a bit more water until you have the consistency of a thick batter.

This first picture is just to show you the pattern you will make on the Floor or Wall by dragging your Large Knotched Trowel through the Mud, although if you are working with Wall Tile, you'll use a product called 'Mastik'.

Go to the Tile Section of the Hardware Store to get all the tools you'll need to complete the job. You should be able to Rent the Mixer there, too, or go to a Tool Rental Center.


Dwight and Steve have found the Center of the Room and have drawn a full square where the First Set of Four Tiles for the In-laid pattern will go.

You put a few mounds of Mud on the Floor with the Spatula, then spread it around to create thick grooves with a Large Knotched Trowel. It is especially important to make the grooves thick when you are working with Large Tile (16" or more).

In the Second Picture, Steve is 'Buttering' the Tile. You put one 'mound' of mud on the back of the tile and smooth it out with a Small Toothed Trowel. I prefer the Plastic Trowels, because they don't make that horrible scraping sound, but when you're in a hurry, I'm sure you'll be happy to put up with any annoying noise to get the job done!

To Set the Tile, you put it along the Straight Line, then gently let it drop. It'll be firmly in place, then you can adjust it to make sure it's evenly set all around.

Place the Spacers in between the Tiles so they'll stay in place. Putting them upright will give you a tighter Grout Line.

Well, I don't know if you can see the little chip in this tile, so I circled it. Even though it's a tiny chip, you would want to save this for a Corner Piece, so you could still use the Tile, just for a cut piece.

Here's Dwight cutting the Tiles on an Angle. This is Dwight's favorite Tile Cutter because it can cut up to a 24" Tile. We are very partial to the big tiles, now. The tiles for the Steam Room are 18", and the tiles in this Sunroom are 16" Laid on an Angle with the five sets of four 4" tiles to form the inlaid pattern.

There's Aidan in the Corner Window that goes to our Master Bedroom -- the Sunroom is adjacent to the Master, a very nice feature! You can see that I removed all the Curtains -- better to be safe than sorry... it only takes a second to stand up and get Mud all over the curtains!

You start in the Center of the room and make your way into the farthest corner from you -- whichever corner will allow you to continue working without being boxed in.

When you've laid a tile, there will be excess mud around the edges. If you're not going to continue working in that direction, or it's break time (!), take the Spatula (can't think if that's the correct name, but that's what I call it! I think Tiling is very similar to baking!) and slide it under the mud along the edge of the tile. Have an old tile box handy to put any excess mud and other junk into.

Now Dwight is measuring for the Schluter Molding (spelling?? I have no idea how to actually spell this!) -- sometimes it is just called Tile Trim, or an assortment of other names, but you'll find it nestled in the Tile Section, too. The Hardware Stores are kind enough to organize everything you will need for the entire job in one neat little area! You can buy all this stuff on-line, too -- even the tile. In fact, some of the best deals around are on-line, not too surprisingly...

The Schluter Molding is the transition piece between the Carpet and the Tile. Measure it very carefully, then cut and file it down to a smooth edge.

All the Cut Tiles along the Molding have to be sanded, too, to make sure no-one cuts their foot on a sharp edge.

The Molding goes over the Carpet Edge and is Nailed to the Wooden Floor. Dwight likes Roofing Nails because they cover a good portion of the Molding.

Here's Dwight checking the Molding... and sanding the Cut Edge of a Corner Cut Tile.

And here's the Sunroom almost done -- we just need to Grout with a nice Biscuit Color and we're all done!

That's my 'Settee' where I like to Read -- what a gorgeous room this is!


How to Grout the Tile

First, choose a nice color to compliment the tile.

Mix the Grout according to the Package Directions, making it the texture of paste.

There's a device called a 'Floater' that you can get in the Tile Section, too. You could use a spatula or make a little thing that looks like an Icing Dispenser you would use for cake decorating... I'll make one and take a picture of it for you when I get around to Grouting the Sunroom!

Oh, I just thought of an easy way for you to make an Icing Bag -- take a Large Freezer Bag and cut a wee bit off the bottom corner. Most Grout Lines are between 1/16th to 1/4 of an inch, so make the hole accordingly.

Clean the floor and all the lines in between the tiles. Vacuflo is a great little tool for this!

Push the Grout in between the tiles, making sure to avoid any air bubbles. (That's Dwight's job! I'm Grout 'cleaner-upper'! It's a good skill to have, because it's the difference between a okay looking job and a gorgeous job.)

Now to clean it off -- Wail 'til the Grout has hardened a bit -- about 15 minutes. Start in the area where the person applying the Grout first began. That area will be ready to 'clean' first'.

Some people use enormous sponges to clean the grout, but I find the small Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Sponges are much easier to control, especially with fine lines.

Get a big bucket of Hot Water, (not so hot that you can't put your hands in, though!) and your sponges. Have at least 3 or 4 on hand before you get started.

Put all the Sponges in the Bucket of Hot Water. Wring out one sponge, and gently remove all the Grout from the inside of the tile. This might take a while. Frequently rinse off your sponge.

Now for the tricky part -- the actual Grout Line. Carefully run a nice clean, but wet, sponge along the Grout Line. Get your finger wet and run it along the entire line to make the grout really smooth. It'll look great!

Just work your way around the room until you're done. Change the water often and remember to dump it outside, since it's gritty and shouldn't go down the sink.

Good luck!

I've added some 'Grouting Tips' to my At Home With Ailsa Page, so come on over a check them out! (Then you can come over for a visit any time you like -- I'm doing a Daily Update, now, and it's a lot of fun!)


I really loved this picture - I found it on Pinterest, and it's a pic from flickr... but couldn't find the person who took it... but, anyway, I looove this tile pattern - this is a fantastic idea!  I've gotta head to Home Depot to see what the thinnest possible tile there is, since wouldn't this be lovely in a shower wall?  I'm trying to figure out if this will work between a small tile, although I absolutely love it with the larger tiles, and am a big fan of the largest tiles you can find - they didn't come out with the 24" X 24"  tiles until after we were finished tiling the Sunroom - and these pictures sure make me miss my old life! booo!!  I need to build another house - a smaller version of the house on my site... www.buildyourownouse.ca, if you haven't been in there... tons of building stuff  : )

*Oh, and just in case you're 'new' to me, and my massive amount of writing (!), Dwight is now my ex-husband, but he's a really goo guy, no worries! And Steve is now in LA, lucky guy, pursuing his Comedy Career - I'd love to see Steve on SNL, he's soo crazy-funny! lol!



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Oh, man, I cannot WAIT to build another house - me so ah'cited! I just need a million dollars, or so... no, me joke! Although I WOULD love a million dollars, or so, right?? lol! Go ahead, and you put that out there in the Universe, too, and we'll see who gets to a million dollars, first, or if we both get there at exactly the same time - lol! : )

Wow, look what I just found - I'm soo excited about this - I've used the Styrofoam Crown Molding, before, but I've never seen the lightweight and very attractive Ceiling Tiles, would be perfect if you're doing a Reno on a place with a drop ceiling - you know, like the ceilings they have with the million little tiny holes you stare at when you're at the dentist - lol!

Anyway, you could use these on any build, or renovation project - the tiles are gorgeous - oh, man, would be so nice, a really great Quick-Fix, or the beginning of a lovely home... and Kitchen BackSplashes, too... soo many cool things for you to look at and dream about - I think I already have a little plan in mind! Let me know if you try them, and send me some pics, so I can post them for us all to see your handiwork! : )

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Wow, how gorgeous is that, right? And they have flexible Crown Molding - and they have Inside Corners and Outside Corners for the Crown Molding - do you know how much time that will save? And it's super-lightweight, so easy to cut, very easy to install - really, is literally like a Cut and Paste Project - lol! But your house will look amazing when you're done!

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Yippee, I just passed the 100,000 visits to my blog : ) (Well, now I'm over 420,000 Views - lol! #Traffic, Baby!)


Yippee, I just passed the 100,000 mark for visits to my new blog!  Yahoo!!



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Great Valentine's Deals you'll love : )
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Well, that's funny! Now I'm over 420,000 views - Yahoo!

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The Bachelor, Finding Love in Canada, eh?

Wow, so shocking that Sean Lowe kept the horror that is Tierra... man, I hope it's just a situation of the producers making him keep her on the show - what a painfully fake, manipulative thing - and I have to look away from the TV when she comes on the screen - ugh.  Nauseating.  Hilarious the Hypothermia Show, though - pretty sure Canadian Medics could see right through that little act.  She couldn't remember her name, but was quickly able to say she didn't get her time with Sean??? hahahahaha!  Stoooopid. Too annoyink.  Have the producers totally forgotten so many of the folks in the audience are women??  We don't like that sort of thing... we like the nice girls, the sweet, funny ones... or, at least, I do... I canny stand to see a baddy win! lol!

But I did really like when Selma said no to doing the Polar Bear Dip - that is a crazy thing to do, and if a man doesn't respect your feelings about any activity, find another man - they're out there.. prolly!! haha!  Not completely sure where, these days, but maybe they're at the bar?? hahaha!  Who knows, but I was so proud of Selma for saying no to the freezing cold water - and Lake Louise is cold at the height of the summer, so it must have been really cold!  Yikes!

Oh, some sad stuff with Sarah and Ash Lee... very sad stories, but I really liked Desiree's story of how she grew up, in tents, sometimes, when her family were between homes, and then her saying here she was, in a TeePee, another tent, falling in love... that was very sweet.  I thought it was hilarious that they left their pic-a-nic basket in the middle of an open field in Banff - like some hungry bear wouldn't have sauntered over to have a wee peek!!  Bears are everywhere in the Banff National Forest, and the area where Desiree and Sean were having their picnic, just at the base of Tunnel Mountain, that's where this huge herd of elk like to hang about... too bad they didn't show that... was tricky to see what time of year they were actually there... I thought it was the fall, but then when they were walking through the woods, looked like some spring flowers... and I loved that Desiree loves to climb trees - God Knows I spent more than my fair share of time climbing trees when I was a kid - was soo much fun! lol!  There was a day when we were out camping in the Canadian Sheild, and my sister had said I couldn't go a whole day without talking, so I climbed the tree with a pad and pencil, and had to drop wee notes down, all day long - but now that I think of it, I wonder how long I was actually up in that tree! hahahaha!  Will have to ask my Dad, see if he remembers that crazy day!

Man, I was soo shocked when Selma was sent home - not so surprised about poor Daniella - there was no obvious connection that we saw on camera, but why wouldn't Selma have been kept over the yucky Tierra? Bleh!  And, here, Selma finally gave Sean a wee kiss... that was a big deal for her, but I'm sure she'll find someone much better for her - they were not a good match... she needs someone more refined... and poor wee Sarah - I really felt for her.  I hope she finds a really good man... just what everyone wants! lol!

Otay, I'm out. and that was hilarious to have TWO episodes of The Bachelor in one week - craaazy!  Hopefully, Sean will get wise to Tierra's tricks (TT, we'll call them! lol!), and then it'll be one little monster, down1 Yippee!  Was sooo hoping to write, 'ding dong, the witch is dead', but not yet, and not dead, just off the show, off my beautiful TV screen! I don't want my screen yucked up with a miserable mug like that... I only want to see nice, pretty things, on my TV - oh, and was that the least amount of time with Sean with his shirt off?? hahahaha!  Oh, and did I mention how much Sean Lowe looks like my old carpenter, Trevor?  So good looking! lol! Wonder whatever happened to Trevor??  God Knows I need a carpenter in my life (because I have a lovely armoire desk that my crazy mover broke - and I need it fixed! What were you thinking?? lol!)... Go have a great date - a nice, safe, date! lol! Ailsa xox

Oh, and I totally forgot to mention about Catherine, the girl Jimmy Kimmel thinks will be Sean Lowe's potential wife... and I love that Jimmy Kimmel does a Bachelor Update on Jimmy Kimmel Live - sooo funny!   But Catherine is a nice wee girl, so tiny, very smart, and I like Lindsay I, or Linsay  II  -- how many Lindsays are there?? lol!  I like the one from Washington, DC, and the one who is a teacher... the Lindsay Sean can't stop kissing, which is pretty funny, and a little bit yicky, what with all those other girls he has a 'special' connection with... it's the overnight key in an envelop dates that are really yucky, those poor girls... but wouldn't it be hilarious if you were out on a real date, and the guy quietly pushed a sealed envelop over the dinner table at you, with a little wink?? hahahaha!  That would break me up!


A whole pile o' great deals for Valentine's Day for you! 
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