A Tile floor that looks like hardwood

I know I am always posting pictures of tile over well, mud. Here is a perfect example of the beauty of mud or should I say a wetbed floor. In my opinion the direction that tile is heading in is larger tile and of odd sizes, 12x48, 12x26,6x12 just to name a few. Now the normal stuff 8x8, 6x6, 12x12 and 13x13 could always be installed over a floor that wasn't always flat. The installer would use a trowel with a larger notch allowing them more play with the install. With the larger and longer tiles the slightest imperfection in the setting substrate would be shown in the install.









Since the homeowner decided to choose a tile that was 6x24 a flat and level floor was a must, the floor below was severely out of level and had dips and bumps in it, no way this tile could be installed over the existing floor and if it was it would have been atrocious. My only option was to mud the floor level and flat. The next day the tile was installed and the mud made it a breeze. Toward the entrance to the grage a Nu-Tone heating mat was also installed. After the tile was set the job was grouted with Customs Tobacco sanded grout. This job couldn't have turned out better, it is flat, level and straight. It will easily outlast my life span.

Mud mud mud....

Heres another job I completed around this time (February) of 09'. This job was located in Media, Pa. The house was super old but had great bones. It required mud on the walls because they were severely out of plumb. The floor also was badly out of level and required mud too. The HO choose classic tile that really complemented the room well. As far as I know the room was repainted after we finished the job. Also all the pipes were lead and slow so while we demoed the job the plumber came in and replaced everything with PVC.

A large mud floor for a great friend

Nothing excites me more then doing mud set tile jobs, especially when they are large jobs and for a friend. On this job the kitchen was tiled and there was carpet in the rest of the room. The homeowner wanted the tile and carpet removed and the entire floor redone with 13x13 on a diagonal. I decided with the condition of the sub floor that the job needed to be installed on mud. This created a flat and level surface especially when the tiles will be installed on a diagonal, there was also a huge hump in the floor and the cabinets were shimmed because the previous kitchen floor was set on mud. So it really was a no brainer to put mud back in.

Its generally a good rule of thumb when mud comes the new install should be done on mud as well. Heres a few pictures of the job from start to finish. It was around 300 sf ft of tile. The homeowner was thrilled and enjoy there new floor.

A nice backsplash for a nice customer

I am a member at the John Bridge Forum. I have been one for almost 6 years, it is one of the best things I stumbled upon in the tiling trade. It teaches and educates both the installer and the customer to provide a better service and business for both of us. I recently tore out and tiled a backsplash for a member from the site located in Paoli, Pa near Westchester, Pa. The job couldn't have gone any smoother. It is a tumbled marble splash installed with Ardex X-5 and have some glass inserts throughout the entire splash. It is grouted with Customs Polyblend Linen grout and all changes of plane were caulked with the corresponding caulk.

More Mud Work

Mud is a dying art in the tile trade. When one can mud, their is no job too small or a job that can be turned away. This job had to be gauged due to the plank flooring and the floor was severely out of level and not flat. Mud helps create a flat and level floor and thats why it is used in these situations. It in my opinion is also a higher quality install and shows a true craftsman at work. Here are some pictures of a job with mud on the floor and curb in the shower and the finished products of the job.






In these photos, the floor is being mudded and packed and then screeded level in the 1st and 2nd photos. In the 3rd photo hydro barrier a Laticrete product is being applied to the walls and shower floors. It is added protection for the waterproofing of all the cementous areas in the shower. The final 2 photos show the shower with a fully functional seat and the bathroom floor with inserts.

Tile for my Sister in Broomall

My sister purchased a house with her husband a few years ago and it needed some major work in Broomall, Pennsylvania. Some of work needed was tile work and since I am a tilesetter she decided to let me do whatever I wanted. The first thing needed was a kitchen redo and a nice new tile floor. The tile to be installed was 18x18 porcelain tile, but the problem was that the floor was not flat at all or level. This was the perfect opportunity for a wetbed.

(A wetbed is where sand and portland cement are mixed to a damp consistency where the mud is screeded and leveled to create a flat and level floor other names for this type of job are: mudjob, screed, floating or gauging and pre-guaging are all common tilesetter terms).

The floor was so badly out of level it required around 2 tons of sand and cement to get the floor level and flat. Then the 18x18s were installed the following day and the floor was grouted with TEC sanded coffee colored grout.


She then decided to redo her basement the following summer and install a bar, a powder room and to spruce the laundry room up with some fresh tile. She picked out a nice gray colored porcelain tile and and a gray tumbled marble with some teal glass and matching chair rails for the powder room. Since I was working in the basement the tile was to be installed on a slab and 90% of the time concrete needed to be flattened before tiling so self-leveling cement (SLC) was used to fix the low spots in the slab.

Self leveler is a product mixed with water and mixed to a water like consistency. It is poured over the concrete which is first primed with a latex product and the SLC seeks its own level with some trowel assistance. Afterwords you have a nice flat area to set tile on.

I installed the marble on the self leveled areas and used a larger notched trowel to set the porclain on the concrete throughout the rest of the basement. Her and her husband are thrilled with the work and enjoy entertaining their friends in their newly finished basement.

New shower with old tile

I recently tore out a tub surround for a customer over the past couple days in Delaware County, Pa. The tile was 3x3 over green board installed with mastic and I knew it was in bad shape. The customer had not used the shower for 5 years due to substantial leaking when it was being used. I tore out and while gutting the shower noticed that the tiles had no tiling substrate behind them just air and mold. The worst part was the installer told the homeowner back in the mid 90's they used wonderboard, I had to explain that the job was done with pretty much drywall and glue.

I demo'd the shower and installed a vapor barrier (aquabar "b"),installed permabase, taped and flashed the corners, and most importantly set the tile with thinset.







The customer choose their own tile, it was a bisque 6x6 from American Olean. I got an idea to save some of the old 3x3 and install diamonds in the shower to enhance the installation, the homeowner thought this was a great idea. I tiled the entire shower with laticretes 253 thinset to set the tile. I grouted the shower with laticretes bright white unsanded grout and caulked all the changes of plain.

This job felt great, I ripped out a awful shower and installed a rocksolid one with a little touch of the old shower by inserting the gray accents.

The people were thrilled with the finished project and it made me feel good that they were happy, they also enjoyed watching the whole process take shape.