Your Works In Progress Or Finished Pics
 

I'll give Gueuze man credit for this idea over in perenial favorite "craziest Pics" thread.. I wanted to start a similar thread of more candid pics of our collective works as they are being done. I learn a bunch from things that often aren't even the focus of a photo of a job in progress. Little tidbit's of info we share with each other along with the technical challenges that make this little esoteric tilegeek world of ours never boring.

I have a folder on my computer that has hundreds of "Day in the Life" pics and as I stroll back through them from time to time I am amazed that I always find some quirky thing that I missed before. Pictures like me setting mosaics on Ditra before I knew better..or I find a method we used to use but stopped for some reason. Whatever it is I always learn by seeing and asking and I suppose as long as we continue to be curious we'll keep advancing our craft.


I spose we need some pictures now eh?

This will be a great thread Trask;) The wheels are already spinning :D

I suggest some pictures be posted before those picture police types come a-asking.... :rolleyes:

Always having to wait on you guys......

UH.....(I guess i deleted the post and pic above this..and that really stinks)



On second thought i don't think that's Kerdi:dunce:I think it's Noble TS from Dal Tile..Neat little pipe collars Dave made though huh.

The second shot is the story of my life...literally about 2 am and I can't remember which scribe cut goes where.. It was payback for a worktrade with a friend..sure sounded good when he was framing my addition...a tad les romantic after 16 hrs in his crooked bathroom.. I'm sitting because i can't get on my knees any more...:D for real.

Antique slab shower-
Laying out the curbs
Attachment 87079

ready for slab-
Attachment 87080
Attachment 87081

now with 2 in we were able to determine the cuts to make the back piece. As we had to use the existing holes in the slab, I had to give the plumber a jig to have his rough in in the right spot.
Attachment 87077

finished-
Attachment 87078

gueuze

NICE!!

The blue stuff Laticrete?

Every cut a tile upside down? Dave just realized he tranfered his marks on the wrong side of the tile:tup2:

Mapei HPG. But I'm pretty much 100% laticrete for mortar. Tec and Laticrete for grout. I'm just a slut.:D

gueuze

Glad to say I don't cut too many mirror images anymore, just occasionally. But they make great templates for the real piece.

gueuze

A great trick for speeding up mosaic ceilings. The ply holds everything from sagging and squirming as your trying to place it in the mud...it also allows you to seat the sheet with even pressure until you can beat it in properly.

Me, never. :uhh:

gueuze,

in post #5 I like how you use a straight edge to layout your curb block.
I take measurements and snap lines for the inside or outside.

Here's how we typically do heat mats..Border the mat with wonderboard..run the wires in the seams..set the mat..pour SLC or sreed thinset using the wonderboard as a guide. Then Ditra over the whole thing as cheap insurance.

Also he's using one of those folding 3,4,5 squares.. I lost mine and never got another one.. I should.. they are handy tools.

First one is a classic..Builder has to have this fireplace done yesterday..he calls and makes a big stink and assures us it's ready(we made on trip and it wasn't ready)..Here's what I walk into... The fireplace is in the back by the block wall. I snapped a picture and left.

second shot is one I think I posted before.. I guess the guys needed some extra hours cause no one asked them to border the room or cut that to the tub.. Extra freebie day on me I spose....notice no tape in the CBU joint to the left:dunce:

my left or yours :D

either or, nice cut!

Don't leave us hanging...tell us how the conversation went after you called the builder back! :stirpot:

Anyone ever used a wood router to rough shape bullnose on stone..with a carbide wood bit? I'd think it was stupid but it works..actually really well on soft stones like carrera marble, many limestones and soapstone. Bits don't last long but they are cheap for what you get out of them. We did it like this for a long time.. I would think safety glasses might be better than squinting and holding your head back though.

In post #15 pic #2 I woulda made an L-cut/miter instead of that chicken
leg, but I gotta say the scribe border that follows the tub is clean as all
get out :tup2:

Bubba the conversation didn't go too specifically good.. he started with.."So what the problem with you guys.."

Here's more polishing romance..39 degrees outside and raining..42 degrees and wet up to your ears in the uninsulated shop.. If I didn't know this guy I'd think he got paid in crack..cause that's where I'd hafta be to enjoy this...for whatever reason A.J really digs wet polishing and I'm awful sure glad for him feeling that way.:tup2:

I was checking out your mud pics. Wondering if you fellas cut your mud
height? I typically have a story pole of tile on the ground somewhere abouts
and will measure roughly, actually as close as possible for my rough in,
leave my mud heavy and after the mud is firm hold a level to the top of
my perimeter and cut it down with a flat trowel or margin. I dont like to
chisel mud, and in the same way hate to backfill. I think the practice comes
from alot of fresh/wet setting. Tapping tight joint quarter round into fresh
mud is the fastest and easiest way to set it. Leaving that perfect amount
of prefloat mud is essential for running space joint on big jobs. Just curious.

Two things that I love to see..the tragedy is it shouldn't even be noteworthy..but a vacum and a guy backbuttering every tile.. I'm happy to pay for the extra time as those are two simple things that I believe make a big long term difference.

Sorry Jack I missed you there...So are you saying you wet set the 1/4 rnd or just bullnose the mud back when it's plastic to make a easier corner to put them onto?

With tight joint we set fresh. Float over a scratch coat and set the same
day. I'm sure alot of cali setters are familiar with this. We leave a 1/2" +/-
of mud past the field, give the quarter round a swipe of thinset and tap it into fresh mud
with the butt of the margin trowel. Some will take a flat trowel, draw a line
of thinset and drop a 45% bed of thinset around the perimeter of the piece
and tap quarters into it. Either way. With me personally, working spaced
joint I prefer to prefloat...prep one day come back and set another. Its
why I mentioned a dislike for chiseling and backfilling. Imma huge fan of
a nice prep job.

I dont have to many pictures in general but, heres one of my helper on his nightmaresh shift of piecing in glass nips. Had to take turns it sucked so bad.

second ones just groutin up a basic tub surround.

What is that glass set over? It looks like a buttload of work:bow:

Speaking of a ton of work I really kinda miss doing muds..we seem to have gotten lazy with kerdi. It stinks because I have to do it regularly to stay fast and I personally haven't floated a wall for over a year.

I think if I were doing it again everyday the coolness might leave:D

Trask, Its set over cbu and red guard then floated with thinset to make up the thickness difference using gauge sticks.

Heres another, Cast stone surround outa Texas.

Trask,

Why do you feel it necessary to vacuum the ditra? I was under the impression it didn't matter since thinset doesn't bond to ditra anyway. I guess if the waffles were really really full of stuff you could have a problem but a little job dust shouldn't cause a problem, or am I missing something?

Some great pics in here already.

i wish i brought my camera to work

I wish you would have too!

Jeremy that is an amazing shower..The fireplace is something too.


I don't think it's a big deal to vac Ditra cause your right it's mechanical..it's just principal to me...could prolly take a leak in your thinset too and it'sd work in ditra but you know it might be a bad idea in general:D

Jeremy, that shower might just make me give up tile work, and I'm usually a pretty patient sorta guy. Great job. Well, so far. :)

And next time y'all need a fireplace like that, holler at our friend John VanCamp. He can make you one like that but in only about four manageable pieces.

And for those who know Trask, just look at them pichers and see which of those terrible tough mud jobs he takes for hisownself and which ones he sends his helper up the ladder to do. :D

We love pics!!!! Ditto CX on that shower and patience...:D

Why do i get a queasy stomach when i look at these pics? I think it's cause i never realized how much work it is till i see somebody else do it.:DShame i never took one pic of anything till a couple years ago.

This is a good idea for a thread.

It's all about the journey.

I just found a "after" pic iof the undermount vanity CX was bustin my chops over doing... I'll have you know it was much bigger than it looked:D

Yeah, yeah, who you gonna believe? Me or your lyin' eyes? :D

This is what I don't miss about mudwork:D