porcelain tile

[gable74]

thanks for the reply guys....i am going to go with the 3/16" and stick with the Laticrete 317 and the latex addative. I am NOT using Ditra, so i should be good with my time frame for thinset and grouting. Glad you guys are around, much more helpfull than Cooter, who works the tile/plumbing/electrical/home decor/and windows sections at Home Depot...

gable74,if I did this right(inserting pic) you should see my pic of my bath with the Rialto and 3/16 joints. The wall pic is ungrouted as I have not taken any of the finish pic yet and the floor pic is grout in the drying stage-it has since been completed and all looks good. The wall is 6x6 and the floor is a combination of 6x6 and 12x12s
bill g

[gable74]

that looks very good Bill, thanks for the pic's. Im not going with quite that elaborate layout, but it does give me a good idea of the joint widths. Thanks

Jimmie

[grisby]

Thanks, I dont know why I came up as unregistered--maybe I forgot to log in. Any way the Rialto is real nice, only down side is its had to drill into. Used wet saw for everything.

bill g

[John Bridge]

Wow!

Looking forward to seeing the finished job.

Dave M., our systems engineer, says you can go in the user CP (icon at the top right of the page) and change your "options." There is one in there that says you want log in automatically each time you return to the site, you will accept the cookies. Make sure that is enabled, and you shouldn't come up unregistered anymore (according to Dave).

[grisby]

John, thanks. I will get a pic or two this weekend to post. Thanks for this board. I know I asked a lot of questions concerning this project and with all the help it was completed.
bill g

[grisby]

Here is a pic of this end of the bath grouted.


bill g

[gable74]

that looks great Bill, good job. Well, i got mine all tiled up this weekend, but i over estimated my abilities.... The plan was to tile the walls and floor on Saturday, then grout on Sunday. Well, it took me all day to just tile the shower walls (75 sq/ft) with 6" x 6" tile. Then i used Sunday to add the bottom row of tile on the shower walls, and then tile the floor. Its been about a year since my last tiling project, and i guess i forgot the time involved. So anyway i will take off today and let everything cure up real well, then grout on Tuesday. Also those corner tile shelves worked out perfect, and look real nice. Thanks for all the help, i will try to post some pics when i finish up.

Thanks
Jimmie

[grisby]

Jimmie, sounds like you're doing ok time wise. Heck it took 3 1/2 days to do that wall with the design on it and that doesnt include grout time.
Its not like we do this stuff for a living!!!

bill g

[John Bridge]

Amen, amen.

You don't do it for a living, so don't get in a rush. Bill's wall is proof positive that taking your time pays off.

[gable74]

Good, maybe im not as slow as i thought then... Okay, i got my door frame built yesterday (stupid 6" jambs) and door hung. Now im ready to grout everything up. I had a little thinset splatter in some places that will need to be cleaned off. Whats the best method of getting that stuff off? Also, the grout color i liiked only came on the stupid cartons, and not in the 10lb bags like i wanted. So im thinking i should pour all the cartons (4) into a trash bag and mix them up so i get a consistant color before mixing. Does that sound right?

[grisby]

Jimmie, I used a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to clean dried grout with a scotch brite pad. Someone told me about that combo and it worked for me, albeit I didn't have much to clean up.

As for the grout, if it was me I would mix it all together if you are going to use it all, not because of the mixture but because (in my opinion) if you are not consistent with your water and or additive you could get a different shade of grout and then you would be blaming the grout instead of the person making it. I hope I am explaining that right. Makes sense?

bill g

[Mike2]

I wouldn't try doing more than 20 sq. ft. at a time Bill until you really get the hang of it. Mixing all the dry batches together is a good idea. Measure out lets say 4 cups of dry for your initial batch. Then measure the amount of water you need to add to bring it up to proper consistency. Write this number down for repeatability.

[gable74]

good advise guys....thanks

[gable74]

okay, i just finished my grouting and i have a few comments.....One, grouting on the walls absolutely stinks (stupid gravity). However it turned out looking great. Second, is i have made a new friend, and his name is "GROUT". I had a few tiles that i wasnt crazy about how they were positioned on the wall (a few mm's off) and the grout made them look perfect, matter of fact the grout changed the whole look of the walls and floor and really brought the room into perspective. Grout does for walls and floors what Beer does for the appearance of fat chicks. Thanks for the help. I will post some pics when i get it all wrapped up.