Two tile pros have an open discussion back and forth about floor tile. One is a guys perspective dealing mostly with the installation and mechanical practical side of tile, while the other is a girls perspective on the design, color and aesthetics of tile. We talk about natural stone, glass and metal mosaics, function of good design and try to have some fun as we go.
Friday, May 29, 2015
We want discussion topics...
Today has been a great wrap up to a short week. We were able to finish three large jobs, and start two more. Plus we had some little ones mixed in as well. The back and forth talking about shower repair has been fun. Looking for some input suggestions on what our readers (287 of them this first week) would like for us to discuss next. We have some ideas, but the idea of this blog was for interaction with our readers. Thanks in advance and have a great weekend.
New shower design compared to that of 10 years ago
Its hard to know where to start. Some of the biggest changes have been brought about due to advancement in the machinery that makes the tile. We now have more mosaic options and water jet cut tiles that were just to pricey to use before due to the intense labor of hand making these types of pieces. 10 years ago most of the showers that we installed were what is called a floor/wall combination. The floor tile would come in a 12x12 with a matching wall body 8x10 or 6x8. A lot of shower walls had 4x4 and 6x6 square tiles. The big deco item was a listello strip, often with interlocking ends. Today we see most of our shower walls being the same porcelain that is on the bathroom floor. The floors of showers in the past were often times a 4x4 tumbled stone or a 2x2 ceramic or unglazed porcelain tile that complimented the wall tile. Today almost all of our floor tile options come with the matching 2x2 mesh mounted and cut from the field tile for a perfect match. Pebbles on the floor are another popular option. With those you either love them or hate them. We actually installed a showroom shower with a pebble floor just so people can take their shoes off and try standing on the surface. The new deco options are endless, from full feature walls, to vertical or horizontal deco bands, to cut-in inserts and back panels in niches. Showers and back splashes are our favorite areas to design. The options are endless and we get to let our imaginations run wild.
Labels:
barron,
ditra,
glass,
kerdi,
mosaic,
natural stone,
schluter,
shower floor,
shower maintenance,
shower repair,
shower wall,
vinyl liner
Location:
West End, NC 27376, USA
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
When to change out that old shower
Sometimes the shower damage is to extensive and the shower may need to be replaced. There are times when the damage is just in the curb, or the slab is too contaminated with calcium to be fully cleaned. In these situations we are able to remove the tile from the shower floor, remove the slab, and then clean the drain. Schluter makes a drain that we can install to the pvc flange as we pour the new slab. We can then add a piece of kerdi liner to the floor and re-tile. It is important to note that this is not a full kerdi shower with all the benefits of the waterproofing going up the full wall. We still rely on the weep holes to clear the water that wicks through the walls and down into the vinyl liner that is still there as well. But we have put a waterproofing membrane on the floor part of the shower which greatly reduces the amount of water that gets into the slab. And then sometimes we have to remove the entire shower. This is when we find damage to the sub floor that can not be repaired with the vinyl liner in place. There are also times that we find damage in the wall structure as well. The unfortunate thing is that this damage is not always visible until we start taking out elements of the old shower. Jen, why don't you comment a little on how the design of tile showers has changed in the last 5-10 years?
What about shower repairs?
Although there are a lot of showers that we can fix, sometimes are they just to far gone to be repaired? And what is the best solution for repairing such a problem? I know that I always like to use the opportunity of doing a shower repair to update the design of the shower as well.
Friday, May 22, 2015
How Schluter helps us eliminate shower problems
Labels:
barron,
barrontileandstone,
design,
ditra,
glass,
kerdi,
mosaic,
natural stone,
porcelain,
schluter,
shower,
shower floor,
shower maintenance,
shower repair,
shower wall,
tile,
vinyl liner
Solving Shower Problems
Since about six years ago when we switched to the Schluter drain and water proofing system, we no longer have these problems with any of our showers. But, we get at least two calls a week from customers to look at these types of shower problems. What can be done to fix showers that were built with the old style drain?
Some pics of common shower problems
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Moldy corners and calcium clogged drain |
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Calcium in the stone's pores |
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Discolored bottom row of tile |
Shower Maintenance
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