got screwed..... I hate people.

[Joe 1320]

I had a guy that worked for me that overheard that I needed to do floor work and install tile. he begged me to let him do the work, he needed the money as he was paying off debts from his divorce, etc. He had bills due and needed some cash up front. Normally I would never do that, but I figured the guy worked for me at the regular job and all would be safe. At first all went well. He came over and removed the old tile, he was going to bring back a floor grinder in a couple days to grind off the quickset. Well..... he's off for a couple days at work, misses the Tuesday morning sales meeting and when my assistant calls him, he turns in his resignation. He says that he'll "take care of me." Now he won't answer phone calls, I'm basically screwed. Every time I show any kindness toward someone in trouble, it comes back to bite me in the arse.


Since I don't have lots of dough, what is left is to do it myself. I rented a floor grinder and resurfaced the concrete, next will be filling in a couple of cracks. The tile is already purchased and sitting here along with the quickset. Anyone know how to do tile work? My only question seems to be with 16" tile, and 1/4 spacers.... do I leave only 1/4" gap at the baseboard for grout? It seems like maybe the space should be wider.


Meanwhile the little maggot will get served the papers when I take his miserable butt to court.

[Performin Norman]

I feel for you and can relate. I used to love my fellow man but have developed a need to take everyone with a grain of salt. There can be little trust in others any more. I got screwed on my 69 Camaro prostreet project a few years back.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I always tell everybody "nice guys finish last". But for some reason we still try to be nice. Go figure.

About the tile, we tried to do the tile in one room downstairs. It still isn't grouted. We used some premixed glue from home depot and the little X spacers. The glue is kind of rubbery. It has enough pull in it that it pulled all of the tiles as it dried. Some of the tiles are almost touching now. Some have a large gap. Some have air pockets under them and 1 even broke. They are all uneven in height. Do NOT use the premixed glue. I think there is a type you mix with water.

To sum up my feelings of tile is I will NEVER do it again.

[Rhode Island Red]

I know the feeling. I was selling some items a few years back when I was in FL. My brothers friend insisted that I sell them to him. I didn't want to, but he talked my into him paying half and then paying the other half his next paycheck. Shortly afterwards, he stopped talking with my brother, he moved, and changed phone numbers. I tracked him down to return them, only to find out he sold them and he was penniless. After months of hounding him, I served him papers for small claims court, but he skirted town and his family lost track of him! A year or two later, I tracked him down and heard more of his "exploits". End up the guy did the same to others, and a great con artist with the ability to lie like no other... I gave up getting the $ or the items back, as I felt the $ was north the aggrivation anymore.

Nice guys do finish last, a fact that I have lived with for 27 of my 34 years

[Joshu]

In short, my parents are in an 8K case right now over a guy that never finished the addition onto our house. This guy had references and proof of work and was really the bees knees. Like everyone says, take everyone with a grain of salt.

[msfyter]

I teach tile classes at home depot. Go to your local home depot and ask for a "PK" ( product knowledge on tile. They will show how you all the how to's and they also have good books for information

[sneitzel]

About the tile, we tried to do the tile in one room downstairs. It still isn't grouted. We used some premixed glue from home depot and the little X spacers. The glue is kind of rubbery. It has enough pull in it that it pulled all of the tiles as it dried. Some of the tiles are almost touching now. Some have a large gap. Some have air pockets under them and 1 even broke. They are all uneven in height. Do NOT use the premixed glue. I think there is a type you mix with water.

I have done tile in 4 different rooms in my house and have learned quite a bit in the process.

Unfortunately Jeff it sounds like the product you used to set the tiles was mastic. From what I know, mastic is designed for small tiles and for wall installations, like the walls around a shower or bathtub. For larger tiles and floor installation, thinset should be used. It is a cement type of product, usually sold dry that you mix yourself as needed in small batches. Most thinset products will also have a latex polymer added to them that makes them more durable. Thinset is pretty easy to use and is very forgiving when it comes to re-positioning tiles before it has completely set up. Having said that, there is an art form to laying tile properly. Once you have done it you know. When you see tile work in a high end building with perfect grout lines and or custom mosaic work you will really appreciate the artistry. Also, how did you use the X spacers?

Joe,
My suggestion would be to pull up the base boards and run the tile as close to the walls as you can then don't worry about putting grout between the outside edge and the wall. As long as you get the tile close enough to the wall the base board should cover the edge of the tile and you will end up with a much cleaner look. If not you can always add a piece of quarter round to the base board. That's also a very good way to hide any imperfections as well. I'm willing to bet the room you are working in is not perfectly square so that means the widths of the tiles around the outside edges are going to vary. Chances are you would not end up with an even grout line against the wall even if your installation was perfect. Use the base board to cover that up. You definitely need to go to one of the classes at Home Depot or Lowes to get some pointers and to ask some questions. Pay attention as to where in the room you start tiling and how things are going to line up with doorways etc. Also, rent a wet saw. Also worth the money. I'm not a pro by any means but have helped multiple friends do their tile as well as doing my own. I'll help answer questions as best I can.

I personally would rate tile work at about a 7 out of 10. It does take some skill and alot of patience. Plus, crawling around on the floor all day will definitely take its toll on your back and knees. Invest in a good set of knee pads. Trust me....

[Performin Norman]

I was so irritated at people a few years ago that I made up a saying.

"Expect the worst in people and you will seldom be disappointed".

[3800_Firebird]

Anyone know how to do tile work? My only question seems to be with 16" tile, and 1/4 spacers.... do I leave only 1/4" gap at the baseboard for grout? It seems like maybe the space should be wider.

You can do anything you want. 1/4 is probably the standard. What we find finishes out tile nicely on the edges is to have quarter-round trim nailed to the baseboard on top of the tile. Then you don't have to worry as much about how the edge grout turns out.

Make sure to get all the right tools.

I'd agree with taking in a Home Depot class on it. It pays to get tile right! It really isn't hard. I've done it numerous times on varied surfaces professionally. Concrete is probably the easiest and most difficult at the same time. Easy because you don't need another layer of floor, hard because unless your concrete man is great and did a super flat finish, you may have trouble.

Some words of advice based on experience with tile jobs I've done:
1. Do not put anything on the floor at all until at least two days after the install. It takes a long time for setup on concrete, despite what the Quickset bag may say.

2. Do not roll any heavy objects such as freezers or large entertainment sets, etc. until the floor is grouted. This means anything heavy in the room should be out of the room and not moved from one side of the room across the tile to the other as tile is completed.

3. Quite frankly, don't walk on the floor much until the grout is in and finished. The grout serves to lock the tiles lateral position.

There's more, but I'm sure the local Home Depot or Lowe's can fill you in on most of it.

Good luck!

[Joe 1320]

Thanks for all the great tips.

The room is 28x11.5 that previously had 12x12 tiles. I'm lucky that the (28) 12" tiles can be replaced by (21) 16" tiles as a direct fit. The any tile cuts made will be along one wall only, right where a step must be cut. I'm fortunate in that respect.

[formula_gramps]

Joe,

Sorry to hear about that!

Remember one of my core princibles of life:

"No good deed goes unpunished".

Have to concur with the poster that suggested pulling the baseboards, that way you're not screwing with a grout line at the edge. Usually professional tilers don't use grout there anyway because it will eventually come apart. They usually use a silicone based caulk that color matches the grout.

[Steel2686]

I know all about getting screwed by someone in need. I lost $1,500 on a deposit for a car a few years back. Sad thing is, this was an old friend, I was looking for a T/A at the time, and he knew of one in private sale where he lived (about three hours from me). He sent me the listing, pics, etc. It was legit. Plus he and I were friends for almost 15 years and had no reason to believe he would wrong me. Especially since he had a great job, a big house, and three really nice cars. He was definitely doing far better than I was.

I sent him $1,500 via bank check to hold the car. He then went on to make up an elaborate story about the guy screwing us over with the deposit and now we're out $1,500 (we?).... As soon as I started talking court papers, he changed his story several times, then stopped taking my calls all together.

$1,500 was a steep price to learn about a "friend".

[Shockwav86]

Make sure to use a square tooth trowel when applying the thinset to the floor. It will provide the right amount of coverage of thinset to the tile.

[Wild Willy]

Sorry you got ripped off, but tile isn't that hard to do, and a worth-while skill to have if you are a homeowner. It is mostly prep work, making sure you have a good solid and level base- and being neat in putting down the mastic and keeping everything in line-

The more you can take out of the room, the better. Moldings, etc- It only gets 'interesting' when you have to fit it around pipes or odd jags in the walls- You can buy or rent all kinds of tile cutters and saws, but I seem to have the best results with some nibbler cutters- just sort of nibble away at a piece until it fits where I want it-

Good luck with the project- it is a learning opportunity, and not so bad once you get started-

[DJ Taso]

I've been laying tile with my dad since I was 14. Best advice I can give you is keep your base level and your lines straight.