Master Bathroom Improvements – Tile, Glass, and No Use Decisions

Do you procrastinate on a project because you know it will be challenging, and the more you procrastinate, the more you fear it? Trouble. We’ve all done it. But what usually happened for me was that I was finally able to do the project that I considered in my mind to be completely awful and difficult, and it turned out to be nothing. Well, tiling the bathroom floor (until now) is not like that.

I delayed starting tiling for several days because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. The more I procrastinate, the more I convince myself that this is going to be a very challenging project. And I was not wrong. Oh gosh, everyone !! I worked from 3:30 pm to 10:30 pm yesterday, and this is the tiling I finished.

If you can’t tell exactly what you’re looking at, that’s a six-piece tile. Unom. Mao na

It was an frustrating day from start to finish. I spent about an hour putting on my new tile saw. In addition to a little. And then I spent about 45 minutes trying out different tile layouts and transitions from the main bathroom floor to the shower.

I’m still not 100% sure exactly what that move will look like, but I’ve decided for sure that I want the main floor tiles to just go on the inside wall of the shower, and there move the floor with small tiles for the shower floor. And since I don’t want any of the cut edges of the floor tiles meeting the shower floor tiles, that means I have to start my tiling this row right on the mural wall. .

So after cutting the tiles and getting the row in place, you can see where the floor tile will end and the shower floor tile will start.

So why did it take so long? So, as I mentioned, I had to put together my new saw, lay everything in Cooper’s yard, fill the reservoir with water, assemble my tools, mix the mortar, and so on. But after I started laying the tiles, I quickly realized that this job could be a big headache.

I’ve done a lot of tiling in the past – the condo kitchen backsplash, the client’s bathroom, the hallway and floor bathroom floor, the hallway bathroom that wears accent tiles, the kitchen walls, the pantry backsplash , and the studio tile accent tile. That’s why I’m not really new to tiling.

But what do all the tiles have in common? They are few. I mean, the bathroom floor tiles in the hallway are the most I’ve worked on, but they’re very manageable.

These tiles, on the other hand, are 12 x 24, and heavy. In addition, because these are large format tiles, they require a 1/2 ″ x 1/2 ″ notched trowel. I have NEVER done a tile job that required a trowel with such large notches. And not only are the notches big, but the actual trowel is big. . I mean, the whole experience was just frustrating.

In addition, no matter how I force the tiles to lay the tile in the mortar, if I don’t just smash the tile after it’s in place, it will work. So just getting six tiles in place, spacing right, and lining them all the same from the vanity wall is probably one of THE most frustrating DIY projects I’ve done in my life.

I also bought a few items that were placed on the tile that were moved to the top of the tiles to keep them on top of each other. You can find some here…

Although the process of dissolving that so that they are large enough to maintain the level of the tiles will move the tiles in the mortar slightly so that they are no longer even on the edges.

So I finally realized that all I could do yesterday was lay out the row of tiles, and then I had to rest it before trying to push the other tiles against those. From here, I know it’s much easier. But gosh, I was ready to pull my hair out yesterday.

At least I have a good straight line tile against which I will place the shower tile. One thing I have yet to decide is if I want to use a Schluter strip of brushing copper as a transition between tiles. I use these strips everywhere in the bathroom, and I love the little bit of copper / gold added here. I also think it makes the move look more deliberate and planned. Here is the view from the shower to the main bathroom floor…

And here’s the view from the main bathroom floor to the shower…

If I don’t use the Schluter strip, it looks like this. Of course, the grout will completely change the look and make the grout lines disappear. It’s even better when it looks on black grout, but I’ll use a very light gray yield to match the tile.

So, on the Schluter strip or not on the Schluter strip? That is the question. Have any of you used these strips before? Are they good to hold? I was especially thinking about the aluminum pieces with a bronze colored brush like the one here for me. Does that color persist over time?

Now to my new tile saw! My previous saw saw was the one I bought when I tiled the backsplash in the kitchen in the condo, so I really got my money’s worth, especially considering it was one of the few $ 99 tile saws from Home Depot . (Probably very similar to this $ 149 Ryobi.) This is a nice little tile saw, but I was ready for an upgrade before putting the tiling in the bathroom.

Ingon ana I upgraded this Rigid tile saw, which is $ 334. And this thing is awesome!

In this turn, I have to deal with an arm holding the motor and saw blade, which is not in the slightest tile style. But so far, it’s never been a problem. I was able to cut my large 12 x 24 tiles any way I needed to cut them. Of course, I’ve only cut six so far. 😀 But I doubt the rest could be any problem.

I really like seeing it because the part where the tile is laid in rolls on top of the frame. This makes the cutting process the smoothest. In contrast, the cheaper saws have a table that stays in place (like a table saw), and you push the tile across the table. This style is much smoother.

It also comes with an adjustable miter gauge that clamps to the rolling table to keep the tile in place for angle or straight cutting.

I also love having this large water reservoir with a water pump that directly sprays water into the edge and down the tile. The way the cheapest saw style saw tile is to move the saw blade through the water reservoir at the bottom, and if you’re not on the splash guard, the blade will draw water straight at you. I like to be able to see clearly where the tile is cutting while also staying dry. ⁇

This is definitely a long-term tool upgrade for me. It’s a much easier tool to use than my cheap tile saw, even if that thing has served me well for many years.

In other news, the mirrors are finally wearing! I ordered them in early July, and they just arrived. I like them. The shape is beautiful, and it’s very well made. But the color is much darker than I expected. It doesn’t look golden to me. I don’t know what color I would call it. Bronze, maybe? But they are not gold.

This is the photo from the website. It will look golden. This is what I expected. But this is not what I got.

So I was a little disappointed, but not really so much. I mean, I can always figure out a fix for color. That’s not a big deal.

Also, when I was rooting my stored supplies in the sun room, I saw this piece of scrap walnut veneer. Do you remember I used it on the finishing tables in the music room? (Kitaa: Metal and Glass Table Modification (Music Room Improvement).) So I took it to the bathroom to see what the walnut on the mural would look like.

And… oh my gosh, I love it. I mean, I really love it. So I’m definitely leaning in this direction now. This is my favorite wood, and the mural looks great. Best in my opinion is this. ⁇