Sunday, October 19, 2008

I don't do a lot of hardwood floor, but this job was especially interesting to me. The room had a large fireplace made of rock. The edges were rough, and there were large grout joints to deal with. So how do you end the hardwood floor without leaving unsightly gaps everywhere? See the below:


The gap:
Close up:
The filler before installation:
Finished product:

This is what it would look like if I just cut a normal square cut. Not terrible, but there is an unacceaptable gap at the grout joint. Also, most of the rocks weren't as square as this one.
So to make it look like it should, I cut the profile of the rock into the piece of flooring. How? I'll keep that secret if you don't mind...


Here is the same piece after it was installed.
The side of the fireplace after I finished: Click on the picture to see it closer if you want to look for gaps.

The wood is Bolivian Rosewood

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

This floor is what we tradesfolk call "cut-up". It means that it's not just one big room, but that it has lots of turns, doorways, etc. This one has ten doors, two different rooms, four hall sections and two closets. AND it's all done in a pattern. The pictures were taken before I gave it the final buff, so you may notice some haze.

Here's the pattern. Both pictures are the same floor, just a different angle so you can see how the pattern works. Daltile calls it the "Hopscotch" pattern.
It is grouted with a special grout that is stain-proof after curing five days. It is harder to install, and requires extra steps during installation. When you install normal grout, you squish it into the joints with a rubber grout float, then use a stiff sponge to spread it around and form the joints. This step also cleans off extra grout, leaving a haze. After it dries, you buff the now dry grout off the tops of the tiles.

Well, TEC XT grout always leaves the same haze, but in my experience, it doesn't buff off. So I come back again the next day, and mix one cup of vinegar to five gallons of water, and sponge it again. The acid in the vinegar breaks down the grout on the tile, making it come off easily. Then I have to sponge it again with clean water to get the vinegar off, because it will continue doing it's job if I leave it on. Extra step, but worth it for Antique White to stay Antique White, and you never have to seal it.





These pictures represent two people, six days worth of labor:

Day 1, demo old floor, which includes three linoleum layers, two plywood layers, and we found out the subfloor is only 7/16" thick. Not strong enough for tile, even with concrete board. Remove doors, toilet and stove.

Day 2, install 1/2" roof span rated 5 ply plywood, glued and nailed down to sure up the floor.

Day 3, install 1/4" concrete board, polymer modifed thinset to floor and nailed.

Day four, install all uncut tiles, leaving the cuts for later. This lets us do a cut up floor in two days because we can walk all over it the next day and install the cuts.

Day 5, install all the cut tiles, these are the ones against the wall, under the doors etc. Anywhere the tile runs into something.

Day 6, grout: Mix, install, sponge, buff, re-install toilet and stove.

Day 7, just me: Vinegar sponge, water sponge, re-install doors. And on the seventh day I rested as well.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Built-in bookcases. I did all the finish, including the floor and columns.
Diagonal kitchen backsplash. Sorry, I only did the tile.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

This is one of five radiator covers that I built over the winter to hide some rather commercial looking heaters. The wood is white oak, the style mission.
The top flips up for access, and this one is about 4.5 feet wide and about 22" tall to allow space so the heater could cycle air around itself. That way, it can do it's job, not burn out, not be a fire hazard, and look stylish at the same time.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Kitchen remodel here... There was a sliding door where the new one is, but we took it out to make room for the peninsula.
Before pictures forthcoming... maybe. You won't believe the difference.
There we no cabinets here at all, but now there are. Again, an improvement, I think.


The before...