Small Porch with Big Tile Makes Big Difference...

Typically the front and back patio areas of the homes in Frisco Lakes are simply concrete slabs with a broom finish. Adequate yet rather drab. An easy way to transform that drab to fab is to simply tile these areas. The accompanying photos show a typical before and after. 

Before beginning to lay the tile consideration needs to be given to whether the porch area is square on the two open sides as it is preferable to start with full tiles along these edges. If that isn't the case then adjustments need to be made. 

This particular porch gets an 18x18 tile. It's important to use a large square notch trowel with this size tile in order to insure proper coverage and bonding on the back of the tiles with the thinset mortar. Also, less grout lines with the large format tile helps make the 60-plus square foot area seem bigger!

Finally, grout color selection is an important factor in the final overall look of the floor. Although picking a grout is a somewhat subjective process (light, medium, or dark color?), it is important to pick a grout that draws out colors that are in the tile itself. This helps focus visual attention onto the tile (the main star) and not the grout color (the supporting actor) when the job is finished.

Focal Point and Layout...

Following up on my last post, I want to continue with the topic of layout by simply showing a series
of photos of a backsplash I recently installed in a home at Frisco Lakes. The tile is Dal-Tile Biscuit color/beveled subway tile. In this kitchen we have two long walls that make up the backsplash. Where to begin? It doesn't take much thought to realize that the window over the sink is the main focal point, i.e. to where one's eye is drawn. The question then is where to begin tiling in order to have symmetrical cuts, and thus balance, around the window.

Since the subway tile is being installed with a staggered joint or brick pattern consideration needs to go into how large or small the 3x6 tile cuts should be in each row around the window and how those choices will effect the cuts in other areas of the backsplash. Determining the right size cuts that will meet the vertical 2x6 surface bullnose trim on either side of the window will not only give the window area a balanced look but allow for decent size cuts on the rest of the backsplash wall and an overall successful installation.

Beginning around the window:

Symmetrical cuts around the window:

Tile layout into corner of wall:

Completed tile job:

The Key To A Successful Tile Installation...

Tile Vanity Top with Hammered Brass Sink, Hope Ranch CA

The key element to a successful tile installation and also the most neglected is?? Layout!... arguably the most under appreciated install-element. This despite the fact that proper layout is crucial if one is to produce a visually pleasing tile job. So then, why is this initial phase often given so little attention or even neglected? One reason is that proper layout takes time and thought. It is somewhat like solving a puzzle (how best and where to begin?) which can be frustrating to the over-eager tile setter who wants to start setting tiles and complete the installation. The irony here is that a well considered layout IS where the installation begins.

So the tile setter must begin well to finish well. Put another way - setting a proper course is necessary in order to reach the desired destination. Without proper planning the outcome of a tile job is often less than satisfactory. Yet when the layout part of the installation has been well executed, the result is a completed tile job that simply looks right. When that end is reached there will be no regrets on the part of the tile setter and certainly the customer for the time spent on this initial stage of installation.

The above photo is of a small vanity top that I did years ago in Hope Ranch, CA. The tile is the 4-1/4" Cobalt gloss tile manufactured by Dal-Tile. Notice that the tiled top has a symmetrical appearance, i.e. there are mirrored cuts around both sides of the sink trim tile. To accomplish this the tile setter needs to plan out a pattern and decide where he must begin setting the tiles. This takes time. How to proceed? In order to have the same cuts around the hammered brass sink, it was necessary to put a "dutchman" (a tile cut to a particular size in the middle of the field to create visual balance) in the center of the front edge trim tiles. Determining the need for a dutchman and its size was the key to the layout and a successful installation. Once the right size dutchman cut was set along with the rest of the front trim, the equally-sized cuts on the vanity top around the sink trim tile fell automatically into place. The saying in real estate is "location, location, location." In tile setting it is "layout, layout, layout!"