Lots 'o Tile
Sean starts the day by stopping by Arizona Tile to pick up the, uh, tile!
Then he starts the process of papering and enclosing the tub enclosure with HardiBacker board.
Not a lot happened today. Sean got called away by a friend to fix an electrical emergency! At my house, he continues the Hardibacking installation and prepares the soap alcove. The joints are taped and mortared.
The actual tiling begins!
The Hardibacking is finished and the first tiles go in. Yippee!
An interesting "hole" lurks behind the baseboard... and mold is discovered under the vinyl floor. I can't help wondering if the tub should have been removed to inspect for water damage and mold??
Wed night I mark approximately where I want the decorative tile accents to be placed.
The first row of tile.... almost!
Sean works on the first row of tile.
There's some weirdness on the the wall at the foot of the tub. The tub is not level. Sean makes the tile level... so the "caulk gap" between the tub and the first row of tiles increases slightly towards the corner.
Decorative tiles strike me oddly...
By lunch, Sean has finished the first row of tile and started the second. He places the first decorative tile. It strikes me as very odd and disappointing... but I don't quite place why (as my mind is on plumbing problems).
Thin set and my plumbing don't get along.
I have discovered that the thin set that Sean poured down my kitchen drain on Thursday night has caused my kitchen sink to back up. Sean gets under there and clears out the drain.
Disputes over deco tile
Several hours later, when I'm half way to Del Mar to see Cirque du Soleil, it hits me that the deco tile is supposed to be placed directly over the intersection of four of the field tiles AND I had wanted it placed as a diamond, not a square.
I call Sean on my cell phone and try to explain. Turns out we'd had several big miscommunications. When I'd placed the little yellow squares on the wall to indicate positioning of the deco tiles, Sean had taken it to mean "put the deco tile exactly here". I of course had meant "put it approximately here, based on where the closest intersection of four field tiles is". He also took the orientation of the yellow squares to mean I had changed my mind about the orientation of the deco tiles. I'm learning it really pays to put things in writing... or at least ensure you have a good verbal understanding!
Sean thinks the deco tile would look better so that the dark part of the tile forms a diamond -- instead of the tile itself forming the diamond.
I agree that could look good -- but it's difficult to make the decision over the phone. So, we agree that he will pull off the deco tile and tile other parts of the enclosure that aren't affected by the placement of the deco tile. On Monday -- we'll talk!
He pulls the deco tile (and the two field tiles affected by it) -- but then packs it in for the day. Hmmmm... I guess on Monday we'll really talk!
