Posts by Kim
Eichler Home Grout Transformation
My latest project transforming the grout color to better match the tile. This house was a trip with plants growing through openings in the floor! Joseph Eichler was the premier builder of the late mid-century. He believed in bringing the outside in and he was among the first builders to install very large windows in…
Read MoreRestoring Vintage Grout
**Please click on individual photos to see a larger image. The improvements in the grout are more easily seen when the photos are enlarged.** This is a vintage installation dated to the 1920’s and contains the original grout. Almost a century later, we knew it was going to be impossible to bring back the grout…
Read MoreTechnical Consultations Save You Money
Recently I was called out to a job to inspect a bathroom and write a technical report on my findings. The homeowner had just purchased the house and the tile work in the master shower was installed as a pre-condition of the sale. The real estate agent involved in the transaction hired a contractor/handyperson he…
Read MoreTiling Over a Wood Subfloor
After removing the carpet and pad in this bedroom I found old linoleum squares over a wood subfloor. Under the back sides of each linoleum tile there was felt backing, which remained on the floor after the tiles were removed. I had to tediously scrape away the felt to get a smoother surface. In order…
Read MoreCrack in cement slab
Typical slab crack running under contiguous tiles. To protect the house from dust we installed a plastic tent enclosure to the ceiling. We use a 2-part system (powder and liquid) especially made for movement by Sienna, EP200. This is an expensive product but worth the price. Over the years I have successfully spanned large slab…
Read MoreHow to Remove Glass Block
This glass block was broken as a result of a fire at the house next door. One block was blown out through both panes, and other blocks were cracked. The glass block got extremely hot from the fire and breakage occurred from the temperature fluctuation when sprayed with cold water. Due to the potential for exploding glass…
Read MoreTiling over a granite backsplash
The homeowner wanted to change the appearance of her kitchen. She decided to reface the kitchen cabinets and replace the granite backsplash. Instead of removing the existing backsplash we discussed the benefits of tiling over the granite instead. In order to clad over shiny granite tiles, we needed to remove the finish from the face of…
Read MoreInstalling an outdoor kitchen countertop
It’s important that exterior 3/4″ CDX plywood is installed as a base for a mortar bed and tile. Because this is an outdoor installation it is important to coat the plywood with a waterproofing membrane. Here we used Ardex 8+9. Next we installed mortar bed reinforcing wire directly to the membrane. Sink rail is nailed…
Read MoreSetting up a dust-reducing barrier
This job required us to grind off the shiny finish of a granite backsplash so that we could install ceramic tile over it. This creates dust. In order to minimize the amount of dust circulating around the house we used telescoping poles to seal off the area with plastic sheeting. The poles needed to be…
Read MoreFree form glass mosaic backsplash
This was a challenging but fun project installing tiny glass in an irregular shape. It was installed over a recycled glass counter top. The homeowners chose penny round accents that picked up some of the colors of the recycled glass counter top. We tried to replicate the feeling of rolling waves.
Read More