Posts by Kim
Sandstone mosaic kitchen backsplash
These interlocking sandstone mosaic tiles were installed in a kitchen backsplash. They have not yet been grouted. The customer pre-treated these tiles with one coat of Stone Tech Enhancer Pro before installation. This was meant to make grouting easier and protect the tile from staining. However, grouting was difficult because the surface was still very…
Read MoreChanging grout color around plank tile
This plank floor was in a brand new home and the builder did not allow the homeowner to choose light colored, narrow grout joints. The homeowner was worried the grout would darken and take on a grid-like appearance over time. The best option was to lighten the grout color by applying an epoxy-based grout colorant which also…
Read MoreChanging the color of grout
Over the years this ceramic mosaic floor with sanded white grout darkened considerably. After many frustrating attempts to clean it, the homeowner called me and we agreed to apply epoxy-based grout colorant to the joints. The grout colorant we use is dual purpose: it not only changes the appearance of grout to a consistent color…
Read MoreKitchen backsplash with glass subway tiles
This kitchen backsplash was done in 3×6″ glass subway tiles. The tiles were not staggered onto a mat, so they had to be individually set. The white paint on the back of each glass tile was not infused by heat onto the glass, so a brand new glass blade needed to be used. The tiles…
Read MoreShower installation
This was a new tile installation with 6×8″ field tiles set staggered joint vertically with 3×3″ accent tiles set in dark vertical stripes. The homeowner had a unique home design and wanted the shower layout to be in keeping with the eccentric feel of the rest of the house. At my suggestion we used a…
Read MoreOutdoor tile repair
These tiles had fallen off an exterior column of a commercial office building. The tiles that had fallen off could be reused, so I cleaned off the backside, chiseled off the thinset on the columns and reset the grouted tiles.
Read MoreReplacing shampoo trays
A property management company called me and said one of their rental customers had a shower where the shampoo trays fell off and hurt the tenant’s arm. They also wanted both trays replaced with black ones to tie in with the accent. And they did not want circular ones, instead they wanted more triangular shampoo trays. These…
Read MoreStaggered Mosaic Kitchen Backsplash
This kitchen backsplash has been set with travertine and Emperador dark and light marble staggered mosaic. It is trimmed at the edges by using two rows of tiles set in the opposite direction.e.
Read MoreStone-clad fireplace
The customer had an old brick fireplace and the face of the fireplace was set actually back behind the sheetrock. So I used a special nailing device, a powder actuated nail gun to install metal lath onto the existing brick. After installing the metal lath I floated over the wire mesh with a special tan mortar mix that was…
Read MoreCreating my own 2 x 2 mosiac designs
The customer wanted a mosaic pattern for a commercial bathroom floor. We created quite a few mock-ups with 2×2″ tiles for them to choose from. The patterns and colors were chosen to compliment the 1920’s architecture. The finished product:
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