jasejase Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Quick question on tailing floors. Can I stop in the middle or is it recommended to finish entire floor in one session. I have over 200 sq ft and not sure if I can get it done at once. Sure, why not?! Just make sure that you clean all the mortar off of the substrate and edges of the last tiles when you're done for the day Buy an extra bag of thinset/mortar too. I always end up having to run out to the store Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I think the idea is to do it all at one time. You should start in the middle and work out to the edges. It really depends on the space. If it's easy enough to lay out, I'll mock it all up first. Or at least a couple rows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baconbits Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I think the idea is to do it all at one time. You should start in the middle and work out to the edges. Depends on the room, I'd say. My foyer required me to mock it up from the center to the far wall so I didn't "paint" myself into a corner. I then worked from the far wall to the other. That was a 4x6 space roughly... if you're doing a kitchen or a big 12x16 room then yeah, working from the center out would work. Just make sure that you clean all the mortar off of the substrate and edges of the last tiles when you're done for the day Buy an extra bag of thinset/mortar too. I always end up having to run out to the store Can't stress that bold bit enough. Lay your tiles out and use the no notch side of the trowel to clean the mortar off the backer board around the edges of the tile... that way you can get a good bed laid for the tile the next day without worrying about bumps or thin spots. ALSO - keep a spray bottle or water and sponge around. Dampen the backer board and tile before putting the mortar down. That will prevent them from sucking all the water out of the mortar causing it to set weakly. Just damp... no puddles or drips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Good tip, especially if youre using backer board! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baconbits Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Other things I'm remembering... Depending on your tile size, you might need LFF thinset (large form factor) for tiles 12x18 or bigger. It mixes up thinner (more like pudding versus toothpaste) to make it easier to spread out when you press the tile in. Tiles this big also benefit from back buttering. Measure twelve times, cut once. I found it handy to have a small torpedo level to get individual tiles flat and then a 24" level to make sure I had it level with the ones next to it. Knee pads. Get a good set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie_dude05 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Knee pads. Get a good set. I tiled my basement, roughly 400sq ft, with cheap ones. I had problems with my knees and back for weeks afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Agreed. However, even the best set of knee pads become a worthless piece of shit after an hour. Perhaps if you use them everyday, you get used to them - but I friggin hate them! I always end up tossing them to the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoFoSho Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 This is our basement living room remodel project from last year. The previous owners had very strange taste! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Looks great! Condo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoFoSho Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Looks great! Condo? Thanks! It's a duplex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Nice crown moulding. Did you do the work yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoFoSho Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Nice crown moulding. Did you do the work yourself? Thanks, I wish I could say I did all the work. My friend and his dad are carpenters, so they helped me cut and hang the crown. Another friend specializes in flooring, so he did the laminate floor. We hired out for the drywall. I did everything else - Paint, caulk, installed 2 new outlets and ran a new coax outlet. The walls that were dark blue needed 3-4 coats. PITA! It was our first time remodeling anything and we are quite happy with how it turned out. Learned a lot, that's for sure. Total cost excluding furniture ~ $1500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I hate crown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Thanks, I wish I could say I did all the work. My friend and his dad are carpenters, so they helped me cut and hang the crown. Another friend specializes in flooring, so he did the laminate floor. We hired out for the drywall. I did everything else - Paint, caulk, installed 2 new outlets and ran a new coax outlet. The walls that were dark blue needed 3-4 coats. PITA! It was our first time remodeling anything and we are quite happy with how it turned out. Learned a lot, that's for sure. Total cost excluding furniture ~ $1500. Money well spent! According to HGTV, you've added $100,000 of value to your home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoFoSho Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I hate crown. Yes the crown is a royal PITA for sure but it was already installed so I decided to continue it on the new drywall that we installed in place of the crap we tore down. It would have been just as much work if not more to tear down the existing crown. Money well spent! According to HGTV, you've added $100,000 of value to your home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted March 27, 2015 I Donated Share Posted March 27, 2015 Just realized I never posted pics of my almost finished basement. Before: During: After: I have since patched up most of the drop ceiling. We contracted out the flooring because we didn't have time to learn how to do it and put in the labor 2 weeks before our wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Looks awesome man! Nice work! Took us 4 years to finish our basement :/. Lol Did you use enough screws in the drywall? I only see mud on the seams. I am tired though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Oh and if you have a couple extra grand laying around, the textured/beveled edge ceiling 2x2 tiles would make that ceiling pop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted March 27, 2015 I Donated Share Posted March 27, 2015 Looks awesome man! Nice work! Took us 4 years to finish our basement :/. Lol Did you use enough screws in the drywall? I only see mud on the seams. I am tired though Mudding screw holes smoothly is a lot easier than mudding seams smoothly. Plus I used some warped studs and didn't line them up as well as I could have, so some of the seams are sort of potato. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It looks like you only used screws on the perimeter edge of your drywall sheets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted March 27, 2015 I Donated Share Posted March 27, 2015 It looks like you only used screws on the perimeter edge of your drywall sheets. Nah, I used them in the middle too. As I said, it's much easier to mud screw holes in the middle smoothly than it is to mud seams smoothly. I probably used about 1/2 to 2/3 as many in the middle as I ideally should have, because I'm a lazy ass, but there have been no ill effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj808 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Forgive my ignorance but is the office building drop ceiling common place? I have never owned a home nor did my parent's home have a basement so I have no experience with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted March 27, 2015 Moderators Share Posted March 27, 2015 Drop ceilings aren't too strange at all for basements. "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spec.B Dream Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Drop ceilings are a trade-off. They give you easier access to overhead plumbing and electrical is nice, and you can get accoustical ones for sound deadening, but drywall ceilings sure look nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted March 27, 2015 I Donated Share Posted March 27, 2015 Yeah, there is no way I'm going to go to drywall for most of my basement. Being able to get to all the stuff in the ceiling (electrical, LV/communications, plumbing, natural gas, HVAC) is very important to me. Without that, the cost and effort of projects goes up exponentially. Also, the drywall itself is a lot more expensive. Maybe I will do drywall ceilings in the entryway from the stairs to the basement, though. It's half drywall and half drop ceiling there right now, so going to all drywall with some conduit or something should be fine. The only problem is that's right below all the plumbing in the kitchen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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