Ultimate Guide to Ceramic & Stone Tile: Select, Install, Maintain

This book is great, easy to read & follow. Highly recommend for others to use.

Everyone is doing solid surface & stainless steel. Stand out from the crowd, go with tile! The new grout & thinsets on the market take care of the old regrouting & sealing problems.

First let me explain this very lengthy review by saying that I want readers to understand that this book is, by NO means, just a book of pictures, as one reviewer complained. If you're looking for inspiration AND information, this is the book for you. It contains plenty of photographs of tiles of all types used in a full range of settings and uses. It is also full of instructions and details, not just about how to install tile properly, but also how to prep the area where you intend to install it, based on the type of wall, flooring, subflooring, etc., and what you might have to add to your existing floor or wall, based on what's already there. It also contains instructions for removing sinks and commodes before tile installation, removing baseboards, old vinyl, and other such things. It includes basic tile info, from pictures of the basic sizes and shapes of tile, to "tile lingo," with pictures of all the different trim and specialty tile for corners, edges, etc., so you know what to look for and ask for when you're tile shopping, based on your intended installation area. It also has descriptions of tile types - ceramic, porcelain, stone, glass, terra-cotta, tile borders, painted tile and mosaic tile. It also contains photographs, descriptions and instructions for use of a wide range of tools you'll need for tiling, both for installation and finish work, as well as tips for making other helpful tools, and gear you'll need to make yourself more comfortable while working. The book contains diagrams for laying out tile, depending on whether you plan to install tile squarely or diagonally, and whether your room is square, out-of-square, or L-shaped. Besides full preparation information for the areas of installation listed below, it includes good instructions on the noted subjects: - floor: strengthening the subfloor, patching concrete, installing underlayment - wall: extending outlets, removing baseboards, patching drywall or plaster, repairing holes, and installing new drywall - kitchen countertop: strengthening cabinets and countertops, making and supporting a sink cutout - tub or shower: removing old tile, dealing with existing plumbing, investigating water damage - shower: designing a shower enclosure, installing a prefab shower pan or installing your own mortar-bed shower floor, building the shower curb, installing soap dishes, shower seats, grab bars, etc. - tub: framing and tiling tubs, including floor framing support and platform framing It also includes instructions for tiling fireplace surrounds and hearths, woodstove surrounds and hearths (including types of suitable tile), range hoods, stairs, pool decks, and existing exterior concrete (and how to build a new concrete base if you don't have one already). For every area of installation it covers, it shows stunning design ideas that make you want to go tile shopping. AND, last but not least, it has (1) a section on tile maintenance, cleaning and repair; (2) a section on installati

Never having installed tiling before, we felt it necessary to get so info before we started. Book seems to cover almost everything we needed. Still had a few questions about how to cut square holes in the middle of the tiles, how to correctly use nippers. Also needed to talk more about the current types of adhesives avail now. Overall helpful book and informative for the beginner.