Stuck on a DIY Tile Project? Get On-Demand Expert Help, Instantly.

Testing the coverage of thinset under large format 12x24 glass tiles using four different trowels: the 1/2"x1/2" notch, the 1/2" lay flat, the Euronotch, and the Sawtooth. Marshalltown trowels are made in the USA and can be found, along with many other tools and supplies, for purchase here: https://www.tilecoach.com/shop To purchase a 1:1 consultation with me via Zoom or Facetime: https://www.tilecoach.com/book-online

I Tiled This Shower and It FAILED HORRIBLY!!!--- Find out WHY When you are in business for a long time, call backs are inevitable. Sometimes they can be your fault, other times they can be from normal wear and tear maintenance issues or manufacturers defects. This shower was installed in 2006, using the CUSTOMER SUPPLIED waterproofing membrane with their accompanying linear drain. This drain, despite using the noble seal membrane, was NOT-- I repeat, NOT A NOBLE DRAIN!. It appears to be an aftermarket product that used Noble membrane. It came with a pre-sloped foam base, the first of its kind as I recall. In our area, we always used mud bases and hot mop or vinyl shower pans. This method was completely new to me, and I told the homeowner that I had never seen a system like this or installed a system like this. It is similar to the Schluter Kerdi system, which we are now all very familiar with. The customer called me last month to ask me about some loose and cracking tiles in the shower floor and if there was any way to save the rest of the shower. I went out for an initial site visit and my first thought was that maybe the shower door guys had punctured the waterproofing membrane and that is what caused the shower to fail. I broke a piece of the tile and dug down to the sub floor and found that the waterproofing had been compromised and the wood subfloor was wet. This video is of the rescheduled a visit to remove as much of the floor as possible, to see the extent of the water damage, and to see if the rest of the bathroom was salvageable. Since the homeowner had purchased the original waterproofing, and the shower was past the 10 year manufacturers warranty, he agreed to pay for whatever repairs needed to be done. He wanted to use our company again because he was very pleased with the work we had done in this bathroom and the rest of his house as well. Upon further inspection, the shower door was not the source of the water penetration. The source was that the factory installed polyethylene flap that was bonded to the stainless steel drain body had completely de-laminated, allowing water to pour right into the wood subfloor below. Unfortunately, the extent of the water damage didn't stop at the subfloor level, but rotted out several structural wood members including floor joists, girders, and wall studs. This bathroom and the adjacent walls will need to be completely removed and replaced. In this rare instance, it was a manufacturing defect that caused major damage that will cost several thousand dollars to repair. Please click like and subscribe! Don't forget to hit the bell to turn on your notifications, to see my weekly uploads first! To contact me, leave a comment in the section below, or better yet-- follow me on instagram @tilecoach. Feel free to send me a message.

This video was created during our two-day course, which took place on June 10th and 11th at the TileCoach HQ in Rocklin, CA. Three students attended the course. During the training, students learned how to prepare a shower for tile installation. They shimmed the walls, floated the pan with dry pack, built the curb using bricks, installed the FloFX drain, and applied NoFlo waterproofing with two-inch overlaps. This is my most comprehensive teaching video to date, featuring over two and a half hours of content. I included as many details and teaching points as possible. If you would like to attend a course, schedule a one-on-one consultation, or purchase any of the products used in this video, please visit www.tilecoach.com.

When walls are not flat, installing tiles can be a challenging task. The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) recommends that walls be within 1/4 inch of being flat over a 10-foot span. While it can sometimes be easier to use methods like shimming before the wallboard is installed, often the wallboard has already been put up, which means you would need to remove it to apply those techniques. To avoid that costly and time-consuming process, I have developed a technique to "flash" the walls with thinset, making them nearly perfectly flat and ready for tile installation. To purchase the strips on tilecoach.com, here is the link: https://www.tilecoach.com/product-page/flashing-strips-8-x-1-1-2 If you're interested in 1:1 consultations, in-person training courses, or purchasing any of the products or tools featured in this video, please visit tilecoach.com. For video links mentioned in this video: https://youtu.be/IDyXMS8zDzo (wall shimming video) https://youtu.be/IqHJgwsb8Qc (2 Day Shower Pan and Wall Prep Course)

We recently tiled the new Nugget Market in Granite Bay, CA. Follow along as we discuss the design elements. If you're interested in one-on-one consultations, in-person training courses, or purchasing any of the products or tools featured in this video, please visit tilecoach.com.

Someone in Sacramento reached out to me to diagnose their curbless shower failure, and you wouldn't believe what we found! Discover how to avoid this costly mistake when installing a curbless shower. If you're interested in one-on-one consultations, in-person training courses, or purchasing any of the products or tools featured in this video, please visit tilecoach.com.

Last week we were called to inspect and repair a failing shower. The owner gave the contractor a second chance at doing the shower correctly, but you wouldn't believe what happened the second time. If you need help on your tile project, click this link to book a 1 on 1 session with me https://www.tilecoach.com/book-online Tile Redi has offered to donate a custom pan, pre-sloped and ready to tile, to help the homeowner recover from the losses incurred due to the poor tile job. To find out more about Tile Redi pans, click this link:https://www.tilecoach.com/tileredi

There are many different ways to tile a shower wall. One of the most common questions I get is, "do you tile the wall or floor first in a shower?" In my experience, and the way I was taught, is to tile the walls first while stacking off a stick nailed to the wall. Then tile the floor, then lastly add the cut tile between the floor and wall. Another way it could be done would be to tile the floor first, then tile the walls. The problem with that is you could damage the floor tile as you are working on the walls. Also, shower floors may not be perfectly flat and level, making it difficult to stack the wall tile on the uneven shower floor tile. I also get the question, "how do you layout wall tile for a shower?". Depending on the size and shape of the tile there could be different methods. But the most popular size today is a 12x24 porcelain tile, laid either in a horizontal or brick pattern. In this video, I show an easy way to lay out the tiles, using what is called a "story pole". This way, it is easy to check the layout of the 12x24 porcelain tiles in the shower itself without trying to remember fractions of an inch off of a tape measure. Since 12x24 is a nominal size (actual size will be something like11-13/16"x 23-5/8"), and grout joint width needs to be added, a story pole can make things much simpler. It is also important to make sure that the layout has a full tile is at the ceiling, and not a small or sliver cut. If you would like to see other videos in this series, you can see the entire playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsHHW5TlppH_tIbUI1YTOWhiY_LwA2vVo I will be adding to this playlist so please consider subscribing, and if you do make sure to turn your notifications on or else you might miss the videos. I hope these videos find you well, and ready for a challenge. Many of us are builders, do'ers, and dreamers. If this is you these videos will be right for you. Keep on keepin' on, and I'll see you on the next video! If you are looking for a fast, dependable, stong and leak proof tile shower pan, I highly recommend Tile Redi products. For more information, or to place an order, go to my website here: https://www.tilecoach.com/tileredi If you need help on your DIY shower project, I offer 1 on 1 tile coaching consultations. We use zoom or Facetime so I can see your project and offer you good advice on what methods and products are best suited for your job. Click the link to find out more: https://www.tilecoach.com/book-online To support our channel, please consider signing up for our Team Membership for $10 a month. Your membership allows you access to our community advice forum and exclusive zoom meetings. Here is the link: https://www.tilecoach.com/plans-pricing

Schluter Systems Kerdi Shower Kit is one of the most popular ways to prepare and waterproof a shower for tile installation. Using a foam shower pan tray, membrane, foam curb, preformed niche, and triangular foam curb I show how to properly install the components to achieve a lifetime warranty. This was the first time I have installed a schluter kerdi shower kit using ALL-SET thinset mortar. This specialized, modified thinset mortar dries without the presence of air to cure it, making it great for in between layers of waterproofing. This is the only way to achieve a lifetime warranty using Schluter Kerdi systems. To see more videos like this that will help you tile a shower system using Schluter kerdi products, see the playlist here which includes several helpful videos. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsHHW5TlppH8zb3ow6sHzS7Qu_Wq9zz2g If this video was useful, please consider subscribing and turning on your notifications. That way you can see all my weekly videos as soon as I upload them.