Keys to a Successful Bathroom and Kitchen Remodel or Tile Project

Most anyone can go to Lowes, Home Depot, or another home improvement store to take a two hour class that teaches the basics of tile installation for a bathroom or kitchen remodel.  But, there are important differences between a professional tile layer and the typical weekend warrior.  Joints should be consistent. Transitions will be safe and clean. No one will be able to walk into the room, and have their eye go to that one grout joint that screams at you from ten feet away.  Those are the results that you, as a home owner, should expect and demand from a professional tile installer.  Laying tile is a lot more than just covering a floor, countertop, or shower wall with tile and grout. We have a phrase in the construction industry that says, “measure twice, cut once.” For the value of your home, you have every right to demand excellence.  If it’s not right, it’s not right. 

We’re often asked to come in and redo a clumsy tile job.  You can live through an improperly implemented job, but it’s possible—for a pretty reasonable price—to have a job redone, with close to ideal results.  Some of the things we notice when coming upon a weekend warrior tile job are trim tiles that don’t line up smoothly with the surrounding tile, creating an undesirable uneven surface.  Additionally, the cuts on the trim do not line up with the joints on the square tiles surrounding it.  These mistakes distinguish a non-professional versus a professional  job on a project. 

Redoing a Weekend Warrior Tile Job for a Bathroom or Kitchen Remodel

Select the video on the right to see an example of a weekend warrior tile job.  Anyone can go to Home Depot and take a two hour class that teaches the basics of tile installation.  In this shower tile installation I first notice that the trim tile piece does not line up smoothly with the surrounding tile, creating an undesirable uneven surface.  Additionally, the cuts on the trim do not line up with the joints on the square tiles surrounding it.  These mistakes distinguish a non-professional versus a professional  job on a project.  With my experience and knowledge of tile installation, these are imperfections that you would not see in a job performed by Dedicated Tile.

Going further into the keys to a successful tile project, we’ve dedicated an entire page to the topic of preparing the tile surface for tiling. Click here to go to the page on preparing a floor for tiling, or click here to request a free bathroom or kitchen remodeling consultation, if you live on Bainbridge Island, in Kitsap County, or in the North Puget Sound area!

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Last Updated: June 10, 2013