Yesterday my Dad, Marco, and I finally got down to business on the sink. Tiling is pretty easy, but getting it ready for tile took some power tools and muscle.
This is where we ended last time. Not my Dad under the sink with a flashlight, but a basic wood frame with a huge porcelain sink in the center, washer/dryer on either and a box of tile waiting to be put on.
The tile shouldn't be applied to wood, it can warp and pop the tile off, so we had to apply Hardy Board to the sink top which meant we had to unhook the pipes from the heavy cast iron and porcelain sink to pull it out, then measure cut and screw down the Hardy board. This meant cutting the top piece the right size while wearing masks because this stuff makes seriously nasty dust...we remembered the masks after this first choking dusty cut...
...then lying it on top and tracing the hole for the sink...
...then using a circular saw and jig saw to cut out that hole using special carbide tipped blades because Hardy Board aka "concrete board" is so abrasive it dulls a normal steel blade in moments...
...then measuring cutting and screwing the front panel on with special hardy board screws...
At this point my Dad went home and Marco went to a coworker's birthday party and I spent the next couple hours (11:00pm-1:00am) laying out the tile and putting it down. It's really easy. Put down a thin even layer of concrete looking tile adhesive, put the tiles on, wiggle slightly and smoosh them into place, then wipe off excess adhesive and look admiringly at your beautiful tile. I used tile "nippers" to cut some tiles, which sucked because although it worked, it made a jagged cut. If I were doing a lot more tiling I'd look into a real tile cutter which is still less expensive -and way more fun- than hiring a professional.
I had 28 tiles left over. Pretty good estimation of how much was needed, huh?!
The adhesive has to dry for 24 hours before I apply grout. Then that has to dry for 48 hours before I can put the tile sealer on. Then after that dries I glue down the edge pieces, and then the sink goes back in. I'll keep you posted on progress!
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