I have a L shaped counter with breakfast bar. How do I treat the end of the backsplash when I get to the end of the counter/bar? I really dont want to see the thinset/mortar/adhesive and the tile edge.
Apr 30, 2012, 06:26 PM
joecaption
Without a picture how to you think anyones going to know what to do?
joecaption
Apr 30, 2012, 08:13 PM
Re-mdlr
Witout a pic, I'm only guessing, but check with your tile supplier for a "bullnose" finish piece, or a "quarter round" to fit your tile. Every tile maker and appearance differ on what finish pieces are available. And it depends on how you installed the backsplash tile as to which piece you use.
May 01, 2012, 03:45 AM
Nestor
The best option so far as I'm concerned is to take a very close look at the rubber grouting floats in your local home center and notice that the corners of the better quality ones are ROUNDED at one end and square at the other end. The rounded corners are meant to address exactly the problem you're inquiring about. That is, they're the perfect shape to allow you to finish the edge of the tiling with a concave filet of grout (which kinda has the cross sectional shape of a bead of caulk after tooling it with a wet finger, but larger in size). If none of the grout floats at your local hardware store have rounded corners at one end, then pop into any of the ceramic tile wholesalers in your area and buy one, or order one through a ceramic tile retailer.
I've done 21 bathroom wall tiling jobs, and I have yet to set a bullnose tile. Every exposed tile edge in every bathroom was done by forming a concave filet of grout at the edge of the tiling with the corner of my rubber float.
And, I haven't had any problems arising from doing it that way in 21 bathrooms in over 20 years, so I expect you won't neither.
One trick in doing that, however, is not to paint up to the tiling and then expect the grout to stick to a glossy paint. Leave the drywall bare, or even sand the paint down to give the grout something rough to hold on to.
Also, the way I do it is by applying the grout to the edge of the float, not the corner, and then packing the grout into the exposed edge. After packing the grout into the exposed edge, THEN I use the corner of the trowel, or if the grout is too hard by then, a tongue depressor, to scrape the grout down into a concave shape. Then, smooth that shape by running your finger up and down the grout.
And, when grouting, ALWAYS have a green or white Scotchbrite pad handy. That way if the grout gets too hard on you to remove from the tile faces with damp sponges, you can tear that $-#-|-^ off in a gawd awfully hurry with damp Scotchbrite pads without harming the tile. Don't mix up more grout than you can apply in 15 minutes (or about 2 cups) and you won't get yourself into that pickle. Also, scrape your grout lines down with the end of a popsicle stick before wiping then down with damp sponges. That's because it's vastly easier to wipe the grout lines down to a uniform depth with damp sponges if you START with them at a uniform depth!!! (Duh.) Just be careful not to gouge the grout where grout lines intersect. In fact, if you stop scraping right before the intersection and carry on scraping right after it, the damp sponges won't have any trouble wiping the grout out of those intersections down to the same depth as the rest of the tiling.
If you want to see how grouting the edge of the tiling looks, pop in to my web site and look at the pictures of the bathrooms in the suites that were available for rent 10 years ago when I last updated that web site:
Oh yeah... and post a picture, otherwise I wouldn't know how to advise you. (Heck, I think anyone that's ever set any wall tiles would know exactly what the problem you're inquiring about is because they would have faced it themselves at one point or another, save for the remote possibility that they tiled a single wall from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.)
Wouldn't that be correct, Joe?
PS: Say, Joe, I'm still waiting for a response to my question to you on this page:
Obviously, from all your ranting and raving, and stupid posts misinforming people, it is obvious my level of quality is much higher than yours. You are the one that tells people to do things wrong, 'and if someone comes over and they don't like it, then too bad for them'. I just try to help people do the job correctly. Bozo hackers do not belong on my job site. My level of quality is good enough people pay me money to work on their house. And they are expensive houses, not cheapo apartments.
VJ3 -- The way I told you is how a professional would do it. It is also the way you would see it done on HGTV and DIY shows, and Holmes on Holmes. Feel free to do it right, or hack it in as suggested. It's your place, its your time, its your dime.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Re-mdlr,
May 01, 2012, 01:24 PM
nona
for what my 2 cents is worth, I agree with those who say to use a bullnose, it IS the pro way to go
May 01, 2012, 03:48 PM
joecaption
Sure would look better then looking at the top of a piece of tile.
joecaption
May 05, 2012, 12:14 AM
Nestor
I wasn't criticizing you Re-mdlr. I was lashing out at Joe cuz he's always criticizing me.
That ranting and raving and swearing is because I have a beer fridge in my kitchen. That fridge contains two stainless steel cylinders and a cast iron cylinder. The stainless steel cylinders contain home made beer. The cast iron cylinder contains liquid CO2. That fridge converts home made beer into cold draft on tap for me. I dipped a bit too deeply into that home made beer before typing that post.
If you ever notice ranting and raving and swearing in my posts in future, it's proof that my beer fridge is working properly.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nestor,
May 05, 2012, 08:34 AM
nona
Nestor, Do you want to know what turns people off on you ? I'll tell you anyway. If someone asks you the time , do you explain lunar cycles and gear ratios to them ? My suggestion is for you to just answer the question BRIEFLY There's a lot of talent on this site and it's there for people to judge and use whom they choose to listen to, they don't need to be confused by someone who seems to want to impress them with their (either) intelligence or B.S.