At Home: Shower Inlay Reveal

Another item to check off the ol' to-do list for the full bathroom remodel: the glass and stone mosaic tile inlay in the shower.

Let's get ready for a play by play on the process with plenty of photos to keep you on your toes looking for more....

To start, I placed blue painters tape around the entire area where I wanted to remove tile and add in the inlay. It worked out quite nicely that my shower had 14 tiles from end to end, so I chose to make the inlay the width of 4 tiles leaving 5 tiles on each side. I chose not to tear out all of the white tile because it is in good shape, is neutral in color, and last but not least, it's too expensive to buy new tile for the entire shower right now (I priced out a few options and it was several hundred dollars at minimum).

My dad and my uncle came by to lend me a helping hand after numerous unsuccessful attempts at removing the tile myself. As you can see, several systems were in place to remove this tile including a hammer, a crowbar, and the Dremel with the grout cutter attachment.

It was tough to get the first tile out, but once we (um, he) got it out, it got much easier to get behind the other tiles and give it a few taps with the bar and hammer. The Dremel was especially helpful in the grout lines that separated the tile that was coming down with the tile that was staying. I really wanted to avoid any unfortunate mishaps.

After about 25 minutes, we made it to the top!

Here she is, completely exposed and ready to be prettified.

Once my dad and uncle parted ways I headed right into the bathroom and began tiling. No, I did not really scrape away all of the remains. Was that the right thing to do? Probably not. This lady does not want to waste a minute of time, and that is not always a fantastic thing. It turned out fine, and if there were any significant signs of unevenness, I took care of it. In the end, the mastic leveled itself out.

Now comes the part where I've learned a lesson, and I hope that you take my experience and learn from this as well. Tile installation. It's not that it's difficult or requires special certification. I actually find it quite easy, therapeutic and fun. I just didn't really think strategically about its placement in such a small place. Tile installation, I learned, requires strategy. 

My plan was to install as many full sheets of tile as I could, and I did this by starting in the bottom left corner with a trowel that was 3/16 in size (the smaller the tile, the smaller the size and spacing of the notches on the trowel). If you are using the correct size trowel, you shouldn't find that you are putting too much on. I got a decent amount on the trowel, applied it to the wall, and went from left to right, and and down, several times in the same area to ensure that it was even. 

Also note that I did not apply mastic to areas of the wall that were beyond what I could manage at a single time. It wasn't much more work to apply it 1-2 tile lengths at a time.

Note that I used a level to ensure that the sheet of tile was straight before moving on to the next sheet.

I placed all of the full sheets straight up the left hand side.

Then I had to fill in the sides with tile from the remaining tile sheets. One by one.

See what is happening about 2/3 of the way in from the left at the bottom? A vertical line had formed between the full sheets of tile and all of the tile that I had to individually place in the inlay. Yes, I could have moved around the full sheets, except for that fact that it was too late. I did the full sheets one night, and began filling in the next night. The mastic was dry.

Here is what I think I should have done when laying out the sheets of tile (this is not drawn to scale; I actually got 5 full sheets from top to bottom). Something that I believe the fine gentleman employee at Home Depot may have been discreetly suggesting:

A few people didn't notice it until I mentioned it, but I feel like the left side is choppy with all the small tile, and the right side is choppy with the unintentional formation of a vertical line and similarly sized tile (my own fault for sticking so many of those in there) from top to bottom.

Once I applied the grout it of course looked more finished, though the line still sticks out like a sore thumb to me. So, let's just focus on the pretty colors, then, shall we? Yes, the pretty colors you will surely find at the beach--seaglass, seagrass, the ocean, and rocks rushed ashore with the tide. Very pretty.

The final step was to seal the tile and grout. I had some sealer on hand from the kitchen backsplash I installed at my first condo. All I did was fill up a plastic cup with some sealer, used a foam sponge with  wooden handle (these can be found at home improvement and craft stores for very little money) to apply the sealer and then went to town covering the entire surface. I waited about 20 minutes to let it soak into the grout and the marble tile, and then I gently wiped it off with some paper towels (particularly the glass tile). I let it dry for about two days before getting it wet (I used trash bags and tape to cover the area).

I'm not a pro by any stretch of the definition, so I really can't say that perfection was or is to be expected. I think in the grand scheme of things it came out quite nice, and I enjoy looking at it peeking through my window panels turned shower curtain panels every day. It lends itself to the beginnings of what I hope to be a modified spa-like experience.

So, how did I get this all done? Well, with a little help from family and several tools and products.

WHAT YOU NEED

Removing the tile (if any)

Hammer

Crow bar or chisel

Dremel with grout attachment (if you have it or want to make the investment--it's pretty handy)

Vacuum

Safety glasses

Gloves

Drop cloth/old sheet

Applying the tile

Appropriate amount of tile to fill desired space (plus extra--I had about 3 sq ft or 3 sheets extra)
Mastic trowel (width and spacing of teeth contingent upon size of tile--mine was very small)
Mastic
Putty knife (for applying mastic to individual tiles)
Tile cutter (hand held) or saw
Gloves
Safety goggles (particularly when cutting/sawing)
Drop cloth/old sheet
Level
Razor blade (should you need to cut sheets of tile)

Grouting the tile
Grout
Bucket to mix grout
Grout float
Gloves
1-2 sponges for cleaning tile surface after grouting
Drop cloth/old sheet

Sealing the tile
Sealer
Cup
Foam sponge or rag
Dry rag or paper towels

I rocked the goggles, but I did not rock the gloves. I shed a lot of blood that night. Little teeny tiny shards of glass can cause some serious skin lesions. Believe me when I say this. Not to mention the very odd sensation in my hands after a long period of contact with the grout. No bueno. So, do yourself a favor and wear the gear.

COST BREAKDOWN

I had a lot of things on hand including the grout, trowel, putty knife, sealer, goggles, tile cutter, foam sponge, bucket, and grout float. I only needed to purchase the tile and the mastic. I ended up using about 8 sheets of tile for a total of cost $56 and the mastic was $20. Not a bad price for such an impact!

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So, before I wrap up, let's take another peek at the final product using the ever-so-dramatic before and after.

Sadly, that contraption in the before picture was ultimately more of a hazard than a helper to me when entering and exiting the shower, so it was removed. I'm hopeful I won't need one of these bad boys for at least another 50 years.

If anyone else has done some tile work in their shower, please share some pictures. I'd love to see them! Also, if there is any feedback on how I could have better placed the tile, I am all ears.

-Kristin