I don't know about the wicking problem, but normally, we'll set the cement board just above the flange and then fill the resultant gap with either thinset or caulking just so that the flange won't kick the bottom of the cement board out. As for the hex tile (and unless you have something I haven't seen yet, it may be porcelain, but I doubt very much it's rectified-- I've yet to see rectified mosaics. They'd cost a fortune!) it should only add about 3/16"- 1/4" (with thinset) to the floor to set it over the tile you have now.

Thanks for letting me know, but we've just finished picking out our tile. We met with the tile installer, and he told us that if we went with any tiles from Home Depot or Lowes that he would charge an extra $1.00 per square foot for installation. So we ended up going back to the dealer we went to originally and dealt with someone else. Here's the tile we picked: For the master bath floor: Ragno Riverstone Fuerte For the master bath shower: Daltile Goldrush Klondike White I was all set to go with the Daltile RD-06, but then I saw the Ragno Riverstone. We both really liked the look (and it was only .50 more than our budget). Thanks again everyone for your help!

If the installation is only a few days old, additional grout can be added over the existing. If the existing grout has cured well, and you're only adding a thin veneer of grout (thinner than the joint is wide), it's somewhat risky in that if you don't get a good bond, the new grout can flake. If the grout is well cured or if you want to increase your odds, the existing grout can be taken down a bit. A grout saw powered by elbow grease, a cutting wheel or a diamond bit on a dremel, or a cutting wheel or angle grinder...your 1/8th inch widths make this difficult. The most laborious, but the least likely to damage the tiles, would be a hand held, elbow grease powered grout saw. Take the grout down a bit, best bet it to make the joints as deep as the joints are wide. 1/8th to 3/16ths inch deep. Add new grout, this time the installer shouldn't be so aggressive in cleaning the joints. A light touch going 45-degrees across the joints is all that's needed. It'll clean the tile yet leave the joints fully packed. Pits in a cut edge can be painted, an epoxy paint works best in my opinion. If the grout is a color similar to the tile, the pits can be filled with grout and they will blend. If the grout is a contrasting color, grout-filled pits will stand out like a sore thumb, accentuating the raggedy edge. Sealers will not build adequate mil thickness, as most are penetrating and not surface sealers, so they won't fill the grout joints. Sealers really can't be colored, as they are usually transparent and don't create an opaque film buildup on the grout surface. They can be tinted, but it's a transparent coloration, not a solid body type of color. Most sealers are colorless, but there are grout colorants (Aquamix being my favorite) that is a colorant and sealer. If you wanted to go that route I'd get in touch with Aquamix's tech department. You might be able to get some thickness build out of the product with one or multiple applications, it might be able to fill the grout joints and cover your exposed tile edges. I'm not certain though as I've never used it in that manner. But it is an excellent colorant. Do be aware that the Aquamix grout colorant is an epoxy-type film, it sits on the surface of the grout. Best bet is to regrout and to not overwork the joints when cleaning. That will give you your original grout/tile look, preserving the original design. All that being said...rectified tile usually has a perfect 90-degree edge, so if you're already seeing the tile body color on the edges, the grout joints might already be 1/8" shy of the tile face. In that case you should be able to just add new grout over the existing without having to do any joint preparation. My opinions... Mongo

I assume that you mean before the tile is permanently set in place, not when (or if) there is a dry run so to speak to see how the pattern will fit into the space(?) Correct. Would an experienced professional even need to lay out the tiles ahead of time or would they typically proceed directly from prep to installation? Yes and no. Some WILL actually lay them out dry. I've got my own thoughts on that, but however they do it, so long as they show some kind of forethought instead of just finding a corner and starting, they're ahead of the game. What I'll normally do is take several tiles and measure to see what the coursing (one grout joint and one tile) measures. I'll then make a cheat sheet of coursing that comes out somewhere around 2 feet (whether that be 4 6x6, 2 12x12, etc), and then I'll measure around the area, to see how the tile is going to fall. it's from there that I'll decide if I can center the layout, or if there might be a better way, taking into consideration how the tile will hit several different surfaces, and which ones are most obvious in the room. (did you get all that? LOL) With an agreed upon layout in hand, would most experienced installers be able to anticipate potential issues around niches and other elements that could require partial tiles so that you could have a discussion ahead of time as to how they would be handled? before the very first tile gets set, a good installer will know exactly how the tile is going to hit any obstruction in the layout. In fact, I'll grid out the area with chalk lines, and then all my cuts will be made before I set the first piece of tile. but even before the cutting starts, I'll know how big all my cuts will be. Just curious... Do you find that it's best if the homeowner stay available or stay away while you're completing your work? Doesn't matter to me either way. I'd prefer that the customer be available in case of questions that come up, but if they'd like to watch (and I HAVE had several that did) the whole time, they're most welcome to watch. I LOVE playing to an audience!! That's when they see that all this stuff doesn't exactly happen just by "luck"! I know alot of installers who'd rather the customer weren't around, though-- too many questions. Funny thing is, I welcome the questions. To me, the internet has given us the one thing this industry has really needed-- an educated consumer. Not so many fly by nights getting away with their BS any more. And Bill G-- yes-- that's just the labor cost. the retail is MUCH more. Based on 12x12 tyile, a 25 pound bag of grout should grout about 150 sq. feet, for about 15.00- 25.00, depending on the grout. For epoxy, a unit will do about 75 sq. feet, for about 80.00.