Cheap version of victorian encaustic tile w/ wet saw--crazy?

15 years ago

I live in an 1880's Victorian that needs everything. I really love the victorian geometric floor tiles at tile-source.com, but at $20/sq.ft., I just can't do it. (Four bathrooms and a conservatory/mud room area will be tiled.) I could go with other options in the bathrooms, such as hex mosaic, but for the conservatory at least, I want this look. So, about 150 sq.ft.

What I am thinking of doing is using the american olean quarry tiles, which come square-edged and in colors similar to the tile source patterns I love, and cutting them down into squares and triangles to compose the pattern. The AO tiles come 6"x6", and none of the pieces I need for the patterns are more than 6" in any dimension. I figure if I set up jigs and cut for an hour every morning, eventually I'll have what I need.

Or, am I out of my freakin' mind? Has looking at all the gorgeous gardenweb tile eye candy corrupted my reason?

More specifically, if I get a good saw, will I get clean cuts and decent results? I seem to remember Bill V recommending cutting down 12x12 carrara into 3x6 subways for someone on a budget, and I would think that quarry cuts at least as easily as carrara. Otoh, I am concerned about how well the points of the triangles will come out; will I get a lot of breaks (and heartbreaks!).

Here is a picture of the quarry tile I think I can use:

http://americanolean.com/series.cfm?series=33

Here is a picture of the floor I like. It is the entryway on page 8 of the brochure:

http://www.tile-source.com/images/Tile%20Source%20Brochure%20B.pdf

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Comments (8)

MongoCT
15 years ago
I pity the fool!

Only because I'm in the "been there done that" crowd.

It sounds like you've through this through, I've done it pretty much the way you described.

Jigs and a solid saw are a necessity to get repeatable cuts. I'd recommend a Felker TM-150 and a diamond blade matched to what you'll be cutting...stone or porcelain...though blades can easily do both. My all-purpose blade is a TM-7. About $500 for the saw, less on eBay, and when you're done you can resell it on eBay.

The wet saws that look like angle grinders on an arm tend to flex with repeated cutting, I recommend avoiding those.

I made jigs for each pattern to be cut, the jig holds the tile and it was screwed to the sliding table on my wet saw. Then you can doze off as you make cut after cut, and the jig, which has a "zero clearance" base on it, fully supports the tile as it is cut, so pointed cut come out crisp.

Mongo
MongoCT
15 years ago
Should have been Felker FTS-150.
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mahatmacat1
15 years ago
I'm a huge veteran/fan of labor-intensive tile projects, but even for me that's a *lot* of cuts that aren't just 90s to get perfectly even...cutting 100 big rectangles into small rectangles isn't that hard, but cutting 100 60 deg. angles is significantly more of a challenge to get perfect and not just off enough to be endlessly irritating.

If you choose to do it, more power to you, can't wait to see it...it gets to the point where you have to say "is this really what I want to spend *this* much of my life energy on?" as opposed to, say, being with your kids or whatever else. In the end, it will be a tiled bathroom...but who am I to talk, given the silliness I've engaged in (one project of which has left me with permanent tendon damage in my right hand, btw...)
MongoCT
15 years ago
"I'm a huge veteran/fan of labor-intensive tile projects..."

Like repointing chimneys? Having to do that would hurt even me.

pointedly,

Mongo
bill_vincent
15 years ago
Or, am I out of my freakin' mind?

Not at all. Matter of fact, go over to John Bridge's forum, and look up in the member list a woman named Colleen that goes by the name in the forum "ninemile". She made a business of doing exactly what you're comtemplating. It's a terrific idea! :-)
mahatmacat1
15 years ago
Cool, bill -- quite the career change. I admire her courage and energy.

If you have the energy and time and physical stamina, slateberry, why not go for it :)

(and mongo, are you serious about repointing being a problem for *you*? I can't imagine it...a PITA, I guess, is that what you mean? Because I know you *could* do it. I am having some masonry guys come over tonight for an estimate, and still debating with myself whether I should fork over the $$ and spend the time on better things or whether I should just do it myself despite the potential PITAness)

Here is a link that might be useful: a bio (no pics, though)
slateberry
Original Author
15 years ago
Wow, more feedback than I hoped for! Thank you all. Mongo, I'm really glad I asked BEFORE I bought a saw. $500--gasp, but I like your resale idea. Bill, thanks for putting me on to Colleen's work--if somebody is doing it commercially, that tells me that there's a *chance* my results will look good (as opposed to some things, which no matter how well implemented, look hokey). Flyleft, good point. I swear some heavy gardening I did a couple of years ago initiated my first (and hopefully last) case of plantar fascitis (sp?), which oddly enough dissappeared for good the night I stayed up all night, on my feet on a concrete floor, packing up our basement. Miracle cure? I don't recommend it. But I digress...In any case, I think if I can make a quilt, which I have, I can find the time for this project. Thank you, thank you for the input!

Now I gotta go find out where Colleen gets her tile...it looked really good. Here is a link to a floor she did. Love it love it love it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Scroll down to see Colleen's work
bill_vincent
15 years ago
You ain't seen NUTTIN!! If you have the time to dig, you'll find a few more that make that one look like kids play! As for contacting her, you can go to that same thread, go to one of her posts, and click on her name. It'll bring out a drop down list which shows the option to email her thru John's site. Tell her I sent you.

Cheap version of victorian encaustic tile w/ wet saw--crazy?

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Cheap version of victorian encaustic tile w/ wet saw--crazy?

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