That is what I thought. Everything was going good until we mixed the thinset. We mixed the thinset as per the instruction on the thinset. I wish I had read the ditra instructions where it stated on bag can be used to cover 150-200 sq ft of ditra to subfloor and one bag to bond 50 sq ft of tile to the ditra. Obviously we mixed it too thick and then the thinset went on this as well. My wife did add more liquid as we were realizing that it was too thick. We are just going to go forward with installing the tile on the ditra. It looks good and I know that when I was applying the ditra the thinset was getting decent coverage. We did set 16 tiles on Sunday and I walked on them yesterday and they seem very well fixed in place. No movement at all. How level do the tiles need to be under the vanity? This is a 48 inch vanity with 4 legs. I know it would be best to make sure it is level. The subfloor was leveled out prior to installing with some shingles and tar paper but all is still not perfect and I am not the best at adding/removing thinset to make each tile level with the surrounding ones. It is coming out good but nothing is perfect. OH...if things crack...we were planning on renovating the kitchen in three years so we will redo the floor and vanity at that time. Hopefully it wont crack but not the end of the world...we are only talking about 50 sq ft of tile. Thanks, Steve

How does one accomodate the smaller size of the Motawi tile in the design? If I'm understanding you correctly, you'll just have a wider joint around the decos, and that would get grouted. And how do I figure out exactly what size the niche should be framed out at to ensure that there will be no cuts needed at the sides and top (other than what's needed for the pattern). Lay some of the tiles out dry on your table. Herring bone isn't that hard to lay out. You're basically laying out steps with one row of steps laying horizontally, and the next laying vertically. Look at a herringbone design. You'll see what I mean, and once you see it in that light, it's not quite so complicated any more.

the Emser website says it has a water absorbtion rate of 3.75%!!! The picture on their website shows the tile installed in a bathroom with a shower tho and, when we picked it, I figured if Emser's website showed it being used in a shower, it must be okay to use that way. So, maybe the website is supposed to say 0.375%? It's GOT to be a typo. I've yet to ever run across a porcelain with that high an absorbsion rate. Even the .375% would be extremely high for porcelain. Most of them are closer to .02- .03%. Next, could some of you kindly tell me - in baby-talk terms please - just what I need to specify with respect to getting my showers built correctly so that they don't leak? And then, what should I watch out for to make sure that whoever I hire is doing the job the way it is supposed to be done. I don't have the time, energy, or money for another law suit if my showers start leaking and my tile guy won't or can't fix them! THere's a link below with the most detailed instructions I've yet to see on the subject. I had hoped to use the 16" tiles on the floor (except for inside the shower where I figured we would use a smaller mosaic). I am willing to use the 12" tiles instead tho if they will be less prone to cracking. 16" should be fine. Okay. As far as the Kerdi system is concerned, that certainly is a consideration, and yes, it CAN be used for off shaped showers. You just need to build the pan out of mud, rather than using the styrofoam base piece. (I've built more Kerdi showers than I can count at thi point, and I've yet to use those foam bases even once yet.) As for cost, it might be a bit higher, being that the waterproofing has to continue up the walls with the Kerdi, and the drain by itself is about 100.00 or more, but it doesn't necessarily have to be Kerdi to be a good shower pan. Here is a link that might be useful: Harry Dunbar's shower pan install instructions

It used to be that 1/16th was called out for rectified tiles. With the new specs for manufacturing, you start getting more variations in tile size. Even in rectified, believe it or not. The new installation recommendation, which has actually been around for a few years, is to have the grout line 3-times the size of the variation within the tiles. This usually comes down to an 1/8th inch grout line. Lippage can also be an issue based on the pattern. A stacked pattern might not show lippage whereas a running bond could. The larger the tile, the more chance you have of lippage with offset patterns. That's all due to the tiles not being perfectly flat. A slight warp, pillow, or pringing (like the pringles potato chip). The grout needs depth. Otherwise it'll just pop out. So a 1/32nd gap with a beveled edge, you may not have durability, because the installer may not pack the joint (if there even is an actual joint) with grout. So: Not to dump on the guy who plans on going 1/32nd...but I'd nix that. Someone who tells me they're going with 1/32nd, I think they're just going to lightly butt the tiles together and get whatever grout penetration they can. And it'll likely be nothing more than topical grout with very little actually packing whatever gap there would be between the tiles. With the new specs, 1/8th inch is the new standard. You could still go 1/16th if the tiles and pattern allow for it, the installer is comfortable with it, and it's called out in the specs...but I'd not advocate going less.