To tile or not to tile, that is the Q.
You walk into a sh-t hole VFW galley kitchen. The walls have been stipped to the studs and sheathed with GP Blue Ribbon OSB the day before. The 4×4 tile is sitting on the floor and the mastic is there also . 340 sq/ft of wall awaits you………..and at the end is $4000.00.
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Almost irresistible. Any chance you could make a decent job of it?
The tile mechanic walked in Monday morning, looked at it and said, I want hardebacker or 1/4" drywall over it. This kid is a total primadonna. I've had 2 run-ins with him in the past, one he MF'd a very religious cultured marble installer for walking on his tile that was set 3 days before. I had just left the job. The second was he walked into a new house in January with 12" snow on the ground and 5 degrees outside, and whined that the temp. in the house was only 60 degrees. Mind you, he is wearing shorts, that's all he ever wears.....ever. That time, I just blew him off and told him to grow up and start wearing pants like the rest of the big boys, in front of everyone.
So Monday, I said "Ok scuba Steve, of the scuba squad" (he dives, and brags about it constantly) then said "see you tomoorrow".
Sent one back to the shop for the wet saw, and proceeded to tile the thing ourselves. One wall was 9'7" tall by 35', 3 outlets one door. Then 2 walls 9'7" by 11', clean, no cuts. We were supposed to start another job and had no time for this, but my blood boiled, and I made a call to delay one day. It took 3 guys, 5 hours. Grouting should take another 3.
So Tuesday he walks in and the job is done. He throws a fit and starts on one of the crew that we just f-ed his schedule and cost him a few days. I walked over and told him "gave the money to the crew that did the job.....3 strikes and you're done with me, FOREVER."
I'm expecting a call from his boss today......he he he he.
I dunno......with mastic and osb.......that kitchen might just last 50 yrs instead of 100 with cement board and thinset! Not like it's a shower floor. Jeff She's exotic ,but not foreign, like an old Cadillac......she's a knockout!
What I would have liked, was the commander of the VFW to have been there, he's and OLD tile guy, and he called the shots on the OSB substrate, and he pays the bill. He and a few of the more senior officers of the place could have taught the young sh-t a lesson.
I think he had a rough weekend, partied out and was looking for an excuse not to work monday. Now he got the whole week off with the holiday and all....and this ,the only job ready to go this week. Bummer.
The substrate blows, and the tile hero made a call. Any of us here might have walked off that job.
On the other hand, I wouldn't mind one job like that every week. Let's see, 200k per year and the only danger is someone might say I sux? Think about it, I make 200k per year. Work 2 days a week. Can you imagine what a know it all prima dona I would be after a few months?
I would be unbearable. I might not only wear shorts, but maybe wear one of those foil hats to keep the bad vibes out. Yep, and fix the hat up with those mirrors so I could always tell if I was coming or going.
The young ones have been brainwashed into thinking that every WALL tile must be layed on durock , hardebacker, or the equiv. They weren't even born until these things were invented. I've torn tile off 1x sheathing in kitchens. It never fell off, I had to wreck it off. Modern materials have been very good for the industry, but it has also wrecked the minds of some. They hide behind the shield of "the quality, right way to do it". Like a young military guy coming into the VFW with his M-16 and scope......and the old geezer with a bolt action and a bayonet. They've lost their dogfighting skills.
The commander wanted me to wait till the next day to start, have the kid come in as I was tiling, and be putting a dab of construction adhesive from a quart tube on the back of every tile....he said " give that little snot nosed f-ck something to talk about for years" I should have.
Jeff said it...it might only last 50 years. But I pity the SOB that has to take it off. Cause they will have to tear that wall down to get the 8d galv. ring shanks to let loose.
Edited 7/4/2002 7:26:38 AM ET by Keith C
I would worry about cracking along the seams of the osb, but that might never be a problem. Providing the osb remains stable, and you have no bar room brawls, it should be fine.
Funny you mention construction adhesive. I was watching one of those shows where they re-do a room in two days, and they pulled up the carpet and installed tiles right to the subfloor with construction adhesive. Just a few dabs from a caulking gun, start along one wall, and go. See, we're doing it all wrong.
Keith,
It was a judgement call and he made the wrong judgement. You taught him a lesson. Question now is will he learn from it? I'm agreeing with you on this one but what I wanna know - is there any jobs where you don't use OSB?
Excellence is its own reward!
I really did hate the crap, at least the old stuff. Now GP has one called Blue Ribbon, been out a few years. It's about 50% heavier(which I'm not wild about) but it is very nice, sheds water better than tar paper, and doesn't swell as far as I know. I'm starting to like it better than plywood and at $4.89/sht it's the sh-t right now.
My call was plywood on this job, but I listened to the Commander, and he like the rough side of OSB....said it had more "bite". He writes the checks, he was at Utah Beach...he gets what he wants as far as I'm concerned.
Edited 7/4/2002 8:27:20 PM ET by Keith C
IMHO walls are different then floors to tile...You could get away with almost any substrate on walls unlike floors. Sounds to me like that kid was a serious primadonna. HArdi back? We don't need no stinking Hardi back.....Give me some glue and a trowel and I'll put several square up an hour perfectly. Spacers? ROFLOOOOO....whats yer problem.....spacers? LOL.....we aint talkin union now are we? I know I know..no one said spacers but I could hear it in the back of my head...Snap cutter and my wet saw and my tunes...no complaining or whinning here....unless I don't have my tunes of course....sorry......I'm a baby (at 51)
Be well
Namaste'
Andy
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