There was a cautious homeowner in Marietta, GA so, I became their new Tile contractor.
I started out this tile laundry room floor in Marietta, GA as an afterthought —for a cautious homeowner who “lost” her previous contractor.
You may have had that happen??
A tile contractor retires, moves, you “LOST” your contractor.
So, with big shoes to fill I took on this laundry room tile floor with a belief that I could solve a problem for my homeowner.
So, I worked to become THE NEW TILE CONTRACTOR:
Hi, I’m Anthony from Atlanta Tile Artisans.
First step, always on my projects—I’m going to strive to protect the home from dust, debris, injury to myself and the safety of the homeowners and their pets. (can’t forget Fido!)
The demolition was, as you’d expect, dusty and difficult but you’ll be surprised to know —I pulled through. Working to be the replacement contractor puts a man under PRESSURE.
Demo neat, prepped and ready to go off site.
When you do a demo, you often have no idea what you’ll find underneath…in this case we found PARTICLE BOARD. A real no-no.
So, we removed it and replaced it with ¾’ plywood, GLUED AND SCREWED.
With tile the MOST CRITICAL part is the strength of what’s underneath the tile.
Part of what made me so confident in becoming THE NEW TILE CONTRACTOR for this homeowner was that I’ve always built things SOLID—so my homeowners have a lasting laundry room floor.
Big part of flooring is preparing the substrate.
“PREP” —it’s contractor jargon.
The SUBSTRATE is what is UNDER the tile.
Another layer of plywood—SEALED around the perimeter (with foam) and all holes filled as well—because the next step…
LEVELING POUR:
This stuff runs like water, so EVERYTHING in the room should be sealed up. I used a product called Ardex Liquid Backerboard.
It’s a fantastic, time-tested, method for FLATTENING AND LEVELING flooring.
Once the floor is leveled, I put down a product called an anti fracture membrane. (link) It ensures a lasting tile installation because it re directs the force of a moving house.
Expansion and contraction: Expansion is the increase in the size of an object on heating. Contraction is the decrease in the size of an object on cooling.
The membrane is to prevent tile cracking when a wood house moves because of heating and cooling.
This homeowner chose a 13×13 porcelain tile for their laundry room remodel.
This is a tried and true, reliable flooring finish.
The importance with tile is it’s proper install and I have been installing tile, according to the book (TCNA LINK) for 20 years.
I’ve seen this project before, which gives me an authority when I work. It’s so many details and memorized movements—this type of project is right up my alley.
We grouted the spaces between the tile with a grout that has a built in sealer, that makes cleaning a lot easier.
The project was buttoned up in about 5 days and the big reveal, the big moment.
Standing side by side with my homeowners, we looked upon the new flooring from the doorway.
In that moment—- I knew…
That I was the NEW TILE CONTRACTOR
The testimonial was one of happiness that I protected their home as if it were my own; they appreciated my attention to detail, my craftsmanship and knowing that my character ensures I will stand behind my work.
Thanks to my homeowners, thanks to anyone who observes this post, I’m Anthony and i would like to earn your business as a tile contractor. If you live in Marietta, GA- give me a call—770-568-2824