This picture made it into a magazine…

I’m really not sure how, because I would have torn this shower out completely. Take a close look at the grout lines, and notice the size of the tiles.

There is no dependable (and reasonable) way to get a smooth cut on glass tile every time. If you plan to use glass tile, it’s ultra important to lay out your work exactly before you start so that it works out to exact measurements with no cuts at all.

Move a whole wall if you have to to avoid having cuts in your glass tile installation. It’s usually not a big deal to add a layer of cement board to a shower wall to get it to work out.

Tile backer boards such as “durock” or hardi-board come in a wide variety of thicknesses. Combining them can usually make the measurements right.

A glass tile job (I’m talking evenly shaped tiles like above) will look infinitely better if you follow this advice.

Believe me, I learned the hard way.

As usual.

Hi Tim,

I have a tile question for you if you have time? I’m thinking of using a recycled glass tile company out of Seattle that has these circles of glass to tile my bathroom floor with.

What do you think? Would this be durable and would it be high maintenance?

Thanks,

Tina

—————————

Hi Tina,

I’m a huge fan of glass tile! (speaking of huge fans, here is a funny cartoon)

I wrote a post last year about glass tile becoming more affordable.

But, I’m not so sure I would use it for a floor. I’ve seen photos of this, and even the company you mentioned had pictures on the website of it done on a floor.

I don’t think general maintenance is a problem but I do know that it cracks more easily, by far, than other forms of tile. On a wall, not a big deal, but on a floor where you’ll be walking and things could get dropped, it is a big deal. Two reasons:

1. Glass shards are more likely to cut you! – not much to expound on here.
2. No replacing one tile – with most other forms of tile, it is relatively simple to get one piece out and replace it if it gets broken. With glass tile this is very difficult. Not impossible, but really hard to do. The tile is so easily broken, that when you’re gently tapping away at the piece you want out, the next peice cracks! It’s a snowball effect and you can end up replacing a whole, entire, giant bathroom full. (not that I would know anything about that)

Sorry, but I wouldn’t recommend glass tile for a floor.

Open to discussion in the comments!

Photo above: Bedrock Industries, Seattle

Are you looking to spruce up your bathroom? Personally, I think it’s one of the best places to start remodeling. Let’s see how many ideas we can get from one picture! Here is the picture:

Nice Huh?

Well, I say you don’t have to do ALL of this to rock your bathroom into a new realm of spa-at-home bliss! Just start small and do one thing at a time.

Try these in no particular order:

1.

Frame the mirror!

You can either buy a framed mirror and hang it up, or you can frame the mirror you already have! Everybody is all into black right now, right? How about this: just make the mirror frame black. It works in this picture, maybe it can work for you!

2.

Get new light fixtures!

This makes a huge, ginormous difference with very little effort. You can watch a hundred videos online on how to do this and then you can totally DO-IT-YOURSELF!

3.

Get some new hardware!

Not only is this easy, but shopping for bath hardware is, like, totally fun.

4.

Paint!

I don’t think a single remodeling project can compete with paint for the proverbial “bang for your buck”. So paint! I really like a marked contrast between the trim and the walls, even if the colors remain soft, like this.

5.

Install Some Bead-Board!

Paint and fixtures not enough? Want to get into some woodwork? Then we think alike, you and I. I’m totally into the woodwork in this bathroom! How about doing some wainscot paneling like this picture shows! or…

6.

Trim the door!

How hot is this door trim? This job has all the bells and whistles. At the base of the casing you can see the “plinth blocks”. And the top of this doorway is done beautifully! I say copy it exactly! and then…

7.

Install some crown!

One of the most common things I’ve heard over the years of construction, even after doing hundreds of thousands of dollars in work, are:

“I can’t belive what a difference the crown molding made.”

8.

Tile the floor!

This picture shows about as simple of a tile project as you can find. But look at it… it looks great! Tile is as much about color and texture as it is about material, feel, and pattern. Sometimes you can get a great look with sale pile, El Cheapo, tile. Go for it!

9.

Get a Rockin’ Vanity!

Many people would be totally shocked at how inexpensively things like this can be found online! I’ve seen vanities just like this one with the stone top and all for $500.00 or so. I often wonder how they do it! One thing is for sure, this looks great. Especially in this particular bath!

But if you can only do one thing…

10.

Get a new faucet!

It’s simple, it’s cheap, it’s effective, it’s REMODELING!!!

And it is certainly a start!

When you do this, make sure you take pictures, write a post, and bring your post back here on May 1st for the Remodeling Guy Round-Up!

If you’re interested in these projects, you should use that internal search box up at the top of the first sidebar, just to the left of the little green guy with the bullhorn! There is much more here about most of these projects.

I sure hope you go for it! The bathroom is the first place most people go in the morning It should be a nice place to go, don’t you think?

Looking For A Wow?

I have a few today; here is the first:

Is this amazing or what? Glass tiles are a wonderful material and they’re truly one of my personal favorites. As you can see in the picture above, glass opens up new ways to be creative. And glass tiles are often very colorful.

Not Just For Millionaires

Glass tile used to be really very costly, and much of it still is. But, you can find good glass tiles now for $5.00 – $10.00 per square foot. I know that’s still quite a bit, but this stuff is like Godiva chocolates, you don’t need to pig out to get some enjoyment!

One of the things I talk about often and really intend to focus on quite a bit is how to create an environment. I also talk about how to do more with less, especially in the current economy. Glass helps with that.

Glass Inspires a Feeling of Luxury

Even in small amounts glass tile can make you feel like you’re in an upscale resort! That’s what kind of environment I want to create! Don’t you? Look at this:

There is probably 150 square feet of glass in this bathroom, counting the shower, the counter, and the cool wrap around the mirror. If the cost was $3.00 per foot more than an alternative tile, you’re looking at $450.00 more in materials. Maybe less than that because glass tile usually does not need bullnose tiles at the edge, which can add substantially to the cost of a “normal” tile job. I think it’s worth the $$.

Just Do a Detail

Maybe you don’t want to rip out the whole shower! No problem, pick a small detail and try your luck with that.

This is a great way to start if you’re a part of our D.I.Y. Crew! Check out the tile around the mirror. Doesn’t that add some pizzazz! (not to change the subject, but now I want a pizza… I should have said it added flair!)

Anyway, back on point. A small job like this can be done in a total of maybe ten hours work max. Four or five on one day and a few on the next to grout it. Way cool!

You can apply a small amount of this directly on top of your drywall. You probably want to paint it with bonding primer first though.

Check with the tile supplier to make sure you’re using an adhesive that works well with glass tiles. Remember that the glass is transparent, so you want to keep the color of your setting material in mind. Don’t just grab the gray thin-set!

You Need Some Basic Tools

A notched trowel, some spacers, and good setting material are about all you need for a simple job like a mirror surround.

One thing to keep in mind is that glass is hard to cut, and REALLY hard to cut nicely. That’s why professional installation on this stuff can get pricy. You’re better off working out a layout that avoids cuts if you can.

Go Nuts with Color!

Glass is great about color. There are thousands of colors and the sheen of the glass makes them very vibrant.

Mix it In

One of my favorite tricks is to mix a few colored glass tiles in with either an all one color glass tile job, or into another material.

Like concrete! We’ll get into concrete counters and tables in the future, but just think about how a few small pieces of colored glass set into a concrete counter would look!

Nice color in this floor!

Make A Splash!

Glass tile makes a great wall splash!

How Creative Are You?

If you really want to get creative, this is the material for you. Maybe you want to make some waves:

The Grand Finale!

Look at this work of art:

WOW!

You can do this! It may take you a few weeks of nights, but wouldn’t it be worth it? You can draw out the pattern on the wall with a pencil to help guide you. Usually a job like this is set one tile at a time. If you look closely, you can see that this artist has used slices of natural stone, like geodes, in the pattern. Cool. And this is a wet bar, so more glasses!

How Cool is THAT!?