Before this job, I had never installed 12-in. sq. by 3/8-in. thick tiles over my head. The marble-slab installers had done the walls of the tub/shower surround and preferred not to do a slab on the ceiling (now I know why). They provided the tiles, and I proceeded to bed them in thinset and squeeze them to the concrete board above my head, just as I had easily done with 4×4 ceramic tiles. I had three of them in place when I turned my back and felt a tile whiz past my ear and shatter on the edge of the tub. At that point, I realized, “This technique doesn’t work,” and I removed the remaining two tiles from the ceiling. I went home to rethink the situation.
I called a colleague, a highly skilled tile installer to whom I actually offered the job, to see if he could fit it into his schedule. He was still too busy, but he gave me the advice I needed to get the job done. He said, “You’ve got to brace the tiles from below til they set.”
As a result, I built the 2×4 frame shown in the drawing. It nearly reaches the ceiling, with about 1/2-in. clearance between the thickness of a tile and the top of the frame. A carpenter working with me cut about 100 shims, and we went to work piecing together the puzzle. It went this way: Trowel thinset on a tile, slide it above the frame, and shim it in place. Two days later, I removed the frame, and the tiles stayed put.
Bill Phillips, Durham, NC
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We hope you've got good liability insurance for when one of those tiles drops from the steam and condensation problems of a bathroom setting. Placing tiny 4-inch tiles above head is not a good idea; but 12-inch marble can be deadly. The Lord was giving you a good warning when He allowed that tile to drop. We wish you had heeded His warning. Since you have already placed the tile, perhaps you should have the homeowner sign a legal release from liability.
I Have to Agree with Lightweightladylefty since Maybe You will be Liable IF Someone gets Hurt because YOU "Didn't" take "Advice from" a Falling Tile.
Maybe You should Contact this Customer and Replace YOUR Ceiling of that Shower before a "Falling" Tile Doesn't "Just MISS" Someone Else's Head?
This tip is from issue #141, published in 2001. The person who submitted the "tip" is still listed as in construction, anyone want to call and see if he ever got a call-back after 18 years?