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Tiling over formica

| Posted in Construction Techniques on February 1, 2004 06:49am

DW wants ceramic tile in our kitchen.  I suggested she call a tile contractor.  Problem is she started to call a buddy of mine, and I know he would take her money (my money!) just to poke fun at me.

The existing counter has an integral postformed backsplash and front edge.  I can apply hardiebacker to the front edge with no problem.  How do I deal with the backspalsh?  Can I run a rotozip along the joint and cut it loose?  Replacing the counter is not an option.

 

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell’em “Certainly, I can!”  Then get busy and find out how to do it.  T. Roosevelt

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  1. User avater
    JeffBuck | Feb 01, 2004 07:20am | #1

    Crain Jambsaw. Probably take longer to drive back and forth to the rental store than the actual cutting.

    Flush cut it off.

    Or ... a skillful hand and a sawzaw ...

    remember to skuff up the laminate before tiling.

    Jeff

    Buck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

         Artistry in Carpentry                

    1. User avater
      JeffBuck | Feb 01, 2004 07:22am | #2

      just reread the part about the backer ... skip the skuffing.

      I'd circular saw the front lip flat laying the saw at full depth on it's side.

      JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

           Artistry in Carpentry                

      1. FastEddie1 | Feb 01, 2004 04:50pm | #3

        saw the front lip flat  I don't follow you on this one.  Why take it off?

        Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!"  Then get busy and find out how to do it.  T. Roosevelt

        1. User avater
          JeffBuck | Feb 01, 2004 09:29pm | #4

          Post formed countertop, right?

          You have a built in basksplash with a cove at the bottom edge ...

          and ... a small "bump" at the front edge as it starts to bullnose ...

          the bump up is to make a water dam.

          You're now planning on laying flat tiles ... flat .... and instead of a rounded front edge ... making a square outside corner.

          So ... in order for the edge tiles that lay on the flat ... the first row of tiles on the countertop surface itself ... you have to get rid of that bump to make them lie flat.

          Unless you want them lifted up for the same water dam effect .. which I've never seen with tiles?

          JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

               Artistry in Carpentry                

          1. FastEddie1 | Feb 02, 2004 02:25am | #6

            Now I unnerstands.  But there is no raised bump at the front of my formica, so it didn't make sense at first.  Haven't I seen nosing tile that has a bump to keep the water back?

            Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!"  Then get busy and find out how to do it.  T. Roosevelt

          2. BobKovacs | Feb 02, 2004 03:25am | #7

            "Haven't I seen nosing tile that has a bump to keep the water back?"

            yes you have- it's called "V-cap" and it's pretty common with ceramic tops.  You can get it with or without the hump- the no-hump pieces can be used to tile down into a sink if you chose an undermount.

            Bob

      2. HeavyDuty | Feb 02, 2004 02:07am | #5

        I'd circular saw the front lip flat laying the saw at full depth on it's side.

        Wow, Jeff, you must be a master with your circular saw.

        For me I have to resort to my chain saw for a hack job. :)

        1. User avater
          JeffBuck | Feb 02, 2004 03:42am | #8

          I do lotsa stuff with the circular that I'd yell at anyone else working around me if they tried!

          Try to do the unsafe stuff as safe as possible ... which usually just takes a clean line of thought ... and holding on tight with both hands .... also trying to guess which way the saw's gonna jump should the unthinkable happen  ... all helps. Never been so much as knocked off a ladder by kickback. Still all the original fingers ... narry a power tool blade scratch on them ... utility blade ... that's another story.

          Back in trade school ... forget what we were cutting .... had the instructors stumped ... I said "I can cut that with the circular .. get me a new blade" ...

          I remember laying on my back ... and having to cut up and away from me ...

          Cut what they didn't think was possible .. safely ... and straight. growing up remodeling ... guess you learn to safely push the envelope. Dad always said .. just don't cut yer head off ... not that he'd mind losing a son .... but Mom wouldn't let him hear the end of it ....

          Someday I'll make a video.

          JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

               Artistry in Carpentry                

          1. HeavyDuty | Feb 02, 2004 06:51am | #11

            Utility blade, you say? That's what I shave with.

            Hmmm may be you cut you finger nail with your circular.

          2. Novy | Feb 02, 2004 10:29am | #13

            Jeff,

             Perfect post for me to reply to in my angst of the moment.........

            Been gearing up my main client with a wood carving shop & can't let go...... It is so hard to teach someone who doesn't know how to not cut your fingers off because they didn't  grow up with it ! Had him through the bandsaw today with no injury........ Have you ever said to someone that you really should not drive a skilsaw backwards ?On a hill by the harbour

          3. User avater
            JeffBuck | Feb 02, 2004 08:09pm | #14

            Have you ever said to someone that you really should not drive a skilsaw backwards ?

            Other people .. yeah ... me ... I do it all the time!

            Not for any real length of cut ... but when ya have to plunge cut something ... I like to plunge about a half inch or so ahead of the "perfect cut line" ... and back into it.

            Again ... knowing it could cut your body in half if and when she kicks back ... and preparing for that situation ... kaes for allthe difference in the world.

            Reminds me of way back in trade school ... big wood shop .... like a laid out HS shop class .... people and machines everywere ...

            The two idgits that were partnered together decide it's a good idea to run the tapered piece of a door extension jamb they had to cut ... so the taper would get pinned tight against the fence ...

            Well .. either the saw or the wood didn;t like that idea ....

            And a piece of wood ... tapering from 1/2 ro 3/4 ..... 7 ft long .... shot across the room ... and impailed itself THRU 3 of the 6 hollow core doors stacked against the wall!

            Woulda went thru a body real easy ......

            They had no clue what happened ... after getting yelled at ... and then explained to ... they tried to do the exact same thing!

            Jeff

            JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

                 Artistry in Carpentry                

          4. BobKovacs | Feb 02, 2004 10:23pm | #16

            Sounds like one of the geniuses in my HS woodshop class.  I watched as he set a board on the wrong end of the jointer, made a point of walking completely around to the other (correct) end of the machine to turn it on, slide the guard out of the way after it wouldn't letthe board in from the wrong end, and proceed to feed the board into the machine backwards.  It got about 1/4" into the blades before it shot up and nearly ripped his head off.

            He musta thought it was bad grain orientation or something, because he turned the board end for end and proceeded to try again as the shop teacher when screaming across the shop to stop him.....lol.

            Bob

  2. wrick2003 | Feb 02, 2004 04:32am | #9

         Just wondering here, how is all the trouble to adapt tile to an old PBLam C/T acceptable, when replacing the C/T is not an option?

          The Curious Carpenter     rg

    1. User avater
      JeffBuck | Feb 02, 2004 04:51am | #10

      The old Plam is one of the most stable substrates there is.

      Well worth the little effort.

      JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

           Artistry in Carpentry                

    2. FastEddie1 | Feb 02, 2004 06:58am | #12

      Why change the whole top?  The only difference is the 1/16" thickness of laminate so that's not an issue.  It's already in place, fastened to all the cabinets.  Taking off the backsplash isn't a big deal.

      Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!"  Then get busy and find out how to do it.  T. Roosevelt

  3. MelissaMay1 | Feb 02, 2004 10:02pm | #15

    Excuse me, but what's "DW" mean? I've been seeing this here at Breaktime, but had never seen it anywhere before.

    Ive figured out that it refers to the "female significant other" , but I can't figure out what the letters mean?

    Da Wife?

    Da Woman?

    or, if she's a complainer, Da Whiner?

    Dress Wearer?

    Dear Wife would be nice...but I doubt that's it...

    Duh! Why?

    Please, oh please, don't tell me it stands for Dish Washer... :)

    1. Novy | Feb 03, 2004 02:06am | #17

      Melissa,

      Dear wife is exactly what it meansOn a hill by the harbour

      1. User avater
        JeffBuck | Feb 03, 2004 02:10am | #18

        Of couse I call my wife "Dear" ...

        when she's the Dish Washer!

        JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

             Artistry in Carpentry                

        1. Novy | Feb 03, 2004 03:03am | #20

          *****Don't tell Melissa it actually means dead wong*****On a hill by the harbour

          1. User avater
            JeffBuck | Feb 03, 2004 03:04am | #21

            That too!

            JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

                 Artistry in Carpentry                

          2. Novy | Feb 03, 2004 03:21am | #23

            Hey !

            I finally lost that stupid 7 !!!!!On a hill by the harbour

          3. User avater
            Sphere | Feb 03, 2004 03:33am | #25

            where'd it go?...7th heaven?

            Go Stab yourself Ya Putz! Ya think I Parked here?

          4. Novy | Feb 03, 2004 03:35am | #27

            No I am just a total luddite and it took me 5 years of Prospero to figure it out

            On a hill by the harbour

      2. UncleDunc | Feb 03, 2004 03:31am | #24

        Or darling wife if the message is particularly saccharine.

        You have to be careful, though, because in this forum it can also mean drywall or dishwasher.

        Edited 2/2/2004 7:32:13 PM ET by Uncle Dunc

        1. User avater
          Sphere | Feb 03, 2004 03:34am | #26

          or Drain waste..if she really pizzed ya off...like backing the car into the house..sideways.

          Go Stab yourself Ya Putz! Ya think I Parked here?

        2. HeavyDuty | Feb 03, 2004 05:48am | #28

          Drywall... hmm... nice... smooth... but FLAT?

    2. User avater
      Sphere | Feb 03, 2004 02:12am | #19

      DW= DeWalt...we love her as much as our tools...wait that didn't come out right..as much as ....oh, you get it.

      Go Stab yourself Ya Putz! Ya think I Parked here?

    3. stonefever | Feb 03, 2004 03:10am | #22

      Never anything other than "Dear Wife."  Maybe Queen.  Nothing less.

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