Grand Finishes for Tile: Home Installation Projects 101 [Paperback]

Matt Nikitas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2001

Put in your own tile?!

Now there is no reason why you can't do it... and enjoy it!

Home improvement guru Matt Nikitas returns! In the third installment of the Grand Finishes series, he'll help guide the beginner, as well as the expert, through the world of tile setting--with clarify and humor!

First he takes you through the necessary preparations and answers the questiosn: Do I need to install an underlayment? Or can I tile right over this surface now? You'll know how to ensure a lasting tile job by understanding how professionals plan out their jobs and follow through to the grouting and caulking of the expansion joints.

With his trademark style--relaxed demeanor, patience, and thorough execution--Matt takes away the mystique that surrounds tiling, sharing the history of the art along with his own on-the-job experiences.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Nikitas, author of several excellent titles on finishing techniques, has produced a helpful introduction to tile installation. Written in a readable style, this title provides a variety of information about tools, selecting tile, designing, installation (including area-specific instructions for floors, walls, and counters), and maintenance. Short sidebars ("The Voice of Experience") offer numerous tricks of the trade; they are a nice touch found in all of Nikitas's titles. This excellent and accessible introduction is recommended for all public library DIY collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Matt shows us how we can achieve a million-dollar decorating appearance on a thrifty and realistic budget. He has great ideas that are clear and easy to follow, and worth every penny." --Ernie Anastos, News Anchor, CBS-TV, New York

"Rainy day or not, Matt shows you that you can do these household projects yourself...even if you thought your skills were all wet." --Bryon Norcross, Meterologist, CBS-TV, Miami

"This is an excellent introduction to a popular subject and will work well in most home improvement libraries." --Library Journal

"Matt's Grand Finishes for Carpentry gives even first-time carpenters confidence to do it themselves...and provides answers to any questions that come up along the way." --Susan Powell, host of the Discovery Channel's Home Matters

"Nikita's how-to books are a great way for homeowners to save money." --Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist, The Washington Post

"Instructions are friendly..Nikitas's firm and gentle personality comes across. [His] sidebars, called 'The Voice of Experience' are useful hints in the form of cautionary tales narrated with a cheerful nonchalance." --Publishers Weekly

"My hustbabd and I have used the Grand Finishes books so much that the pages are all dog-eared! They are incredible reference books that have made us both experts!" --Patsy Weigelman, Hoosket, N.H.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (October 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312277008
• ISBN-13: 978-0312277000
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Remodeling & Renovation > Bathrooms

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grand Finishes for Tile, December 7, 2001

By 

Bill Canton (Dallas, TX.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grand Finishes for Tile: Home Installation Projects 101 (Paperback)

An excellent book for beginners. Like Nikitas's other books, I found this one thorough, and clearly written. The projects are laid out just in the right order for an on-again-off-again home improvement dude like me to follow. I tried a mortar bed for the first time and it came out amazingly well: this goes in my reference library.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a useful, practical book, September 4, 2002

By 

David L. Wilson (West Palm Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grand Finishes for Tile: Home Installation Projects 101 (Paperback)

This book was invaluable in our bathroom project. First it gave us the confidence to get started, and then it answered all our questions during the project. With the aid of this book we ripped our bathroom out to the studs, and put in a completely new bathroom. The book covers materials, techniques, helpful hints, and cleanup. Just as an example, after we got the tile off the walls and were faced with a 300lb cast iron tub, we checked the book and found that we could smash the tub into pieces with a sledgehammer for easy removal. Problem solved.

Now we're thinking about doing the kitchen.