Customer Reviews

Setting Tile (Fine Homebuilding)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read several reviews of this book that are much less than glowing since purchasing this book. I agree with every one of them. I would not consider this book a good reference for inexperienced tile setters. After having tackled my own bathroom job and now having the benefit of experience with tile, my opinioin is this book fell short in revealing crucial detail at every turn. examples: The book fails to describe in any detail how tile is set over the transition between backerboard and the tub lip. CRITICAL! The book fails to descibe in any detail the variety of adhesives that may be used. What's the difference between thin set and mastic adhesive? Why would you choose one over the other? - Hint: it's more than just bond strength. How about all the hinden problems you will encounter with a retrofit job? LACKING! What about the transition from cement backer to drywall! Not even addressed. When installing cement board, rough side up or down? If it doesn't matter SAY SO! My opinion: This book is LACKING! LACKING! LACKING!

I've been setting tile for over 30 years, but studying this book was still an edification. It was filled with more information than I expected, and I found it to be very interesting and helpful. I counted 283 photographs and diagrams, although some of those were multiple diagrams within one larger diagram. As an engineer and perfectionist, I reject the myth that a professional necessarily does better work than an amateur.(The correct translation of the word amateur is one who pursues any study or art out of love instead of money.) The key to excellence is to thoroughly study and understand any undertaking beforehand, and then to allow enough time to do it as well as it can be done. So there's a reason why the term do-it-yourself often connotates a hack job - that's what you get when you don't have the patience to study the right way to do a job, and instead proceed with ignorance and impatience. This book isn't intended for someone who can't understand that once adhesive has been spread with a trowel, the tiles are placed on the adhesive. If you can't figure that one out, you need a professional. If you can't find the clear diagram on page 179 that illustrates how a membrane and backer board meet at a tub edge, you need a professional. If you can't find any of the book's references to the inferiority of pre-mixed air-drying mastics (glue) compared to latex-modified thin-set mortars, or how to mix and apply them, you need a professional. Here's one short excerpt from a five-page discussion of adhesives that starts on page 38, "organic mastics are probably the most commonly used adhesives, but they're nonetheless generally inferior to other adhesives." If you're too impatient to read this 244-page book and you just want to stick some tiles on a wall, go down to your local home center and buy a big bucket of glue and some tiles and fake it like a typical do-it-yourselfer.

Mr. Byrne has written dozens of articles in fine Homebuilding and Journal of Light Construction on Tile Setting. The Book is excellent, and walks you through the whole process from tile history, tile design, the various construction aspects of it (e.g., what you have to have underneath the tile to make a good tile job, the various setting beds (old fashioned mortar to newer cement boards), setting the tile, grouting the tile, and finally sealing the tile when necessary.

For any person wanting to learn tile setting the correct professional way, this book is essential. I bought it twice, one about 8 years ago, and a second updated version this year because of some new products and resulting new techniques.

In my neighborhood, as in many areas during this boom economy, it is nearly impossible to find contractors willing to do small residential jobs such as tiling a bathtub stall. For us reluctant weekend warriors, this book has been a godsend.

Most tile books provide a number of layout ideas and then either gloss over the details of installation or (more often) give suggestions on how to hire a reputable and skilled contractor. Byrne instead gives detailed but undaunting descriptions of how to design, plan, build, and finish most projects. The organization is useful, the photos are perfect, and helpful hints and warnings abound.

Only a couple things could improve this book. Although the book contained all the info I needed for my job, a quick outline summary for entire projects, with one-line descriptors of each task, would avoid having to continually leaf through the complete text. Also, an estimate of time required for each task would allow for better planning.

Like most Taunton Press publications, Setting Tile skews abit toward the art side of its trade, and it glosses over quite a few things that an absolute novice, or even a fairly skilled worker in another trade, needs in order to get a good result. As other have pointed out, he doesn't go into using mastics or epoxy-based mortars. But those seem like decisions based on his experience with the materials. He simply uses thinset. Enough said.

One ommission that did seem a little odd was the lack of information about working with wet-wall installations. He only uses backer board, which for a worker/writer who is so thorough and skilled seems strange.

Especially given the fact that he does such a great job of explaining, step by step, how to build a shower pan, which is a fussy, finicky, yet back-breaking job if there ever was one.

One other fault (and this may be a fault of Taunton books in general): he doesn't help me anticipate errors. For example: Mr. Byrne recommeds that you fur out the backer board above a shower pan lining so that the board can hang over the lining without getting bumped out. And he recommends butter the back of the board with thinset where it mates with the lining (since you can't drive screws through the board as it would pierce the lining).

Now a non-idiot (not me!) would know that the mortar would tend to push the backer board out, especially in the corners where the lining is folded to three times its typical thickness. Such a non-idiot would fur out a little extra and use a little less mortar.

But not me: I butter the hell out of the back of the backer board and by the time the mortar set the board's bottom was out of pumb a good 3/16 of inch. Not a huge deal, until you try to make the tials look nice and perfect.

So some idiot warnings would be nice. Sort of a follow my advice, but here are some things to watch out for.

Then again, no taunton book I've ever owned (quite a few) does a good job with newbies.

Regardless, this is a good, solid look at installing tile, especially installing and designing complex patterns. But you might need to augment it with something from Time Life say ;-)

This is a great book. What I liked most about it was that the author explain in great detail HOW to tile. There are some books that merely show pretty pictures. He goes over the different types of setting, techniques, surface preparation, tools, you name it. I just completed my first tile job ... it turned out great!

Doing tile right takes a bit of time and a bit of money. Most "do-it-yourself" books will give short shrift to tile laying, put in some pretty pictures and make it look easy. And they your tile will pop up or crack five years later. Tile should last decades. And sometimes it can take a lot of work to prepare a surface, and some surfaces shouldn't even be tiled at all. With that in mind, finding good information and digesting it is a must before taking any steps.

Michael Byrne's book is very thurough and detailed. It'll pretty much cover almost any tiling situation. One reviewer complained that it doesn't offer enough specifics or details on certain applications. I think the issue here is that there are so many possible substrates, tile types, adhesives, etc. etc. that unless you want an unreadable 1000 page book you'll have to use a little bit of common sense. Bottom line, you'll get more specific details in this text than anywhere else. For a specific nagging question there are always online forums.

Do yourself a favor, get this book and John Bridge's "Tile Your World" before doing a thing. A 15-minute Home Depot "how-to" seminar can be a dangerous thing - get real useful info instead.

Mr. Byrnes obviously knows his trade of tile laying. I purchased the book when I decided to attempt a total bathroom overhaul by myself for the first time. I found his book of more interest than others I looked at since he covered the construction of the shower 'pan' whereas other books did not get into this area. I read the book several times studied the pictures and practiced the techniques in my mind several times before doing any of the reconstruction. I did find the book to be most helpful in answering most questions however there were some areas where I felt he left things unanswered at least for the novice. I have finally completed the project after 3 months of working on it after hours and weekends. I have to say thank you to Mr. Byrne but I would like to see some of the loose ends tied up for the next novice 'Do-it-yourselfer' starts his/her bathroom renovation.

This is best book of tile installing I've found. It's very complete. I used it's information to install over 600 sq ft of tile in my home. Although it is very detailed, which some people may not care for, it's sort of an "everything you need to know about installing tile, but didn't know you needed to know". The installation was our first and came out well. We were able to talk to tile people on their level and knew more than many people in stores. He points how how critical preparation is to a good installation. Even if you don't plan on installing tile yourself, you should go through this book to learn how it should be done right. I understand he also has a video out.

I bought this book because I have never set tile before and I wanted to unlock some of the mysteries that I had concerning tile installations. The book is full of wonderful full color photographs and great advice. If you are a do it yourself type of person, this book will take you start to finish. I like the thorough discussion of the proper way to do a layout so you never end up with tile slivers on the margin of your installation. There is a thorough discussion of how to make your installs waterproof, long lasting, and pleasing to the eye.
After reading this book I came to realize that what you have under the tile is almost as important as the finished product. There's a lot more that goes into that sandwich than you think.