Customer Reviews

Tile Your World: John Bridge's New Tile Setting Book

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm midway through remodeling a 50 year old house, and I've become something of a connoiseur of these do-it-yourself books. A lot of books from this genre provide a basic description of the work involved but gloss over the details. These often seem to have been written by someone who writes for a living, and who may or may not own a hammer or a drill themselves.

Tile Your World is one of the best, perhaps THE best DIY books I've read. The author John Bridge has clearly and thoroughly documented what he's learned during his hands-on career as a tile guy.

The book contains the requisite sections on tools, types of tiles, substrates, etc. Where it excels is in its detailed discussion of the subtleties associated with tiling walls, floors, showers, outdoor surfaces, kitchen backsplashes, etc. By way of example, the section on tiling a shower spans over 100 pages and includes over 100 photos. Along the way you'll get advice on everything from plumbing updates to what to do if you discover termites during tearout of the old shower.

The text is consistently readably and often amusing as well. It's worth at least a dollar or two of the purchase price just to read John's advice on how to select fine wines, buried as it is within the discussion on how to ensure that the slope of a shower floor is correct.

Finally, I have to heap a bit more praise on the tiling discussion forums that John runs on his web page. I gather that I'm not allowed to mention the URL in this review, but it should be *painfully* obvious given the title of the book. Like the book, the quality of the advice provided on the discussion forums rises well above the (relatively low) standard for the DIY industry. Imagine novice tilers posting questions about complex issues, and actually getting timely and detailed responses from industry practitioners who seem to really know their stuff.

My hat's off to the author of Tile Your World, and if he's ever in my neck of the woods here in Kentucky, he's more than welcome drop by and use my newly-tiled bathroom.

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.

John Bridge's book does a top notch job of covering a wide variety of tiling specifics and generalities. In addition to all the gory details he has a motivating "can-do" writing style that encourages success. Furthermore, his online website and tiling forums are an amazing resource and clearly demonstrate his willingness to make a major contribution to both professional and do-it-yourself tiling laying.

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

John's writing will not only give you the knowledge to do a first rate job on any tile project,but he will also make the learning fun in his easy Texas style of writing.
With additional information from proffessional tilesetters and tradesmen from around the country you will get more bang for your buck than any other single DIY book i have seen.Top this off with an address for th Tile Your World tile forum manned by pro's to deal with any immediate concerns or problems and the combination cannot be beat.
If you are contemplating a tile installation in your home,this is one purchase you will never regret.
From wall to floor from counters to leveling this book covers the entire spectrum.
Tile Your World even features information on differant types of membranes for waterproofing,uncoupling and antifracture and where and when to use them.In addition you will find sections on self leveling cements,backerboards,varieties of setting materials and when and where to use them.
As a pro tile contractor i cant stress enough the need for quality information and mechanically sound advice.Written in a manner friendly to the layman,Tile Your World hits the mark on all counts!!

This book was pretty disappointing. After spending $24 for what I thought was going to be an authoritative book from a well respected expert on the art of tile setting, I find myself browsing other books while I'm at Home Depot to get the information I need. In particular there is absolutely no mention of how cutting and setting stone tiles is different than ceramic. No mention of using epoxy to set tiles with resin on the back or use of epoxy for anything. No mention of design issues like what size tile or what layout is best for small or large rooms, what size grout joints look best with what types and sizes of tile. He has these cute sections about how cool it is to be a tile setter all over the book which bugs me since that space in the book could have been used to give real information. As an example he has a section on making u-cuts in floor tiles. He never actually tells you how to make a u-cut, just how great you'll feel when you master this skill.

I'm guessing the reason this book has so many great reviews here is that the people that hang out in his online forum buy the book and enjoy his cute little stories and write a glowing review. They don't care about the lack of detail in the book because they can get it from the online forum. But for $24 I shouldn't have to then go to an online forum or sneak peeks at other books while at the store for the information I need, it should all be in the BOOK!

From looking at other tile books at Home Depot, either the Stanley (that's pretty sad) or Taunton book would be better choices for people who actually want to learn how to set tile.

This is a very nice book, and written in an entertaining and interesting style. I like the pictures that show the tools and techniques, and the way he tells it like it is. It is written to explain the basics to beginners, but also have enough detail to inform more experienced tile people. However, the quibble I have is that this book really emphasizes a mud base for the tile and spends most all of the time talking about the mud base, instead of more modern and easier bases such as CBU. The author admits that he is an old "mud man", and this certainly reflects on the content of the book. As a beginner, I think it is easier to use CBU as the base, and I was disappointed with the lack of detail on that. I ended up buying another book- "Setting Tile" by Michael Byrne, and I would more highly recommend that for beginners like me.

As a dedicated DIYer with no tiling experience, I needed a book that would provide a good overview as well as the details to actually get the job done. This book presents the necessary information in a manner that benefits novices and pros alike.

I was able to read the book cover to cover without losing interest. I then dug back into the book to re-read material to gain a more thorough understanding.

When I've not been able to figure something out, I've posted questions directly to an active web-based forum hosted by the author (great resource and the book makes a pointer to it--that's the "keeps on giving" reference in the review title and it was worth the price of the book alone!).

The only ding I'd give the book is that a good portion of the images are printed too small. As a newbie, I'd appreciated larger images throughout and would have been glad to pay a little more for it.

This book is more than just a how-to book. Between this book and the author's web-site full of friendly people and helpful advice, the average DIYer will find the knowledge and confidence to tackle nearly any tile project. If funds aren't an issue or you are a book junkie like me, I'd recommend you own this book and "Setting Tile" by Michael Byrne as both books cover different subjects to different depths, but if you only buy one book, "Tile Your World" by John Bridge is the one to own.

I used Mr. Bridge's earlier book "Ceramic Tile Setting" a few years ago when I tiled our bathroom. It was a wonderful resource, far better than the other books on tiling that I read through. I raved about it so much that friends borrowed it and it wound up getting away from me. When we moved this summer and needed to do some tile work in the new house, I decided to buy another copy and was pleased to find an updated book available. "Tile Your World" is as good as it gets in a how to book. The instructions and explanations are very clear and the writing style is entertaining and motivating. This book should be mandatory for any DIY tile projects.

Being new to tile work, I was looking for a no nonsense, straight to the point instruction guide. I got that and more. John presents the material in an easy to understand manner. Highly recommended to anyone interested in laying tile or shower building.

This is the ultimate book for tile setters and for those who want to be tile setters. John focuse on all of the little things that the amateurs don't. focus on. The actual tiling itself is the last thing he focuse on. He will teach you the science of laying different types of tiles. You will learn everyting from floor deflection to room layout to determing the square footage and much more. I even learned of a new underlayment product made by Schluter that does not transfer cracks to the tiles due to structural movement and also a waterproofing membrane to use in shower tile installations! I have learned so much Thank you.