graciegirl...not sure if this will help but... I have done my own mitering to do a few projects and have used liquid nails for joining the frame work and also have used "mighty glue" "as seen on tv". Both products have worked well for me. good luck

Hey, did y'all see the news? Tony announced a new Do It Yourself forum!

Would very much enjoy getting ideas and such from a DIY forum. My husband & I are not very handy but "sometimes" are willing to take on a project and give it our best shot. Due to our lack of knowledge and confidence most of the time we hire it out.

Great Idea!
I'm an avid DIY'er. My biggest project was to design and build my own house here in NY. Here it is;
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...e/DCP_4620.jpg

My second biggest project was to move a two story old carriage house 30 ft to a new foundation. Experts told me I couldn't do it, but it was great to prove them wrong.

I love every aspect of remodeling. I've taught my wife to sweat copper, do electrical, finish drywall, etc. I got home once and found she knocked out a wall, just to see how the room would look bigger! I then made sure she understood the difference between walls and partitions.....:22yikes:

I can't wait to do many upgrades to our Florida home when we move there full time in 491 days.....actually, We leave for down there in 12 more days and will be Floridians for 7 weeks. I know that it nothing for you all, but for one who cannot retire yet, and has endured our NY winters, I can't wait.

Frank

My dad's favorite expression when I was growing up was "come here and you will learn something". What he really wanted was a gofer, go for it, helper. Be that as it may, I did learn something most of the time. He was of the depression generation and tried to save money anytime he could. We also did not have much money. The reason for this post is that I can not count the number of times I have been asked over the years "how do you know how to do this?" 95% of the time I do not know how to do it. It boils down to overcoming your fear. What is the worst that can happen, you screw it up. And then you have to have someone do it. And if you succeed then you may have saved some money and had the satisfaction of doing something by yourself. It is a great feeling. I am not recommending anything dangerous or code related, but there are many things that can be done by you. I learned after screwing a few things up, one was setting a tile kitchen counter, that the internet is a wonderful thing. Take the time to research, There is a high probably that someone out there has a video on line with detailed instructions on how to do it. Or ask someone that has done it, most people are more than happy to help someone that is trying to do it themselves. 95% fear, 5% ability. Get over the fear. Good luck.

Diy club
 

Lincoln, I would like to get in touch with you on starting this DIY club, how can I do that?

Getting together
 

Mrdills, I am not in TV at the moment. I am still in Ky due to some health issues and have been all winter...uck. The good news we will be returning to TV in April. If you like we can get together then.

Tom

Club
 

Keep me posted, when you get down here let me know and we can get together.

HI Gracegirl,

My secret (NOT DIY, giggle) take it to woodwork shop on Rolling Acres, cost of wood and a donation, they framed my picture(15"x30") perfect, cost $1.75, what a deal!!!

what tile did you use for back splash? we are using the tumbled stone chiaro for ours. How did you go about sealing the tile? before putting on the wall, or after sticking up on the wall before you grouted?

Tileing tips.
 

I know you didn't ask me but.

If you are using a grout that is close to the color of the stone. (Recommended because of the little holes in the tumbled product that need filling during the grouting process.) you seal it after grouting. An enhancement sealer is a little more expensive but it is a tougher finish makes the tile just a little darker like it looks when wet. (I used Aqua Mix Enrich 'N' Seal)

:doh:Warning always uses the white thinset as the dark can bleed into the tile and discolor it.

:shocked:Caution nothing sticks to this sealer so if you have to touch up the paint around the edges you will end up sanding and drywall mudding to make it stick. Frog tape around the edges before you seal. I found out the hard way.

Tip if you are putting in a decorative strip in tile it is quite often thinner than the field tile if you try to float it in the mortar seeps up and makes it messy and hard to do a nice grout job. Buy peal and stick cheap vinyl tile (available at Home Depot by the tile.) and cut it the width of the decor strip use the fine premix tile mastic and secure the tile to the vinyl then set the strips in the thin set. This allows you to get them nice and level.:a040:

Seal tile/grout after installation
 

We used a tumbled stone tile. I don't remember the name but it was a light cream to tan varigated tone. We used a moca grout. New to me was a matching caulking material to match the grout. It is color matched to the grout and has a sand finish so it is a perfect match to the grout. When we did the grouting I did not grout the strip above the formica counter back splash. I used a piece of wood to keep the vertical gout out of this area. After the grout dried I went back taped the top of the counter and used the grout like caulking to do that horizontal line. The caulking is very flexible and the tape made a clean line on top of the counter back splash.
The whole area was sealed after installation and a specified time with a water base sealer. It is very thin and only takes a small amount. The place I bought the tile (Floor Masters) actually gave me a small amount of sealer in a wide mouth jar. It was very good stuff but only available in gallons and expensive so the dealer just gave me some N/C. The sealer makes the tile slightly darker than plain, kind of like it looks wet but not really shinny. I Did two coats of sealer. After 18 months it looks very good.
Hope this helps.

Yes, thanks. I think we are using the same tile you put up. Got the Grout to match the color from Lowes. I was told to seal the front of the tile prior to grouting to keep the grout from sticking to the stone tile, said it would make it easier to remove the grout. then after grouting use a tile-grout sealer and do it again. this will be my first tile job, see how it works.

That sounds reasonable. I would do as the people say where you are buying the tile. They should know their product. We didn't seal until after the grouting was finished and a certain amount of dry/cure time for the grout. But as I said I would do like your supplier recommended.

Our tile is actually fairly light and the grout is dark making a nice contrast.

Good luck on your project. I am sure you will be pleased.

Tom