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Showing posts with label tile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tile. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Ethical revolution of this new economy and why we all have to become patriots

Today here in America things have changed so much in the last to 30 years. Its like a whole new planet from then to now. It used to be banks were servants and protectors of your money,Now they are just thieves and hustlers,with some banks charging hardworking Americans $9 just to cash a check written on that very bank! As well they take your deposited money loan your money at 18% interest and pay you .025% in return.Big taxpayer bailouts on their bad investments just prove our own government is part of the scam in helping them rip off the American people. Those are the banks.

What about the insurance companies? What about the hurricane Katrina disaster, thousands of poor hard working home owners paid big ins co millions and millions  of $ over many years with relatively  few claims. Then when the shit hits the fan very few claims were paid to those folks and the government didn't push the issue because corporate profit was of much more value than the actual people.
Oh and cant forget big oil!! The American economy is systematically being raped economically by huge corporations and I could go on and on with example after example ,We all know the story  we live it every day Ins co run our health system our housing
and banking system man you cant even own a home or a car without paying your tribute to the insurance co!!all dictated to you by state and federal Government!!
Its time for a ethical revolution and a NEW DEAL like after the depression. We have to refuse to do business with any unethical persons or company's and FLEX OUR CONSUMER MUSCLE and refuse to give our hard earned money to those who don't do good things. That's why I started this blog in the first place I wanted hard working people to learn what a ethical caring tile mason really was; So many people in my industry had priced tile and bathroom remodeling right out of the reach of the common man. The general consensus was tile was to expensive for me to afford,Ive heard it hundreds of times.By sharing my 35+ years of knowledge to those who are paying attention Ive shown thousands of people now that they can afford a quality tile job Or i will tell them how to do it themselves!I say we as fed up Americans, Us who are tired of getting ripped off every where we turn  . Have the power to change this course were on  by changing who we give our money to. We have the economic power to force the ethical behavior of those we do business with.Demand fair business practices or take your business elsewhere look for the do gooders people who give back.Help and deal with ONLY THOSE  who help others don't give your money anywhere that doesn't give some percentage of it to a good cause.Help those to help others, most of all we can work together to kill corporate greed companies that Only focus on profits.

Over 10,000 reads on the blog now from over 30 or so countries. Diana and I are proud to focus our web sites and blogs on doing good for others and hoping everyone will pass on the same to all those they encounter.We could all make a big difference together by at least demanding the same from those we give our hard earned money to.Become a ethical patriot and recruit everyone with the heart for the task, LETS CHANGE OUR PATH and bring our country back to the good and demand the same from our government and those we do business with
regards   Chris Lawson

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Unbelivable prices for flooring in my town




A friend of mine in Rockport mass. who has referred me many jobs over the last 2 years, called me to come do atub shower tile job. The square footage of the job was 50 sq ft plus 16 liner ft. of bullnose. I charged him $ 350.00 and completed the job in 5 hours a good job for me.

They were not sure what they wanted to put on their 35 sq ft bathroom floor.After completing the tub,I asked About the floor.The wife told me she didn't think they could afford tile on the floor and would have to do linoleum . She was talking with a very well known Family flooring company in Gloucester ma (my town) the next town over. I asked more about what they would get and the cost. Unbelievably the cost for linoleum for 35 sq ft was $700!!!COME ON how do these people sleep at night?My friend is a good hard working ethical homeowner living on a semi retired income.I told the wife to go get 40 sq ft of porcelain tile from Home Depot $40 3 sheets of 3ft by 5 ft hardy board hardy board $30 1 lb 2 inch roof nails$3 and 15 lbs sanded grout $13. I charged her $135 for labor , completed her job in 2 hours more that day.She had a floor installed material and all for $211 and I made $68 per hour more that day.Now my question to readers and contractors out there Whats your opinion on this??I do tile every day and have for over 30 years and am very quick and have a lot of tricks in my tool bag to expedite the job. But the kind of prices being charged out there are just plain crazy. I advise ANYONE who is having work done in their home to shop a while see you options and talk to at least 3 or more tradesmen until you find the best fit. Don't get caught up in smooth talk and salesmanship and pay dearly. And if its a tile job feel free to contact me any time for the lowdown on what I know best   I wont solicit you just give you my advice like I do every day through this blog no strings attached.  Thanks Chris


Saturday, December 1, 2012

reader comments and responses and a recent swimming pool job

First I have to apologize for not getting to write On the blog as much as I would like.The  overwhelmingness  of everyday life and pricing and then doing all of the tile jobs I have to do to make a living and get ahead is heavy. But I really want to thanks you folks out there so much for reading and commenting In such numbers. I am so amazed by the worldwide visits to the blog.I especially want to thank My web designer and web master Diana Smith Who created the web site and got me to write on it!If It wasn't for her vast knowledge SEO and HTML in the background of my site and years of hard work and devotion to my site You wouldn't be reading me now!I'm hardly a tech guy as a matter of fact I am very tech handicapped and can barely write this blog. Everything about this web site and blog was built and are maintained every day by Diana.I'm just a simple tile guy ,a Mason working with concrete and rocks man made and natural. My grammer sucks and my spelling is worse, But 35 years of tile work has given me Insites that can be easily shared.So I want to say a very special thanks To diana for putting up with My barbaric old southern boy way.
I encourage you If you need a web site or  have a site you need to get out there then go to  " websitedesignsbydiana,com" or let me know and I'll hook you up.

  

4 different comments have been posted in the last 24 hours I'm starting to get alot . So ive decided to post the new ones every couple days. here are the comments with my responses






1------ I usually do not write a comment, but after browsing through
a few of the comments here "copper shower pan vs rubber membrane to dry in shower pans???".- I actually do have 2 questions for you if you don't mind. Could it be simply me or does it appear like some of the remarks appear like they are coming from brain dead folks? :-P And, if you are posting on additional online sites, I would like to keep up with you. Would you list of every one of all your social networking sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?

RESPONSE  There are alot of international Folks  who have a hard time writing In English . And I really appreciate their efforts. Also there are alot of people who have never been on a construction job or have never even hit a nail with a hammer. Those are the people that I write this blog for the ones who really need it!Those of us who work with our hands and were born on the construction job
may think some of the questions posted here are out there. But Remember those of us in the world Have many talents and there is no way one person can know it all > There are many questions those people know the answer too  That I wouldn't have a clue about. So to me there are no stupid questions
simple is easy and all questions regarding tile work will be answered here.
As far as Social network feeds I have those accounts but I am not really active on Twitter and facebook , Linked in ect. But If you want to follow this blog  simply look to the left of the Blog homepage and subscribe to our free mailing list. regards   Chris



2------Woah! I'm really digging the template/theme of this website. It's simple, yet effective.
A lot of times it's very difficult to get that "perfect balance" between superb usability and visual appearance. I must say that you've done
a awesome job with this. Additionally, the blog loads very fast
for me on Chrome. Outstanding Blog!

RESPONSE; Thanks alot!!!Again all the credit for the visual and tech stuff regarding web site and operation  Goes back to Diana  I just write when I can  regards   chris


3-------Awesome blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own site soon but I'm a little lost on
everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform
like Wordpress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm totally confused .. Any ideas? Thanks!

RESPONSE
My web designer Diana  Again knows all this stuff and all tech questions go to her   websitedesignsbydiana,com                        .    But as far as writing Goes simple and clear seems to be the best way to reach  diversified  readers.Pick a toppic that you REALLY know about and just share the wealth!!


4--- What do you know about the Schluter shower pan systems? It seems superior to all other options.

RESPONSE; I know that the system requires the use of UNMODIFIED thin set which is the lowest cost least grade available concrete adhesive and is low grade $5. Per bag product that turns to dust several years after use. Your tile is stuck only as good as the thinset u use to install it.And for this reason i would not use this system in my house and expect a long term quality installation . RegardsCHRIS
 



 Below is a swimming pool  I tiled about a month ago along with photos of unfinished and finished pool


 


Pools are a very specialized type of tile job and require precise materials and alot of experience to get right. I recommend Using pure portland cement in both your thin set and grout to give you extra strength and durability







chris

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Thanks for coments and questions about custom tile installations from around the world

 I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you out there for your questions and coments making what I do that much more enjoyable and challenging
Its a honor to answer questions and help those out there make educated and well informed
choices when it comes to renovating and improving thier homes. And I want to send out a huge THANKs to our international readers,My web master informs me we have a huge international following from all over the world. Russia,Australia.France,Germany, Brazil, just to name a few.
This blog Is being translated into many languages and we are recieving lots of international readers.
So keep the questions and coments comming  And THANKS SO MUCH I will do all I can to continue to produce quality custom work here in Boston as well as answer any questions for our followers here on the blog.And as always I am always available for inquiries about do it yourself installations . regards   chris lawson

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Economical shower waterproofing for ceramic tile, marble,slate.and all natural stone materials

In my 30 year career I've repaired and seen hundreds of showers that had water damage both inside the shower and inside the wall. Many times the mildew had eaten away at the wood studs in the wall and caused the grout to turn black from the inside out causing costly repairs and complete tear outs to redo the wood studs.In severe cases mildew can be dangerous to the health of the elderly and the very young. The following "how to" will explain the most economical "ultimate shower waterproofing " technique to insure a "never leak shower" and insure a "no mildew" tile installation. There are other options out there but this is by far the most economical sure fire way to know you will never allow water to penetrate your shower walls.

I am currently working on this job in Byfield mass. and all the walls and floors will be slate and marble finished.The contractor on the job was responsible for installing all the backer board and The contractor used durock on all the inside shower walls not Hardy board as I would have preferred. ( see my blog "hardy board vs Durock) When the home buyer called me to get a estimate he voiced great concern about waterproofing his shower walls so as not to have mildew or water damage in his shower walls ever. Since durock was already installed in all the showers and not hardy board it was required to completely seal every sq inch of the shower walls as well as seal all joints to insure no water ever got to the wood studs in the wall.  

The first step was to use "silicone II"  to seal every seam of the durock including all corners being careful to smooth out all caulk to insure a clean glob free seal. Step 2 all the joints were taped with anti crack fiberglass backer board tape and skimmed with superflex thinset to insure no cracks form over the years.

The third and final step was 2 coats of "Redgard"anti crack paint on waterproofer one coat rolled on horizontally and one coat vertically .All corners are painted with a brush to insure proper sealing.There were as well inset soap boxes framed into the wall that were also caulked and then painted with the regard to complete the sealing process. The tile can now be installed in the showers with no worry of leakage or wood rotting for a lifetime of leak free showering !

All products used to completely seal up these 3 showers in Byfield mass are all available at Home Depot and can insure you never have any water damage in your home from shower leakage.Have your tile installer follow this process or do it yourself for total piece of mind when creating your new shower in your house . For a full list of other options and great advice on the many waterproofing options go here and check it out. www.floorelf.com/preparing-a-shower-wall-for-tile

Pictures below are as follows left to right in order. 1-Silicone II caulk product, ,2- Redgard waterproofing crack supression paint on sealer product,3- Marble and granite modified thin set product, 4-Durock taped and thin setted, 5-Durock sealed with Redgard6-,Inset soap box caulked and Redgard sealed, 7-Floor Durock redgard sealed 3 ft out from wet area














Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Honest ethical contractor behavior

Ive just left Craigslist where on a regular basis my postings are flagged by competitors. The same thing happens on bulletin boards around my home town and the North shore. My ads ,flyers and cards are removed on a daily basis by other tile contractors  who cant stand reasonably priced competition. Some of my competitors dont like the fact that I put out there prices, free advice and even offer to give my customers advice on how to do it themselves. The fact that I offer a premium installations at a affordable price, Do one job at a time, and offer personalized  service  doesn't sit well with my local tile installers. But you see I am a working man myself and have had the experience of needing something done and not being in the position financially to have it done. My  web site reflects my "In your shoes" mentality by never collecting and selling my web visitor information  and my "ask Chris" section allows anyone to ask a question and get a educated answer about their tile installation any time and for any reason  even if doing it themselves. I have been getting allot of international traffic over the last year, and people from France, Australia and parts of Europe have been visiting. The most important thing to Me at tileexcellence.com Is not to make money (although I have bills like everybody else) but to share and help as many people as possible with my years of experience. So in conclusion where ever you are and whatever the job.  I invite you to Get a second opinion before you commit to a price on your tile job or If doing it yourself from someone who will give you a honest straight up answer with no thought of what will I get from it. And if you live in the Boston North Area give me a call and I can get you all the info you need to Make your  tile, marble, or custom Job all it can be thanks   Chris

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