Page 29 - Brandon Sun - Your Home your Way (2019)

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019 • YOUR HOME YOUR WAY • THE BRANDON SUN 29

Smaller tiles hide wavy subfloor in older home

During a bathroom renova- A four-by-12-inch, white
tion, it’s not uncommon to en- subway tile was chosen for the
counter a few minor obstacles. shower stall, shoulder-high
When the reno is on the walls in the smaller room, tub
second floor of a three-sto- walls and backsplash for the
rey house built in 1906, the main vanity.
list of unexpected hurdles can A larger 12-by-24-inch
quickly escalate. Luckily, a few white tile was used for the
select design choices can reme- shower bench-top, tub-top
dy many of these “hard-to-fix” surface and baseboard (split
issues and still look fantastic in half along the length of the
once implemented. tile) wherever the subway tile
With framing accom- was installed above the floor.
plished, the electrical run, the By using the larger tile as
rough plumbing in place and baseboard, each section was
the drywalling, taping and precisely cut to compensate for
mudding stages completed — any flooring height discrep-
the first coat of paint on the ancies, below the level line of
ceilings and walls really begins Mixing larger and smaller tiles creates a retro style. the lowest row of subway tile.
to reveal the light at the end Wherever the large white tile
of the tunnel, six weeks into a the esthetics of the era, a two- the initial pour were complete- was installed, a white grout was
two-month, 150-square-foot inch hex mosaic tile was cho- ly submerged under the second used to make the surface ap-
six-piece bathroom renova- sen to eliminate any subfloor coat of leveller. The second pear solid and congruous. Ev-
tion/expansion. And although idiosyncrasy concerns. Nor- pour was allowed to set and erywhere else, a mid-tone grey
the walls have been made mally, a small-tile mosaic is the tiling began the following grout would be applied.
plumb and level, the subfloor the tile of choice for a walk-in morning. » BossEnterprise@outlook.com
of an old house is at the mercy shower floor, as this tile easily
of the joists’ integrity below. follows the contours of a show- CUSTOM WINDOW COVERING SPECIALISTS
At this job site, the floors er pan graded to a centre drain
tend to sink considerably as from all sides. This same mo-
you move away from the ex- saic throughout the bathroom
terior walls, as though the old would now compensate for
two-by-eight joists had bowed imperfections along the sub-
over time under the weight of floor, virtually hiding any slight Draperies &
each floor — a lingering issue. peaks and valleys that may not Fabrics
The planned bathroom expan- be eliminated by leveller, es- Blinds &
sion combines two existing pecially closest to the exterior Shades
rooms, each revealing a 1½- walls.
inch, inconsistently fluctuating The old subfloor was first Upholstery
grade discrepancy, from the prepped with a quarter-inch Interior Design
exterior wall to the opposing plywood throughout, to pro- Shutters
interior wall(s). vide a smooth integral sur- Bedding
Because part of the de- face on which the heating coil
sign includes heated flooring, could be installed, and onto
which requires leveller to hide which the leveller would even-
the heating coils once laid out tually be poured. To control the
on the floor, the process of leveller’s path, it was initially
pouring the leveller would be- mixed quite thick for a strate-
come an exercise in strategy, gic spread, as it became quickly 1440 Rosser Avenue
broken into two separate steps. evident where the subfloor pre- Tel. 204-726-8282
Furthermore, it would be im- sented dips and low areas. Toll free 1.866.320.3223
possible to create an adequate- To the best of my ability, www.InteriorImages.ca
ly level surface on which large most of the heating coils were
floor tiles could be installed covered during this first pour.
— the subfloor was just too The next day, any remaining
C
wavy, with too much variation coils were coated during a sec- Come visit our Showroomome visit our Showroom
in grade. What to do in this ond pour, mixed to a more flu-
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instance? id consistency, to ensure that 35% Off Blinds & Free Cordless
Thankfully, in keeping with the coils not covered during