!#5: Bargain Big Stretch Caulk: January 2012

!±8± Learning How to Lay Ceramic Floor Tile the Right Way

Raring to start working on your own ceramic floor tile project? Get ready to learn the basics of how to lay ceramic floor tile right here and make that beautiful ceramic tile floor that you and your family have always wanted! So, get your tiling tools ready, put on your safety goggles and let's do some tiling!

Most tiling jobs start with a well-prepared subfloor. As you learn more about how to lay ceramic floor tile, you will find out about the three general types of floors that tile installers may often work with. Such information will help you alot along the way.

Generally, you will encounter three types of subfloors: Vinyl, plywood, and the concrete floors. Installing ceramic tile directly to vinyl or linoleum floors (or subfloor surfaces) should be avoided at all cost. Your vinyl or linoleum flooring may contain asbestos fibers and should be tested first before you try removing it. If your vinyl floor covering does not contain asbestos fibers, a general recommendation on how to lay ceramic floor tile is to rough-sand, or scarify, the vinyl floor surface to provide your tiling mortar a better grip. Use a latex modified thinset mortar to install your ceramic tiles over your vinyl subfloor.

Working over plywood subfloors can be very tricky, as well. Like vinyl floor surfaces, it is not advisable to install your ceramic tiles directly on to your plywood floor surface. Plywood flooring usually has a smooth surface, and easily warps when exposed to heat or moisture. Be sure that the wood is at least 1 and 1/8 inches thick and is reinforced and supported by an equally strong underlayment. Otherwise, your ceramic tiles will dislodge easily, or worse, break and need replacing. Plywood panel edges must be installed about one-fourth of an inch away from perimeter walls and door jambs, and fixtures and cabinetry. These are expansion gaps and should not be bridged with tiling mortar. To prevent moisture from damaging the plywood subfloor, use a waterproofing sealant or caulk over your plywood subsurface.

Concrete floors are the most ideal subfloor surface to work with. But before you start tiling over the subfloor surface, it must be cleaned thoroughly. Paint, adhesives, fillers or levelers, sealers, and chemically treated cement substrates are unsuitable surfaces fpr ceramic tile installations. Remove these by using non-chemical methods. For dust and other debris, sweep and then mop your concrete subfloor surface using only clean water. Allow the surface completely before you start working on it. Generally, smooth concrete surfaces are difficult to work with as the tiling mortar may not grip and hold. Consequently, your ceramic floor tiles may be in danger in dislodging. Smooth concrete surfaces must be rough sanded, scarified, or etched to allow the tiling mortar some grip.

Another important aspect about how to lay ceramic floor tile is to always check for cracks and debris. Repair as many of the cracks as you can. If you see cracks that are too large to repair, replace the floor section where they are found with new concrete. Concrete may need to set (or dry) for at least twenty-four hours before you can start tiling over it. Lastly, get out your carpenter's level and check for any dips or humps on the concrete subfloor surface. If you find any, you may use a cement-based floor level to fill in the dips and smoothen over the humps. This will help to keep your finished ceramic tile floor level and minimize dislodging, or tile breakage.

Let it dry or set properly. This is the key step you need to keep in mind about how to lay ceramic floor tile flooring. There are three setting periods: The first is right after you have placed your ceramic tiles with thin set mortar and bonded them to your subfloor. The second is after after putting in your tiling grout (before putting on the sealant). These setting periods last overnight, at the very least, to twenty-four hours, at the most. Your sealant has dried, you are done!

So when you work on your own ceramic tile project, always remember how to lay ceramic floor tile properly by knowing how to work with your subfloor surfaces. Learning how to lay ceramic floor tile is also both a great way both to learn a new hobby, and a home improvement skill. Just remember to keep a safe working environment, not to rush things (especially during setting periods), and try to work with at buddy. Better yet, get your friends over and help.

Learning How to Lay Ceramic Floor Tile the Right Way

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!±8± Install Your Holiday Lighting the Professional Way

Each year we have thousands of customers who call us to get advice about their holiday lighting and one of their biggest concerns is how to get a straight professional look along their roof line. Investing in and using the right products will not only make your project look better when it is done but your Christmas Lights will probably be safer to operate as well. Despite popular belief it is not using staples that will give you the best look and safest installation (don't tell me you haven't stapled through your lights while installing them or come back the next year to rusted fragments of last year's Lighting Job still hanging on your roof line, we see and hear about it all the time). Instead do yourself a favor and get Christmas Light Clips!

When hanging outdoor Christmas lights, it is helpful to know which supplies you will need and the method you should use to hang outdoor Christmas lights before you begin. The supplies and methods differ based on the roof type. If you plan to hang outdoor Christmas lights on gutters, under shingles, or under tiles, there are a few basic light clips that you should invest in for your next job and we will detail the advantages of each here for you. And remember if you want a clean, consistent look, yes you will need a clip for each bulb.

Most people will be able to utilize the All-In-One clip best on their homes. It is great for use with C7 & C9 light line as well as Mini Lights (for those haven't been converted to the benefits of using the C7 & C9 lights exclusively). Christmas All-In-One Clips can be placed on a gutter, under shingles or on roof tiles, and are very easy to hang. Place all bulbs into the Christmas All-In-One Clips before hanging any of the lights, this will make the job of hanging Christmas lights easier.

All-In-One Clips can be reused year after year. Remove the clip and light as a unit and carefully wrap lights for the next year. Christmas All-In-One Clips fit snuggly onto gutters and should not slip or move. These clips should be used on every Christmas light bulb to create an even, constant look for your Christmas display. All-In-One Clips can also be hung under gutters and on facia edging.

Another option for installing Christmas Lights both houses and Commercial Buildings is the use of Shingle tabs either by themselves for homes with shingle roofs or in combination with parapet clips for commercial installations where you want to make installation easier year to year on flat roof lines. Shingle tabs work for both C7 and C9 lights. The larger hole is for C9 lights while the smaller hole is for C7 lights. Inserting C7 or C9 lamps is done by placing the bulb on one side of the tab and the socket on the other. Then screw the bulb into the socket. The plastic shingle tab will not overheat. Each bulb will need to have its own shingle tab so the lights will hang straight and even. Place all bulbs into the shingle tabs prior to hanging any of them. Christmas shingle tabs are then inserted under shingles. Christmas shingle tabs should fit snuggly under shingles and should not slip or move. If the shingle tab fits loosely under the shingles, fold the end tabs down and then slide the shingle tab back under the shingle. This should hold it firmly in place. Shingle tabs can be reused year after year. Remove the tab and light as a unit and carefully wrap lights for next year.

When you want to use shingle tabs on commercial buildings or places with flat roofs or where you can't slip a clip under a roofing material parapet clips will help you. Parapet clips are basically a small, flat plastic piece that the Shingle Tabs can slide onto. The parapet clips can stay up year round so all you have to remove each year is the light line with shingle tabs, the next year just slide the shingle tabs with light line back on and you are done, so easy.

The C-Clip is another great way to install your holiday lights on a flat building or roof (many commercial buildings or homes in the Southwest have flat roofs). To install these you will need heavy duty construction adhesive or screws, caulk gun, stiff bristled brush, C-Clips, and a measuring stick. First things first, prior to attaching Christmas C-Clips to the roof, it is necessary to use a stiff bristled brush and clean the surface.

Outdoor Christmas light bulb sockets are spaced 12, 15 or 18 inches apart. After you decide which Christmas light string spacing you are going to use, create a measuring stick. Mark the stick in increments 1 1/2 inches shorter than the light line spacing. For example, if you are hanging 18 inch spaced Christmas light line, mark the stick in 16 1/2 inch increments. If you mark your stick at exactly 18 inches, you may be "off" by a fraction when you glue the C-Clip in place and the Christmas light line will not fit. The 1 1/2 inch difference is important because once you have glued your clips in place you do not want to have to redo them. Place the measuring stick on the roof. At each mark, place a quarter-size dab of heavy duty construction adhesive (caulk) on the edge of the roof. Place the C-Clips on the caulk and press down until the caulk goes through the holes in the C-Clip. Note that using caulk and C-Clips is relatively permanent. C-Clips are generally left in place year after year with only minor yearly repairs if needed. You could also attach the C-Clip with screws but doing so on some commercial buildings will void warranties so we always recommend sticking with the construction adhesive instead. If you are decorating for Christmas, C7 or C9 Light Line is usually removed each year while the C-Clips remain in place. The C7 and C9 C-Clips usually are hung perpendicular (horizontal) to the roof of the building.

Each C-Clip fits both a C7 or C9 socket base. One end has a larger opening than the other. The larger end is for C9 light line while the smaller end is for C7 light line. Be sure as you place the C-Clips on the caulk, that each clip is facing the same direction. Once the C-Clips are attached to the roof, the light line can be inserted. You can screw the C7 or C9 lamps into the C7 or C9 light line before snapping it into place. If you want to change the color of the lamp, simply remove the lamp and screw in the new one. When you are ready to remove the light line, you can snap the light line out of the C-Clips, leaving the C-Clips in place for next year.