AestheticsHopefullyNotEverInMotion

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 07/24/2019 at 18:05 • Filed to: None

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Day 5 in the books. Currently loving every minute as a master (apprentice) tile guy!

Commutes are longer than I’m used to at 20-50 minutes, but I apparently live in the perfect area for a job like this. Not hitting traffic in any direction on my way to or from work, so the long commutes are actually.... Kind of nice??

Every single night I walk away, brain overflowing with new knowledge and incredibly happy with the work I’ve done. It feels sublime crafting something after so much time in management (which I hate) and financial (which I actually like too, but in a much different way ). I can thank my boss for a company culture of excellence, as he’s one of the tradesmen who takes a lot of pride in his work. Real nice guy, and super humble. Not that *most* contractors are dicks, but I do think I got pretty lucky here.

I’ve now seen every step from beginning to end of what it takes to put in a $15,000 shower, and done most of them too. Nerve-racking, but also pretty cool being trusted to do more than just vacuum and grab tools just a few days in. Getting the pre-float poured, sloped properly and mirror smooth was terrifying, as I knew we’d be tearing it all out and restarting if I fucked up.

The picture below was my work, and I think it came out beautifully. The wall tiles are handmade, and they’re all very much different sizes, not square, and Potato-chipped to some degree. This made both aligning the tiles (laser level at each row, you’ll be happy to know) and grouting a bitch and a half, but once I stepped back and looked at the finished product.... Damn. The “imperfections” add so much to the look.

There’s one floor tile that’s slightly off in the picture, that was fixed! And this was taken before the caulking around the pan was completed too.

Had to replace studs and walls due to water damage. This room was initially a pigeon coop. Unfortunately the home-owner didn’t want to remodel the rest of the bathroom. Ten bucks says she changes her mind within a week

I’ve used a ton of new tools too. The tile saw being an easy favorite. I wonder if I could do a redneck DIY version, swapping in an appropriate blade and strategically aiming a hose at my chop saw... Maybe cutting upside down to protect the tile finish?

I’ll be tearing up my kitchen and bathroom fairly soon after my trip, and doing a big remodel. Last night I grabbed bathroom dimensions and sketched up a quick floor plan, and this week I’ll be doing a 3d model. I’ve had a design idea floating around in the back of my head for awhile now and I feel confident that I can (soon) bring that design to life.

I’d like to work with this company in some capacity longterm, as the pay, people, and work are all things I find agreeable, and the bossman seems to like me. The electrician thing is still in the works too and it’s priority one, but I’m on the waiting list and was given no info beyond 3-24 months as to when an apprenticeship would come up for me. I ALSO plan on finding the time to learn under a custom cabinetry guy, as that would really round out my “condo remodel” skillset, and let me channel some creativity.

Anyhoo, that’s my update. 15 hour work day on Monday, 12 on Tuesday, 3.5 today. It’s hard work but aside from mixing big troughs of thinset not super physical. At least, not that I’ve seen so far on the two jobsites. I felt about the same after the 16 hour day as I did after a 9 hour window washing day.

Oh, and guess what I found? Rasputan and Jack fruit. Both in a little grocery store near one of the jobsites. First time seeing either locally. Tasty, but the jack fruit sap embeds itself into your skin. I had to break out some intense cleaners to get the stickiness off my hands!

AestheticsInMotion > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:07

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Question. I’ve known about heated floors that use custom-cut mats with heating coils for awhile, but I just found out about the heated floors that have pipes going through them filled with hot water. Why choose one over another? Are they compatible with different types of flooring? More effective in certain situations? 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:08

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I lurv jackfruit

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:10

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We have radiant heating (pipes) in our floors.  No forced air, this is the only way our home is heated.

My knowledge is that the coil/mat heating is just to give you warm tiles. The pipes in floor way is more to actually heat the home.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:11

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Heating pads might be more energy efficient I feel because you directly heat the floor instead of heating water that heats the floor, but with any electric heat source there’s always a risk of fire. Forced hot water wouldn’t get hot enough to start a fire.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:11

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I will say that 95% of the time, I see coils used, versus water-heated floors. That tells me that it is probably cheaper. Maybe.

AestheticsInMotion > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 07/24/2019 at 18:11

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So good. I think dragon fruit and non blueberry berries still take the top spots for me tho

facw > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:14

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I have no idea, but I do know heated bathroom floors are awesome, and I consider it a must do if I ever own my own place and am remodeling.

AestheticsInMotion > facw 07/24/2019 at 18:16

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100% something I want, too .

This place is all heated floors, and you can set temperatures and control which parts of the house the system is active at any time.

Even the garage and staircases.......

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:32

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custom cabinetry

Don’t it is one of the lowest paying trades, I did it for a few years. Good shops are very hard to find. Stick in it long enough & it starts paying well. Most shops now do cookie cutter kitchens, they are boring to make. The shops that custom furniture are the ones you want, every job is different & it’s not just cutting panels on a table saw then shooting a nail into them.

Sovande > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:43

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That looks really nice. My company is finishing up a 265 unit apartment building and I was tasked with getting the tile guys back in track after they had let quality become job 3. None of the work looked as good as what you did. I used to be an Estimator for a big commercial t ile and flooring company and i f you want to get into the estimating side of things, take a look at a software called RFMS Measure. It’s dead simple to use and you can do 3D models of tile layouts on walls (showing accent tiles, etc). They have a free version that is android and iPhone compatible too. I would think a guy like you, obviously smart, hard working and interested, would be a good project manager or superintendent for a GC or a subcontractor . Being a PM could satisfy both the desire to do the work and to be involved in the financial side of things. B est of luck!!

getFuckedHerb > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:47

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wire (electric) heated floors are much easier to retrofit or use in smaller spaces (like bathrooms/entry ways under tile) where as aqua heat typically is poured into a concrete floor (and planned ahead of time) due to the roughly 2 inches of depth it would require if you “added it on top of” a floor. I have seen liquid radiant systems installed in floor joist cavities that seemed to work well, if you have access to the floor from underneath.

If you’re just retrofitting a bathroom and want heated tile go with the mat!

Discerning > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:50

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It will always be in motion so long as the earth continues to rotate on its axis a nd orbit the sun.

I’ll see myself out.

AestheticsInMotion > getFuckedHerb 07/24/2019 at 18:50

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Thank you! I saw the liquid radiant stuff (we poured over it) and was curious, as I'd never heard of it before. 

AestheticsInMotion > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 07/24/2019 at 18:52

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More for the skills than the money, and yeah it would either be with a totally custom place or not at all.

The cabinet guy here has been making everything on site before install an d it’s absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had recent pics... 

wafflesnfalafel > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:58

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I can say we see a lot of insurance claims for the hydro/water line versions.  One nail or leak and the entire house has water damage....

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 18:59

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Hydronic heating is very common in Europe and becoming more common in colder environments here. Uses hot water from the house boiler typically and the water can be solar heated or even wood heated. It can be operated under pretty much any type of floor covering...even floating timber. Since it is part of the floor itself, it is typically only installed at initial build time or during a major remodeling. Install is pricey but operating cost per unit of heat generated is quite low ( especially if you use solar).

The gentleness and prevalence of the heat provided can be amazing. However, it is a system best and most efficiently used on a reasonably well sealed home.

No- one uses electric coils here...way too expensive to run.

AestheticsInMotion > wafflesnfalafel 07/24/2019 at 19:08

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Yeah that seems like a nightmare. Better trust the installers and the guys doing the floor

Nick Has an Exocet > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 20:28

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Rambutan is awesome. Jackfruit is in the same family as durian, so technically, you should probably wear gloves when eating either :)

*Rambutan. Rasputin is this guy:

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 20:38

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Your tile work looks awesome. The rest of that bathroom...well, if I was paying $15k  for a shower (OMFG THATS INSANE, by the way), I’d figure out some way to come up with enough for the rest of the room. 

punkgoose17 > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 21:02

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I am too tired to read all this, but a cheap tile saw works pretty well it won't last as long as an expensive one though.

OPPOsaurus WRX > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 21:19

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I used the tubing on my house. I couldn’t tell you why. I didn;t even look into the electric mats at all. that stuff was a blast to put down.

using a regular saw as a tile saw sounds like an good way to get zapped

Taema > AestheticsInMotion 07/24/2019 at 21:45

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Pretty cool! I'm about to get a bunch of wedi board and do my bathrooms. Almost done demo work which was all fucking particle board.

AestheticsInMotion > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/25/2019 at 01:22

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Neat! Does it work well? 

AestheticsInMotion > Nick Has an Exocet 07/25/2019 at 01:22

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I can't wait to try durian 

Nick Has an Exocet > AestheticsInMotion 07/25/2019 at 01:38

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I had some durian moon cake by accident when I was in Singapore . It was not good. When I looked down at the flavor, they had a little durian symbol and I almost died. I basically dove full steam into whatever next sample I could get my hands on to dull the terribleness.

Yeah, grabbing free samples at a Chinese mooncake festival when you don’t speak chinese is not really recommended.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 07/30/2019 at 12:39

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How does rambutan compare to lychee? I’ve never seen/tried one and they’re apparently closely related.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 07/30/2019 at 12:42

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Eric @ opposite-lock.com > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 07/30/2019 at 12:48

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My grandfather did true custom work for ridiculous homes in the hills/mountains around Los Angeles for a while, so clearly at some point people spent money on quality work. Today, even in nice houses, they’re usually  the cheapest wooden boxes that can be built with slightly decorative doors screwed on them...

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 07/30/2019 at 12:56

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Seattle and environs... The stuff I see people burn money on boggles the mind.

AestheticsInMotion > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 07/31/2019 at 11:05

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Couldn't tell you, I've never had lychee. Rambutan tastes like a grape and a cantaloupe had a baby