Hanging Cabinets and Laying Tile

If you're short, you'd cut a filler panel to make up the difference.

 

Your layout will be easy. Cabinets are made to specific widths like 36", 39" etc. unless you're using a true custom cabinet maker. If you need to make up an inch or so in spots they will add a filler to the cabinet or send filler pieces. I had to put fillers in for dead corners and in a couple of other corners so I didn't have drawers hitting each other.

 

No problem here. I like the discussion around this. Plus I figure I will have cabinets on 3 out of 4 walls so hanging the cabinets will take me a long time.

Learning to lay tile for the first time sounds like it will be fun as well. Although I love the rewarding feeling when its all done

 

Just at a glance , I would say you have lots of play in measurments as you will need to space the fridge off the wall beside it otherwise the door will not open past 90* and you wont be able to pull out the crisper drawers with the door open .

Ask me how I learned this

 

When were you planning on hanging them? If you go half on gas with me and buy me some dinner, I might be able to come up there and give you a hand hanging them. It's only about 1.5 hour drive to Chattanooga from my house.

 

That is a great point...I'm glad you learned it and not me. I will say the island will be offset from the center in order to open the oven all the way, but as far as the refrigerator door I guess we'll have to push the island back towards the window (the top of the sketch) to make sure we can open it.

That is an amazing offer and if I was doing this by myself I would take you up on it but I have two brothers in law, one father, one father in law and a grandfather in law that are handy and live within 10 minutes of our house.

'preciate the offer though.

 

I wish you where closer to me. I always feed my help steak and beer. Havent had anyone come up with an excuse yet.

 

pre-finished hardwood floors would be easier than tile and you dont have to worry about them cracking, large tiles can be a bitch for a do it your-selfer. you should get it down to one layer of plywood, add more plywood, add concrete backerboard, add leveling compound, then tile....a lot of work and no guarantees it wont crack or the grout wont pop

 

Mmm tasty...yeah, you're a little far away haha.

 

I wouldn't go crazy trying to get the floor PERFECTLY clean. Do the best you can. Go to lowes and get Hardi Backer and lay over the subfloor. Lay your tile on that.

That's what i have done on every single floor tile job i have ever done. All are still holding strong. No creaks, no cracks, no gaps.

Some advice. Back butter your tiles. Lay one down first. Then pop it back up. Look at the mortar. You should see no backer board, and no tile. Mortar should be covering the tile and the floor COMPLETELY for a solid bond. Get the right size notch for your tools too. Small tiles dont need a 1/2" notch. 18x18's need a bigger notch than a 6x6 and so on.

For your first job, be sure to use spacers. Try and clean up all excess during the job. Longer you wait, harder it is to clean up the mortar. Take a razor blade and scrape between the tiles where the grout goes. make sure you don't have excess mortar sticking up between the tiles. Just about all i can think of. Oh yeah, definitely get a cheap tile saw. Think i got a cheap skill saw from lowes when i first started for like $69. Its been through 2 kitchens, 6 bathrooms, 2 showers, and a countertop. More than paid for itself. My next job i will need to replace the blade.