Should you be considering installation of a ceramic tile shower, you should carefully choose appropriate tiles. For a shower it is good to be using ceramic or mosaic tiles with glazing. Estimate the number of tiles required for the purpose from the plan of your house. And, do add a margin of ten percent to cover the likely wastage.

Important notes:

Initially, it may appear to be a simple job that can be accomplished within a few days, but needs a lot of accurate work and detailed planning and may take longer than your expectations.

• Shower installation should be undertaken at the beginning of the renovation work.
• New water supply lines should first be assembled as per the instructions of the manufacturer. The parts of pipes coming out of the wall should be in place and ready for being connected at the desired time. Water supply must be switched off.
• Simultaneously, you can sound proof the stall by using insulations amid the studs.
• Ensure to locate the drain at a level higher than the base of the shower stall.

1. Make the water-repellent structure

1. Using a knife with carbide tip and a T-square cut off the fiberglass mesh on one side of the panel and snap it up like normal drywall, thus making openings for different pipes. The rough side should be installed to face the inside of the shower. You may use any gypsum or fiber cement board but make sure to make accurate measurements.

2. Fix the boards to the framework with the help of 1 ½” galvanized roofing nails or treated wood screws.

3. Cover the joints with a reinforcing nylon or fiberglass tape. Follow it up by spreading polymer glue on the joints, mainly in corners and junctions. Let it remain undisturbed for 24 to 48 hours to facilitate hardening.

2. Install the shower stall base

1. Keep the shower stall base on the floor to guarantee that the latter is equal and in level. Ascertain that the drain opening matches well with the location of the waste pipe. Take out the base.

2. Assemble watertight parts of the drain, which finally connects, to the plumbing system. Keep the base back to its place.

3. Using liquid soap coat the rubber ring, which seals the connection to the drain. Then, slide the ring in its place.

4. Fix the base to the wall studs as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

5. Cover the drain with a sponge to prevent its getting blocked due residual dust.

3. Lay the wall tiles

1. Measure and mark the position where the tile wall will end. The frame of the shower stall supporting the glass door should directly be attached to the wall, outside the tiles.

2. Now, start laying the tiles from the bottom and at the junction of both walls. For keeping them straight trace guidelines with a chalk line and continue following the same.

3. Tiles around the pipes wherever the plumbing “exits” from the wall should be cut. After the adhesive becomes dry, fill the gaps between the tiles and the pipe with silicone to prevent water penetration.

4. After the adhesive becomes dry remove the spacers. Using a rubber float apply grout taking care to thoroughly seal the joints.

5. Take away surplus grout using a sponge or damp rag.

4. Install the faucets and shower stall frame

1. Put in the faucets (shower spout, water supply lever).

2. Screw the shower stall frame that finally supports the glass panels straight in to the wall outside the tiles.

3. Wipe off all the surfaces using a dry cloth after finishing the work.



4. Take out the sponge from the drain and tightly screw the drain strainer in its place.

5. End with applying a silicone joint on the border of the faucets and shower stall, as also at the wall and frame junction and at other places suggested by the manufacturer.

6. For installing accessories, faucets and supports for the shower you may first attach a masking tape on the wall at the desired position to point out your markings and avoid cracking of ceramic. Drill the holes and fix accessories in the end.

The advantages of having a shower stall with ceramic include: a very wide choice, very durable solid material, easy maintenance and the attractive looks, unique to ceramics. Do take help of your dealer for comparing quality, prices and styles. Any good dealer will be happy to offer required help.

Learn how to measure your home for carpet in four simple steps.  Avoid being overcharged for carpet, pad and installation. Free Carpet Yardage Chart. This will give you a basic estimate so you can know how much carpet you will need to buy before you begin shopping for carpet.

After you do all four steps and measure your home for carpet, you can take your diagrams to the carpet retailer or other carpet seller and they can determine how much carpet you need from your diagram. This will help you confirm how much carpet you need and prevent you from being overcharged. Carpet Measuring

Step One

Draw a simple diagram of your home. I did this drawing on my computer using a simple ” paint” program, you have a paint program on your computer too, look in “accessories” in your program files. The drawing doesn’t have to be perfect but the measurements need to be accurate. Just a simple drawing with all the rooms shown is all you need. If you have a two story home, then do two drawings, one for upper , one for lower. Your drawing should look something like this:

Step Two

Now you need to measure each room and write down the measurements on your diagram. We will round up each measurement to the nearest 1/2 foot mark. if your room is 15 feet 3 inches long, round it up to 15 feet 6 inches or 15.5. (We will use the decimal .5 instead of 6″inches) This little bit of extra carpet will help make sure you have enough. There is only one thing worse than not having enough carpet to finish the job, and that is being charged for more material than you actually need.

If your room is 15 feet 8 inches long round it up to 16 feet or 16.0

Always mark the length first, then the width to make thing uniform. (example 15 x 10.5)

How do I know which is length and which is width? It doesn’t matter, just choose a direction and measure each room the same way.

Here is how it should look after you measure.

Notice that I have colored vinyl flooring areas yellow. The white areas have carpet.

Step Three

Make a list of your measurements and multiply the length by the width of each room. Then add them up for a total square footage. It should look like this:

Living room 27.5 x 15.0 = 412.5

Hall 16.0 x 4.5 = 72.0

Bedroom 1 16.0 x 9.5 = 152.0

Bedroom 2 16.0 x 9.5 = 152.0

788.5 square feet

Step Four

Add 10% to the total. This makes allowances for seams and other extra carpet needed to complete the job.

788

+78

866 square feet

To get the total yardage, divide the square footage by 9.

866 divided by 9 = 96.22 square yards.

That’s it! If your home is larger or has a difficult floor plan it will be more difficult to measure. If you have stairs you can access my stair yardage chart in my ebook Check out my Room Yardage Chart

Measuring Carpet for Stairs:

Measuring for stairs can be very tricky. Some stairs are wrapped over one or both sides, some have to be upholstered which may require additional material, some are pie shaped and are very difficult to measure, some have landings that must be considered. I have included a stair yardage chart in my eBook to help you measure a simple flight of stairs.

Important to Remember:

Carpet usually comes 12 feet wide

Other widths that may be available are 13.5 and 15 feet. These are much less common and may or may not be a good choice for you depending on your room sizes. Only a professional can determine the best course of action that will be most cost effective for you.

There will be some material waste if your room is less than 12 ft wide.

You must have seams if your room is wider than 12 feet.

All carpet in connecting rooms must run in the same direction.

Order my downloadable E-book to save the most money on your carpet purchase.

To calculate your total square footage for a room, just multiply your room width and length together.

Example 1:

Here is what a 10 x 10 room would add up to 13.33 yards: (Remember, carpet comes 12 feet wide)

That is 12′ width x 10′ length = 120 square feet divided by 9 = 13.33 yards.

In this case, there would be 2 feet x 10 feet of carpet waste because the room is less than 12 feet wide.

Example 2:

A simple 15 x 20 room would add up to 33.33 yards.

That is 15 x 20 = 300 divided by 9 = 33.33 yards.

In this case, there would need to be a 3′ ft. x 20′ ft. seam along one wall in this size of a room because the carpet width is only 12 feet wide, but this extra material is already figured into the total yardage of 33.33 yards.

Check out my Room Yardage Chart

Remember, you are just getting a basic estimate of your material needs, you will most likely need a few more or less yards than you figure here, so don’t be surprised if you are quoted 5 to 10% more or less than you calculated here and using my yardage chart. It is always wise to get a professional to measure your home accurately before ordering carpet.

So what’s the reason behind the lack of handy-jobs no know how? Partners who automatically call a handyman when a job needs doing and long hours spent at work are the two main reasons.

However, almost half of the 2000 men surveyed said no one had ever taught them how to carry out straightforward tasks and had never got around to teaching themselves. Of the men surveyed 73 percent didn’t know how to change a leaking tap while 61 percent said they didn’t know how to lay turf. One in five added that when they attempted to fix a problem, they only made it worse.

When it’s best to hire a pro

“I would hire a professional to do anything that has to do with utilities,” says James F. Basnett Jr., president of Basnett Design Build Remodel of Littleton, Massachusetts.

Projects such as installing plumbing for a new shower stall or wiring a garage require permits and must be up to code. Few DIYers know these regulations, and Basnett himself says he always relies on the expertise of licensed plumbers and electricians for those types of tasks.

“Be careful with anything having to do with drainage,” Basnett adds. “That can really cause big problems.” Energy efficiency is another tricky area, as new technologies are continually being introduced that change best practice building techniques.

“Anything to do with insulation and wind stoppage — many builders don’t know how to do that right,” Basnett says. “So I guarantee that most homeowners don’t know how to do it.” Improper installation of moisture barriers, for example, can contribute to serious problems such as interior mold or ice dams on the roof.

Should you do the work yourself? The answer depends upon a number of factors, including your abilities, your collection of tools and safety gear, your time, and your inclination to roll up your sleeves.

Unless you are a highly skilled do-it-yourselfer, avoid taking on jobs that may be dangerous, particularly difficult, or where a mistake can be quite costly. Some jobs simply are not worth the risk.

For example, think twice before doing: * Extensive electrical work * Plumbing that involves crawling under the house * Roofing work on a steeply-pitched or high roof * Difficult or laborious work, such as chopping out and pouring a new concrete floor. Consider you skills, tools, and time.

Then take a closer look at your options before you make a final decision.

Although introduced to the US market less than a decade ago, laminate flooring has rapidly become one of the hottest selling floor products in the United States today. Its popularity can be much attributed to its ease of installation, affordable price, ability to withstand tough utilization and much more. It’s no wonder that billions of square feet of it have been sold over the years to homeowners all over the country, and even more worldwide.

When installing laminate flooring, the first step is determining how much flooring you need. Measure the floor area you plan to cover and add then 10 percent to allow for waste. After buying the flooring, store it inside your house to acclimate it to room temperature. This will help prevent it from accumulating moisture as well as reducing expansion and contraction.

Slide the plank into position and use a tapping block to make the joints as tight as possible. Don’t strike the tongue of the plank with the hammer, as you could damage it. Install the first three rows and then let them dry for an hour before you install the remaining planks. Stagger the joints within each run so that they are at least 8″ away from the joints of the preceding run.

Gary Pack Lumber has flooring materials for every project – from home renovation to commercial construction. With the beauty and durability of natural stone tile, the refinement of ceramic tile flooring, or the elegance of hardwood flooring in either solid or engineered hardwood, you’ll find quality flooring products at wholesale prices to met every building need and budget. We have the world’s top brands and can provide you with a broad range of styles, cuts, and colors, in traditional and modern flooring materials. Compare the benefits of our various lines and discover the best flooring product for your project.