So, yes, it's been a while for us - Rachel started a new job at the end of August, and since she's the main blogger, things slowed down for us a bit here on the blog. If you follow our Instagram account, you may have seen some posts there showing Nathan installing the terrazzo in the bathrooms and the laundry room. For today's post, I'm going to walk you through how we installed it. Part of our delivery from Fritztile. Now, in order to obtain Fritztile, you cannot just call them up and place an order. You need to decide on what you want, then call the nearest sales representative (which, for Tucson, is in Santa Fe) to get them to order your tile. Now, Fritztile requires you to use their own brand of floor adhesive and sealer, which you need to buy for your order. Once you get your order (and if you want to install yourself), you need to make sure that the floor that you are adhering the tile to is as close to even as possible. If you are installing in a wet area (bathrooms, laundry, kitchen), odds are you will need to put down Red Guard first. Then, you can pour the leveling concrete. Fritztile recommends Level Quick. I'll be frank here - Level Quick is a huge pain in the ass if you are not a professional who uses it regularly. We got our floors relatively even, then used a small floor grinder (looks like a pumice stone) to get things as close as possible. Then, you lay out the tile in the room and figure out how much you need and where you need to cut. Laying down the tile ahead of time allows you to see if any tiles are warped, or if you have any areas that need to be ground even. Once you are satisfied with the level of the floor, then you can start putting down the adhesive. Use a serrated trowel. In order to install Fritztile, your floor and air temperature MUST be above 70°F (not a problem most of the year here in Tucson). Also, they recommend for difficult surfaces to set the tiles out in the sun for 5-10 minutes before installing - it makes the tile a bit flexible and easier to install and adhere to the adhesive. Once installed and before the adhesive dries, take a linoleum roller (you can rent them from Home Depot) and roll over to make sure the corners adhere properly. Any tiles that you need to cut can be cut with a wet saw. Then, after 24 hours, you need to clean off any extra adhesive that came up through the tiles. Then, you take the sealant and put on several coats, allowing for drying time between each. Once your sealant is dried, caulk the edges, and once that is dry, you are all done. It takes 2 to 3 days to lay the tile yourself. Sure, it is a lot of work - but we saved approximately $20 per square foot on installation costs (here in Tucson, the only people that know how to install this stuff is commercial installers, so the prices were astronomical).
Fritztile is a gorgeous product and worth hunting it out if you are interested in putting terrazzo in your mid-century restoration. More on our installation of Fritztile soon.
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About Us
In October 2016, Nathan & Rachel bought a 1958 Tom Gist custom home in the Mid-Century filled Wilshire Heights neighborhood in Tucson, AZ. This is our blog documenting the restoration! Archives
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