Well look at you, a tiling all-star and everything! Congrats on the progress!

And when you're done there...you're hired! lol

Impressive! I love the chevron pattern.

Mongoct I could not have done this job without the help from you, Bill V, and Stonetech.

That Ditra was a challenge. I had no idea that my thinset bed wasn't level and competently applied. That Ditra told the real story. It now has been instrumental in helping me follow a line. Those grids are terrific. There is about a 1/4" deviation on the right side as I have laid this amount of tile. The tiles are drifting away from the wall ever so slightly (1/4" in about 3'). But this area will be covered by a sink base.

Here is my floor plan: I think I am setting the tile, in real life, a little better than I set it in this drawing ;)
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Looks terrific so far! If the floor comes out anywhere close to your awesome herringbone kitchen backsplash, it will be gorgeous!

I just noticed...you rotated the pattern 45-degrees from your original drawing way back when. It looks nice on the diagonal, the floor tile draws your eye all across the room instead of just straight through it.

Yes, mongoct you remembered ;) I did rotate it! Interesting subtile detail about how the eye travels through the room with the pattern set at 45.

I spun that drawing around and around, one month straight on, then at 45, then I thought I'd settled on straight on. Last month I went back to the diagonal. As I was cutting the tiles, I laid it out in both styles. I would have been happy with either. My kitchen is connected through this bathroom door and has a 45-degree pattern backsplash pattern so I thought I'd go with the 45 for continuity. I considered a running bond the full tiles, and a running bond with cut tiles. All patterns running in both directions. I read somewhere that the pattern I've chosen gives the illusion of elongating the room.

I am going to grout it with Spectralock = So far my plan is 2 parts Platinum and 1 part Silver Shadow to brighten the platinum up a bit.

But if the Spectralock Silver Shadow will not stain and stay silver/gray/white, under heavy traffic, I'd consider that too. Thoughts?

Cat_mom thanks for the nice complement! I'm only able to do about 12 sf at a time. I mix up 1/2 bag of thinset and when its gone I've got about 12sf laid. The thinset is just starting to run its coarse in about this time frame. I don't know if that is average thinset coverage or not. Experienced tilers probably are more effecient with the thinset. I wipe an awful lot off the top after it has dried :) I'm not showing the unwashed version. The unwashed tiles looked like a couple of cats had their friends over for a dance party!

LOL at the cats' dance party remark!!!

I don't know how efficient or not our tile guys are, but I do know that they are meticulous to the extreme. :-) I think you must be as well, as evidenced by the work you've shown!

Wow, looking great! Enduring, you are A M A Z I N G !

Mabeldingeldine, thanks! It is encouraging to get your complement. I now have all the edges cut out and dry fit. I will not set them until I am done with the main section where whole tiles go. I spent all day yesterday cutting all the points and laying them out for fit. Today I was going to set, but didn't :/ I have been spending a leisurely day in the house.

Ya gotta mix in some leisure. We had a looong day yesterday taking out the old tile floor in our bath. We did not finish, but took today off anyway since the sun was out! It will wait. I am so impressed with your skills! I would totally come and help you build that sink when you are ready -- sort of an apprenticeship!

Thanks Mabeldingel, I'm the apprentice! I've never done a sink before. I guess you could say it's on my bucket list. I will let you know how it comes out.

I totally agree with taking leisure.

I seem to only be able to lay about 12 sq ft of tile at any one time. It takes me 2 hours start to finish with that 12 sq ft. I remember with the kitchen backsplash I was complaining about like that too:) 1/2 a bag of thinset is all I can mix at one time. It is too much for time and for weight if I try more than that. I am probably using too much thinset under the tiles. As I have gotten into the swing of tiling I see I could be more economical on the thinset. But it is too late for that on this job, or I would have a small step between the old thinset version and the new.

I have 11 sq ft left, Yippy! It is all pre cut and ready to install. I think I have to put the threshold in before this last row, so that I can get it in to it's location at the door jamb.

Again someone wanted to see the pictures on this thread but the links where lost when i rearranged my photobucket folders. Refer to the original post for more detailed information on the pictures.

1st picture of the Ditra waviness mentioned in initial post:

2nd picture "Here is the halfway mark (or less)."

3rd picture (I think) "Closeup of my pattern and grout spacing": BTW, I have since thrown those shoes out :)

4th picture "Here is my floor plan...":

Sorry to post on an old thread. I was wondering if this Brazilian slate is the "black" or "gray," how you like it in the bath, and if you sealed it? I just found this tile today and think I'm going to order it for my bath floor. Yours looks fantastic.

I am pretty sure it is the black. It is called Montauk Black. I got it at Home Depot several years ago in 2012. I cut the size down for the herringbone pattern. It has held up just fine. I sealed the surface before grouting with a penetrating sealer that did not enhance. I used the 511 Impregnator by Miracle. I got it at HD or Lowes. The epoxy grout has been holding up very well. Of note, I dropped some bleach and it sat on the floor for around 24 hours. I noticed a lighter spot on the slate that is permanent.

This Brazilian slate is not sturdy enough to go outside in the freeze thaw of extreme weather. It is not the type that can be used for roofs for example. I read somewhere that there are different types of slate, some that are extremely hardy for outdoor use. This is not that type of slate. It has been fine for indoor use. I am very happy with it.

I found this thread as I'm considering the same tile cut to this size for a new build. Very helpful and I love the look. Curious how the floor has held up since it has been a few years? Have you had to reseal? Our builder's biggest concern is the cut edge being sharp. Do you have any issue with this or did you take any measures to prevent it? Thanks in advance for any insight!

There is no problem with sharp edges. I used it for a year as the main bathing room. No issues. Now it is used more for the "powder room" because my main bathroom is now done. But this room is heavily used during the day. The tile has held up just fine inside. The floor is flat so there are no sharp edges. I used a large grout space, that helps with transitioning between, not quiet flat tiles. The epoxy grout has held up, except I do see a slight color change from the brighter gray to a more dingy gray. It is hardly noticable, but it is there. I keep a rug at the sink to manage foot traffic. DH is a farmer and he sometimes has grime on his boots, and sometimes keeps them on to come into this part of the house. I think the dinginess might be because of that. Most people wouldn't notice though. I just always notice tile floors and their condition.

here is the link to the reveal. At the end of my initial long post is a link to a photobucket album with lots of pictures:

Bathroom Reveal (East Bathroom)