NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/rec/woodwork/8717

Text File | 1992-12-22 | 3.0 KB | 74 lines

Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!darwin.sura.net!ra!wintermute.phys.psu.edu!atlantis.psu.edu!ems.psu.edu!pangaea.ems.psu.edu!sak
From: [e-mail] (Sridhar Anandakrishnan)
Subject: Thanks for the help on the Tile-Top table.  Summary and Followup.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: Geosciences Dept., Penn State Univ., University Park, PA, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 18:49:21 GMT
Lines: 62

Just a quick followup.  I asked some questions earlier about a
tile-top table, and got many good answers.  Here is what I learnt:

The table is done, and looks pretty good (if I do say so myself! :-)).
Some things I learnt:

    I used _unsanded_ grout, which has a smoother, less gritty
    feel than the sanded variety.  The drawback is that you must have
    thinner grout lines (1/8" or less).

    I did not butt the tiles against the inside of the edge
    molding for two reasons: (1)  there are enough irregularities in
    the tile edge, and with the glaze drips down the edge that you would
    never get them flush;  and (2) the glue squeeze out from the glue-up
    of the edge molding would have been a bear to scrape off completely,
    and now it is just hidden under the grout.

    There are two flavors of grout sealer -- silicone (cheaper)
    and acrylic (expensive).  I went with the acrylic because of
    claims (believable? not?) that it lasts longer.

    Rather than buy a grout float at Color Tile or an hardware
    store, I just used my windshield washing squeegee (the hard rubber
    edge that you use to scrape off the water after scrubbing bug-juice
    off).  Worked great.

    Base was 3/4" plywood and I applied a coat of sanding sealer
    to the underside to keep moisture-related size changes down.
    Necessary? Not?  Who knows, I did it for insurance.  I did not prepare
    the side that I stuck tile to at all.

    My table is 3'1/2 x 4'3/4 and I used 35 tiles (8" square --
    well, actually 7"3/4 to 7"13/16) which cost $10 (the odds-and-ends
    table at the local tile place) or ~$35 at Color Tile.

    Grout: $8 for 5#, and half the carton is in my basement.
    Adhesive: (Liquid Nails Tile Adhesive) $7/tin (qt?) and I used
    2 tins.
    Sealer: $13 (expensive variety) $7-8 cheaper one.

    Plywood: I used Birch (fewer voids and more stable, or so they
    say at the lumber yard, and who am I, a mere academic, to argue). $42
    per sheet ( I have 1/3 sheet in the garage left over).

    Table legs and frame and leaves and edge: I used hard maple.
    $1.70 - $2.20 per bf (1x to 2x).  Surfaced 2 sides, and one
    edge squared. I used about 25 bf.

Many thanks to the following (and others who responded) about my
question about making tile-top table.

From: [e-mail] (Dan Wood)
From: [e-mail] (Doug Bering)
From: [e-mail] (Ralph D Clifford)
From: [e-mail] (Reid Simpson)
From: [e-mail] (Stuart Staniford-Chen)
From: [e-mail] (Ralph D Clifford)`
From: [e-mail] (Guy Smith)
From: [e-mail] (Steve Rogers)

Ciao, Sridhar.