b'TECH TALK thatinstallingafiberglassmeshonhoursitwilltakehimtocutand the backs of my mosaics really sim- install, price it on an hourly or date plifies the installation, he said. rate,andfigureinalittleextrafor McDanielsaidscribescanbemargin of error. Gaudet, whose com-mountedonmembranesorthinpany is new to scribing, said his client backerboard,thoughhepreferstowas initially resistant to scribing and screedmyscribedareawiththin- theassociatedupcharge.Butafter setsothatIcanadjusteachpieceshowing him a few of the pieces, he meticulously,insuringthatIhaveawas in total agreement with my opin-consistentgroutlinethatmatchesion to scribe that wall, and to agree the rest of my install. It also dependsto pay the upcharge due to the look. on what you are scribing. SometimesMcDaniel, though, doesnt charge glass mosaics can be difficult to dealextra for scribing. I have never made with,sopre-mountingthemisamoney on a scribe, he said. I do it worthwhile step. because I want my work to stand out. Considering thickness is key whenI want to be known as an artist and scribing,andmatchingthetilesoracraftsman.MaybesomedayIwill grinding the tile backs is sometimesmake money from my scribing abil-necessary to achieve the proper thick- ity, but for now I am okay with being ness.Sometimeswheninstallingconsidered a Tile Badass.you may need to use different trowelInadditiontotakingyourtime, sizes to accommodate the height dif- startingsmallandhavingpatience, ference in the tile, Nordstrom said.McDanielsaidthemostimportant McDaniel tells about his most chal- thing when scribing is to have con-lenging scribing taskinstalling peb- fidence.Knowthatyoucandoit; ble mosaics around a large piece ofknow that you are doing something walnutinanentryway.Engineeringdifferentthatisgoingtostandout expansion and elevations among thewhen seen. He also recommended four surfaces and four thicknesses wasfollowingtheworkofseveraltile tricky,hesaid.Withanythingtile,setterswhohavebeensuccessful planningaheadandhavingagamewith scribingand reaching out to plangoinginisessentialtobeingthem for advice: Robert Davis, Mike successful, he said. Having a startSoho,ZackBonfilio,TomHabelt, andstoppoint,keepingyourareaCarlLeonard,andHawthorneTile. clean, making sure you have expan- In addition, he recommended view-sion, using anti-fracture membranes,ing the videos and pictures posted in uncouplingmembranes,betterset- several tile-centric Facebook groups: ting materials, non-sag thinsets; all ofGlobalTilePosse,TileGeeks,Tile these things make your job easier.Love 2.0, The Misfit Tilers, and Tilers Pricingthejobispersonal.Talktogetmoreinformationand Nordstromfiguresouthowmanyinspiration.102TileLetter | September 2019'