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My buddy in construction said he always uses a 2x4 as a straight edge for tile work
We were grabbing a beer after work and he mentioned he never buys a fancy leveling system for his bathroom floors. He just grabs a cheap, long 2x4 from the yard and checks it across the tiles before the mortar sets. I tried it on my own kitchen backsplash last weekend and it saved me like $40 on a tool I'd only use once. Do you guys have any other simple tricks like that for keeping things level?
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richard5812mo ago
Yeah, that 2x4 trick is solid. For walls, I keep a bag of those plastic tile spacers from the dollar store. Snap them in half if you need a thinner line. Also, a cheap spray bottle with water. Mist the back of the tile right before you set it. Gives you a little more time to slide it around and get it perfect before the thinset skins over.
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jaden692mo ago
Totally on board with the 2x4 method. For years I used the handle of my grout float as a straight edge for smaller jobs. Another good one is using a cheap plastic putty knife to clean thinset out of the grout lines before it dries. Saves your margin trowel and you can just bend it if you need to.
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Oh man, I love this stuff. It's like the whole DIY world runs on these little hacks, using the cheap simple thing that works just as good. Like @richard581 with the spray bottle, that's pure genius for a common problem. You see it everywhere once you start looking, people just figuring out smarter ways to do things with what they already have.
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