Busy day yesterday- we've been wanting to put tile up on the walls over the counters in the kitchen. We'd found the tile we wanted - but there was a slight problem finding a 3" liner tile we were looking for. We toyed with various ideas, and finally found what we wanted at a small tile shop.
So yesterday was tiling day. I'd started the prep work, carving out the tiles that were to go around the various outlets and such. It took a good while to get everything cut out properly, and even then I made a couple of mistakes. Nothing that a quick modification with a Dremel tool and a tile file couldn't take care of - but it was annoying, anyway.
Finally, after all the prep work (and prep work is key when it comes to doing something like this) I started mixing the mortar that'd hold the tiles to the wall. The instructions on the bag specified a half-inch electric drill. I had a 3/8ths Craftsman drill that I figured would do the job... and I was wrong. Overheated windings in a drill motor make such an interesting smell...
But the stuff got mixed in the end, then slathered up on the walls, and tile placed. This is the first time I've done tile work like this, and it ended up looking pretty darn sharp. Now "She who decides these things" is looking at the bathfroom floors upstairs. That'll require tearing out the old tile and will be a decided pain in the whatever. But... um... could be....
Anyway - regarding a job like this - if the instructions on the bag recommend a half-inch drill - 3/8ths may be CLOSE, but it ain't close ENOUGH. And for heaven sakes, buy yourself a good Dremel tool and a carbide bit for it. The Dremel Sue got me last year for Christmas has been VERY handy for all sorts of things, from cutting drywall to caring out holes for a telephone/cable jack in the wall, to last second chunking out of tile notches so it'd fit properly against cabinets. I could have done the job without it - but I'd have needed some VERY creative work with a tile nipper, a tile saw, and a carbide saw blade. The right tools make the job a LOT easier.
J.