I would love to take some carpentry classes so I can finally build the dry sink I have had the plans for since the 1970’s.

I have owned a couple of homes in my life and we have redone wallpaper and layed floor tiles and carpet ourselves, my husband doing most of the work.  I have actually managed to change my plumbing fixtures and replaced a garbage disposal all on my own as well as other odd repair jobs through the years.

Approximately five years ago I was financially forced to tile my tub surround rather than pay the proposed $3000 to $4000 quoted to me by a reputable kitchen & bath company in my area.  I took a class from my local home depot and along with my previous floor tiling experience and one of their “how-to” DVDs, I was able to tear off the loose wall board and very slowly replace all the backer board (cement board).  I used WonderBoard Lite because they are in 3′ x 5′ sheets and regular cement boards were far too heavy for me to work with by myself.  Once they were installed, I proceeded to spread on tile adhesive, setting the tiles in place with spacers.  After I got used to placement using the spacers I no longer needed them.  Once it dried, I applied the grout with my trowel, sponging off the excess before it dried.  Once cleaned, the grout was allowed to cure for a few days before I placed a grout sealant that has really done it’s job over the years.  I dry the tub once used, but I have never had virtually no mold or mildew grow in all these years.

Thankfully I thought to take a few pictures.  If I would have taken more shots I would have put the instructions on instructables.com.  Please see the following slide show for an idea on how this project went.

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