Complete Tile

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Technical Workbook
Review: Whether you like this book or not will depend on whether you are looking for design ideas or a how-to book. If the latter, then you will find this a source for all the basic techniques. After short introductory chapters on the various kinds of tile (ceramic, stone, vinyl, laminate, etc.) and the tools needed to work with them, Steve Corey starts right in with chapters on tiling floors, walls, countertops, and patios. A short chapter on care and repair wraps everything up. The discussions are clear and well illustrated.

Where the book falls short is in discussing design principles and providing lots of examples. Anyone who has ever wandered into a tile store has found an almost limitless number of possibilities and alternatives. And price tags from pennies all the way to horrendous. What is really needed is a book that makes order out of this chaos and helps the reader understand how best to fulfill a set of requirements. Otherwise, the potential tiler is left to a great deal of guesswork.

In the final analysis, more than one book is needed. While this is an excellent technical resource, be prepared to turn to other resources. The more information and ideas the merrier until you find the style that best suits your one needs.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Technical Workbook
Review: Whether you like this book or not will depend on whether you are looking for design ideas or a how-to book. If the latter, then you will find this a source for all the basic techniques. After short introductory chapters on the various kinds of tile (ceramic, stone, vinyl, laminate, etc.) and the tools needed to work with them, Steve Corey starts right in with chapters on tiling floors, walls, countertops, and patios. A short chapter on care and repair wraps everything up. The discussions are clear and well illustrated.

Where the book falls short is in discussing design principles and providing lots of examples. Anyone who has ever wandered into a tile store has found an almost limitless number of possibilities and alternatives. And price tags from pennies all the way to horrendous. What is really needed is a book that makes order out of this chaos and helps the reader understand how best to fulfill a set of requirements. Otherwise, the potential tiler is left to a great deal of guesswork.

In the final analysis, more than one book is needed. While this is an excellent technical resource, be prepared to turn to other resources. The more information and ideas the merrier until you find the style that best suits your one needs.