Tile Your World: John Bridge's New Tile Setting Book

by John P. Bridge

Book Overview

As of November 2008 TILE YOUR WORLD is still the only available book that covers ceramic tile showers completely. A comprehensive and in-depth guide for amateur and professional ceramic tile setters.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974275433
• ISBN13: 9780974275437
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Mistflower Press
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful resource that keeps on giving

As a dedicated DIYer with no tiling experience, I needed a book that would provide a good overview as well as the details to actually get the job done. This book presents the necessary information in a manner that benefits novices and pros alike. I was able to read the book cover to cover without losing interest. I then dug back into the book to re-read material to gain a more thorough understanding. When I've not been able to figure something out, I've posted questions directly to an active web-based forum hosted by the author (great resource and the book makes a pointer to it--that's the "keeps on giving" reference in the review title and it was worth the price of the book alone!). The only ding I'd give the book is that a good portion of the images are printed too small. As a newbie, I'd appreciated larger images throughout and would have been glad to pay a little more for it.

A Must Buy...

Doing tile right takes a bit of time and a bit of money. Most "do-it-yourself" books will give short shrift to tile laying, put in some pretty pictures and make it look easy. And they your tile will pop up or crack five years later. Tile should last decades. And sometimes it can take a lot of work to prepare a surface, and some surfaces shouldn't even be tiled at all. With that in mind, finding good information and digesting it is a must before taking any steps. John Bridge's book does a top notch job of covering a wide variety of tiling specifics and generalities. In addition to all the gory details he has a motivating "can-do" writing style that encourages success. Furthermore, his online website and tiling forums are an amazing resource and clearly demonstrate his willingness to make a major contribution to both professional and do-it-yourself tiling laying. Do yourself a favor, get this book and Michael Byrne's "Setting Tile" before doing a thing. A 15-minute Home Depot "how-to" seminar can be a dangerous thing - get real useful info instead.

Real hands-on advice from an expert

I'm midway through remodeling a 50 year old house, and I've become something of a connoiseur of these do-it-yourself books. A lot of books from this genre provide a basic description of the work involved but gloss over the details. These often seem to have been written by someone who writes for a living, and who may or may not own a hammer or a drill themselves. Tile Your World is one of the best, perhaps THE best DIY books I've read. The author John Bridge has clearly and thoroughly documented what he's learned during his hands-on career as a tile guy. The book contains the requisite sections on tools, types of tiles, substrates, etc. Where it excels is in its detailed discussion of the subtleties associated with tiling walls, floors, showers, outdoor surfaces, kitchen backsplashes, etc. By way of example, the section on tiling a shower spans over 100 pages and includes over 100 photos. Along the way you'll get advice on everything from plumbing updates to what to do if you discover termites during tearout of the old shower. The text is consistently readably and often amusing as well. It's worth at least a dollar or two of the purchase price just to read John's advice on how to select fine wines, buried as it is within the discussion on how to ensure that the slope of a shower floor is correct. Finally, I have to heap a bit more praise on the tiling discussion forums that John runs on his web page. I gather that I'm not allowed to mention the URL in this review, but it should be *painfully* obvious given the title of the book. Like the book, the quality of the advice provided on the discussion forums rises well above the (relatively low) standard for the DIY industry. Imagine novice tilers posting questions about complex issues, and actually getting timely and detailed responses from industry practitioners who seem to really know their stuff. My hat's off to the author of Tile Your World, and if he's ever in my neck of the woods here in Kentucky, he's more than welcome drop by and use my newly-tiled bathroom.

Best of its kind

I used Mr. Bridge's earlier book "Ceramic Tile Setting" a few years ago when I tiled our bathroom. It was a wonderful resource, far better than the other books on tiling that I read through. I raved about it so much that friends borrowed it and it wound up getting away from me. When we moved this summer and needed to do some tile work in the new house, I decided to buy another copy and was pleased to find an updated book available. "Tile Your World" is as good as it gets in a how to book. The instructions and explanations are very clear and the writing style is entertaining and motivating. This book should be mandatory for any DIY tile projects.

The ONLY reference needed for any tile project

John's writing will not only give you the knowledge to do a first rate job on any tile project,but he will also make the learning fun in his easy Texas style of writing.With additional information from proffessional tilesetters and tradesmen from around the country you will get more bang for your buck than any other single DIY book i have seen.Top this off with an address for th Tile Your World tile forum manned by pro's to deal with any immediate concerns or problems and the combination cannot be beat.If you are contemplating a tile installation in your home,this is one purchase you will never regret.From wall to floor from counters to leveling this book covers the entire spectrum.Tile Your World even features information on differant types of membranes for waterproofing,uncoupling and antifracture and where and when to use them.In addition you will find sections on self leveling cements,backerboards,varieties of setting materials and when and where to use them.As a pro tile contractor i cant stress enough the need for quality information and mechanically sound advice.Written in a manner friendly to the layman,Tile Your World hits the mark on all counts!!