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Installing a Bluestone Floor

Bob discusses the bluestone floor being installed in the floor of the greenhouse. A landscape cloth set below the stone dust to prevent water from seeping through causing the stones to wobble. The stones are being installed in a diagonal pattern and with enough space for drainage.

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Installing a Bluestone Floor

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Installing a Bluestone Floor

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" The Florida greenhouse could just speed gravel but since this is really greenhouse conservatory we wanted something a little bit more permanent. We using in native bluestone if you look over here we've we've laid the bluestone. About wet in a mortar bed along the perimeter that's the secret to keeping all the dry laid. Stones remember drifting around we're putting it down on a couple or four inches of stone dust but in between this donut and a crushed stone below. This material which have been landscape -- Will make sure that the stone dust -- through with water and if it people were to seep through that you can get stones wobbling right. How much to the stone dust you put down for bad. Forth has at least yet. And the stone dust is really the same as the bluestone which is a native fieldstone that we get around here different parts of the country find different types of stone right right. And it's quarry it. And random sizes six and principles that the very complicated pattern because it's being laid. I'm biased as you can see here in the in this -- these are the perimeter walls. This is the steps back here it's all being put an angle all the stones are in a variety of different stock sizes about a half dozen different sizes. To create an unusual pattern. How did you get started. -- we have a subtle line that we're working off here. And everything's laid off that that's like a reference point so that your basic reference for measuring right and it's up parallel off this wall -- what about cutting this material."

" We have circular thought it was a right now on the blade and that the kept pretty. Pretty simple assault with those kind of thoughts and now we've got pretty much any angle happened."

" The beauty of this installation is that is -- page you can just pounded into place with your ballot and if the little lovely just as a Morse tone deaf. How important is leveling got. It's pretty important to use a level almost like this mallet and them trying to get everything level we're just it's going through that job. Why do you need -- just to get a little bit a lot of them to move but basically it's it's designed for a roster mystery for surface drainage which is one of the reasons you left enough about. Gaps in between the stones looked like on an average maybe it happened right just about a half -- This does come through pretty regular. Actually there are you -- they vary in size -- movement so that again gives you a fudge factor right. OK well if that happens with a way to go but when this is completed is going to be an excellent solar top. Heat gain think of that work as we've got about the -- of crushed stone below this floor. And in the wintertime that sunlight will get in here it heat all that mess up so that -- relief that the energy that's been trapped."

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Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Bathrooms are, like it or not, wet areas. Even if the rest of your house has gleaming hardwood floors, they re not the best choice for your bathroom. While some wood-look laminates can be glued and sealed to resist moisture, if water does get beneath the surface, the affected panels have to be replaced, which isn t simple or cheap. Cork flooring, properly installed and treated, can be a good alternative if you want that warm wood feeling. Cork is sustainably harvested, naturally anti-microbial and mildew-resistant. All it needs is a coat or two of eco-friendly acrylic binder to seal the joints and make it suitable for bathroom installation. Polished stone or glossy tile are slippery when wet, so if you re going with tile, look for a sandblasted or textured finish. Any stone or tile can be very cold underfoot, so consider installing a radiant heat mat beneath it. Stone and porcelain tile can be very expensive, but there s a huge variety of ceramic and glass tile available from $3 to $20 per square foot, installed. Tile installation is an advanced do-it-yourself job that can be physically demanding and time-consuming. But even if you hire a pro, it s a good investment. Some Realtors estimate that every dollar you spend on tile installation adds $1.50 to your home s value. For budget installations, vinyl tiles are the cheapest and easiest to work with. They don t last as long as sheet vinyl, though, and the gaps between them can be hard to seal. While it s a myth that sheet vinyl is an easy do-it-yourself project, there are lots of great new patterns and colors to choose from, costing between $2 and $7 a square foot. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Preparing a Shower Pan for Tumbled Stone Tile Installation

Bob watches tile setter, Tim Galvin build up a shower pan and tile. The pan helps protect the surrounding area from moisture. Tim applies a mortar on top of the pan and then sets the tile in place.

Supporting the Chimney Flues and Hearth

Bob and the mason discuss the chimney. Pointing out that we have two flues, one for the boiler in the basement and one for the wood stove. By code, the ceramic flue liners need to be surround by at least four inches of solid masonry (the chimney). The mason tells Bob how they are going to attach the pipe from the wood stove to the flue. Then the mason shows how easy it is to cut a four-inch cement block with a hydraulic jack. The mason and Bob then discuss the supports for the hearth, including a concrete table and a blue stone finishing floor.