Wow Crowbob. Those look great! Please come do my house.

Cracking tile (that is not over concrete) is typically the fault of improper backing. Cement underlayment is the way to go. The big box stores used to sell (and may still) some kind of fiberboard tile underlayment that is cheaper, lighter, easier to work with and totally inferior.

Would love to, fint. Especially since you’re nearby and necessarily rich.

And thank you.

Looks great, C-B. Impressive work.

Over solid subfloor, I used a good thinset/Hardieboard base with backerboard nails all over....no flex or cracks.

I would make you a fabulous sandwich…come when you have a blizzard coming there. You will thank me.

This was all on concrete (main floor slab).

LOL....Methinks the sammich is only part of the deal....but CB is a wisely man ;).

Are y'all as meticulous (and SLOW) as I am on stuff like this? It's a curse I tell ya....

The conundrum between meticulous and timely is a tough one. You have to balance them out. For example, I stopped being too careful when I discovered that no matter how many times I cut it, it’s still too short.

Boy, isn't that the truth! I obsess over things to the point I just can't be happy with what I've done. My eyes go straight to the flaws. But then, after a couple months, I forget where the flaws are and appreciate the cumulative result. Just think about it this way: at the subatomic level, everything fits together perfectly.

All you have to do is look around at all the commercial tile work done by pros at the mall, restaurants and businesses to feel good about your tile work. Grout hides all evil!

One day back in the late 1900's I actually got on my hands and knees and looked down the tile joint of one one of the main thoroughfares inside our local anchor mall just for Schlitz. Tile as far as you can see. I was amazed. Absolutely straight right to the vanishing point.

It's going on 30 years of home improvement at my place. On some things I'm starting the second go-round of removing/replacing/repairing worn out and/or dated stuff. You should see some of the bone-headed, jurry-rigged, just-short-of-ducktape hack jobs I'm coming across that the dumbazz guy ahead of me did...

...oh wait.

Nevermind.

I think the same guy does work on my house!