My dad called my first tile job 'a drunk spider web' and it stuck with me

I was so proud of the bathroom floor I did in my old apartment about five years ago. I used those cheap 12 inch tiles from the big box store and just went for it, thinking grout would hide any mess. My dad came over, looked down, and said, 'Looks like a drunk spider tried to spin a web down here.' He wasn't wrong. The lines were all over the place because I didn't use any spacers or chalk lines, just my eye. It hurt to hear, but he showed me how to snap a center line and work out from there, and to use those little plastic crosses even if it felt slow. Now, every time I set tile, I hear that 'drunk spider' line in my head and I take the extra twenty minutes to lay it out right. It made a huge difference on my kitchen backsplash last year. What's the best piece of tough advice you got that actually helped your work?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris_dixon912d ago

My uncle told me my first paint job looked like a toddler attacked the trim with a roller. I was cutting in freehand and it was a wavy mess. He made me redo the whole edge with frog tape and a good brush, and now that's the only way I'll do it. That sting of criticism was the best lesson, because now I see clean lines and know I did it right. It's funny how those blunt comments stick with you and actually make you better.

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the_nina1d ago

@iris_dixon91 brutal feedback works wonders.