Before I started, I SWAGged this at being under US$500 and taking me about 3 weeks to do it. Let's see how we did.
My time and labor were free. The opportunity cost was only delay in other DIY and hobby projects. The time was between 5 and 6 weeks, but that is mostly because I only worked an hour or two a day. I had to spend a lot of think time for things that experienced people would have just taken in stride. Part of the time was spent on things that were not tiling, per se: the plumbing and the sliding glass doors.
There are a couple of mitigations on the cost of tools and materials. My main shopping was at Home Depot, Lowes, and Floor and Decor. At Home Depot and Lowes, I get a 10% discount on almost everything. They are confident in making it back on things I screw up or otherwise need to re-do. In the cost figures below, I am mostly ignoring things I had to buy more than once due to goofs or poor workmanship. I have a separate accounting for tools and supplies that could be used for future projects. But, on the other hand, I'm also not counting things I returned, either because I decided to not use them or because I bought too much. Figures are appoximate.
Item | Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|
Carrara tiles (12x24), 5 cases | 150 | Includes most of a case for the test wall |
marble trim tiles (4x16), 4 pieces | 20 | niche trim pieces |
Edge trim (2x36), 6 pieces | 60 | manufactured stone sills |
Wood look tiles (6x24), 8 pieces | 16 | shower tower and niche back walls |
Lumber | 25 | grab bar backing and niche framing |
Wood screws | 10 | |
GoBoard (36x60x0.5), 4 sheets | 100 | |
Marble penetrating sealant | 18 | For niche trim. Had to buy a pint and only used about half an ounce. |
Backerboard screws | 12 | |
Backerboard washers | 20 | |
GoBoard sealant, 2 tubes | 25 | |
other sealant, 5 tubes | 55 | temp local shortage of GoBoard sealant |
RedGard, 1 gallon | 70 | 1/3 to 1/2 left over |
Pre-mixed grout (1 gallon) | 60 | 1/3 to 1/2 left over |
Thinset mortar (50 pounds), 4 bags | 160 | Most of a bag left over |
Scotch Blue pre-taped film | 12 | painter's tape with 48 inch plastic film attached |
Grout haze remover | 15 | most of the pint left over |
Horseshoe spacers, 1/8 inch | 13 | re-usable |
Horseshoe spacers, 1/16 inch | 13 | re-usable |
Drywall shim (cardboard) | 12 | pack of 100, used about 10 |
Drywall corner bead | 12 | |
Tile leveling spacers, 1/16 inch | 14 | didn't really use these except on the test wall |
Tile leveling spacers, 1/8 inch | 37 | used about 3/4 of these |
Tile leveling shields | 26 | re-usable |
Tile leveling spin things | 25 | re-usable |
Diamond cutting wheel for dremel | 11 | many left over |
Diamond grit sanding blocks | 15 | didn't really use these |
Diamond hole saw, 1 3/8 inch | 20 | |
Pre-formed niches | 100 | |
Silicone caulk, 2 tubes | 40 | most of second tube left over |
Things in the table above total about US$1400, which is slightly above my SWAG of US$500. Add to that maybe US$100 of miscellaneous small items (rags, plastic putty knives, drop-cloths, nitrile gloves, etc) and maybe US$500 for tools (which can mostly be re-used, if only for tile projects that might never happen). That brings the grand total to the neighborhood of US$2000. Yikes.
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