I was working on a dishwasher the other day and noticed a little problem with a recent floor that was installed. The dishwasher had a leak, and needed to be pulled out. When I tried to remove the dishwasher I noticed the floor (tile) had been put in all the way up to the dishwasher feet, and at such a height that I could not remove it.

Something we often forget when we are finishing projects in the house is how the work we are finishing now will effect projects that need to be finished later. This problem with the dishwasher was not the first time I had seen tile blocking in a dishwasher. The would be simple fix ended up costing much more time and money to repair because someone did not foresee a problem with removing the dishwasher later.

To avoid these problems (I say avoid, because it is impossible to eliminate them) try out a few simple steps on your next project.
- Look for any mechanical devices, appliances, or Plumbing that may need to come out later such as: dishwasher, trash compactor, AC/Heat, Toilet, Refrigerator, Semi-movable cabinets…etc. Try to find a way to accommodate them before you do the work.
- Is this the proper item to install in this area…ex. regular sheetrock in a wet area – you need green board.
- Is there anyone I can talk to that has finished a similar job. Maybe they have some tips, or mess ups you can learn from.
- Can I afford to fix other problems I may find along the way. Before you tear down that wall, are you sure you can pay to fix up any other damage you may find Like; Termite damage..

If there is anything you would like to add please do…
Luke

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I recently picked up a Corian (not too recently:) counter top for my bathroom sink. It did not have a back splash for it, so I had to improvise. This is a typical theme for my house…pick up something and make everything else work with it. I installed subway tile in the shower and liked the look. I wanted a raised backsplash so that it had the appearance that I didn’t just glue some tiles to the sheet rock, so I chose the raised bull nose tile for my edging. The problem with this choice is that I had to shim the tiles something (they couldn’t just float). What I did to solve this problem is I put a 1/2″ strip of Dens Shield under the tile. I measured the width of the tile and three quarters of the bull nose (it has to be cut a little short because the bull nose goes all the way to the wall). I attached the strip of Dens Shield to the wall with Liquid Nails and several 1 – 3/4″ screws. ***Note *** You can use 1/2 plywood or water resistant sheetrock as a shim. *** After the shim dried I used wall mastic and regular grout to finish the job. This is an easy fix that can be applied for most back splashes, most subway tile have some sort of raised bull nose tile. If you are using a stone tile you can raise the tile with a plywood trim and put a wood trim to finish it off on top. Here is a pic of the backsplash….

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