What made the tile job easier?

while we are by NO MEANS tile pros....I would say that we are some serious DIY'ers and that we do know when a project has kicked our ass. I am not going to go step by step on how to tile, but I will describe some of the things that made it easiers.

1. The 4 beam laser level. Plumb? Square? Level? YEP! This thing ( see the red line in the picture) allowed us to see if the tile were sliding, or not on the level.

2. Wet Tile Saw. - What a dream this machine is. This puppy plundge cuts, bevel cuts, and slides like ichiro stealing 2nd base. Knowing the Kerf of the diamond blade and getting use to how thick it cuts will allow you to make a tighter set.

3. The thin-set paddle mixer bit. Whatever you want to call it. I didn't spring for the$$$$ one but this thing made mixing the thin set a breeze. Be sure to clean it off after every mix or else you will hate yourself at the end of the day. It does take a drill with some guts so don't expect to hook this thing up to anything labeled Ryobi or Skil. Well you can if you want to go out and buy a new unit.
4. Help. A couple of helpers go a long way. Sandy's dad came up from SC and Sandy really threw down on some tile. I hope to get the shower floor layed this week. Anything to get me inside and out of the 100 degree heat with 200% humidity. THanks Bill!

Make sure it's level. Measure 5 times...cut twice ( cut long, then trim it up!)....rubber hammer those things in that nasty mud! Keep your eye on the entire thing. Step back...look....and don't be afraid to adjust.