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There are certain home improvement projects do-it-yourselfers tackle on a regular basis – not only to save money, but for the satisfaction they get out of doing them. Among the most popular, painting and laying down floor tile.
There’s nothing tricky about painting. All you have to do is mask the things you don’t want to paint, like window trim and baseboards, and go to town. But laying down tile, well that’s a whole different story.
Even experienced contractors say it’s a project that can “really be a pain.” First you have to spread the adhesive, then take the time to put spacers around each tile as you work your way around the room, only to eventually have to spend even more time taking all those tiny spacers out.
Frustrated by having to do that on a daily basis, a contractor named Curtis Claxton from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands came up with an invention that has made the process a lot easier. The Set & Go Floor Tile Setter, manufactured by Massachusetts-based Prazi USA, is a hand-held device that allows you to lay down an entire floor in a fraction of the time it took the old way.
All you have to do is adjust the tool’s sliding rulers to the size of your floor tile (the tool works for tiles sized from 8 to 16 inches) and lock them in place with the attached screws. Next, secure the spacers you want to use to the underside of the tool, and start laying tile. You can lay down up to three of tiles at a time.
Set-&-Go Spacers are available for different tile patterns in 1/4" or 1/8" grout widths. The Standard (1/4”) spacers come with each kit. Also available are “T” spacers that allow you to lay tiles in a staggered pattern, as well as against flat surfaces; “L” spacers that enable you to space between square corners, against straight edges and in the middle of square areas; and flat spacers that let you space between octagonal tiles, angle cut tiles and against straight edges.
After you tap the tiles into place in the thin set, all you have to do to continue is carefully lift the tool and put it down over the next tile allowing you to set 3 more tiles.
Jeff Aspey of Kittery, Maine, discovered the tool when he was about half-way through a project in his kitchen. “After purchasing the Set & Go I was able to complete the project in half the time because it was so much easier. I would highly recommend this tool for anybody who plans on laying a new tile floor,” he says.
The Set & Go Floor Tile Setter is sold in home improvement stores across the country, and is also available direct from the manufacturer.
To learn more about the device, or to place an order, log on to www.praziusa.com or call (800) 262-0211. - ARA |
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