Hello from the Wild Wild West (Alberta, Canada) - Tile Advice

[tileman1]

I've just joined Tilers Forum. What a great idea. I've been setting tile in all its forms since 1966 and still enjoy it. What a treat to see all the new product lines from factories all over the world. Every day is a new adventure using marbles and granites from China, limestones from Eastern Europe, 3mm and 5mm thick porcelains 4 ft. x 4 ft. and 4 ft. x 8 ft. from Spain, glass of every size, shape and texture with stunning colours.
I can't imagine I would still be setting tile 46 years later if all we still had were 1''x1'' japanese mosaics, 4''x4''
wall tiles, venetian glass mosaics and 6''x6'' quarry tiles. Nothing wrong with any of them but variety is the spice of life, so they say. So glad I found this site. I haven't found anything like this in North America, at least I haven't found anything like it yet. You all seem to me to be so much like a brotherhood, "a band of brothers", if I might quote your poet, Shakespeare. Thank you for starting this and I look forward to your numerous forums.

 

[ishi69]

Welcome aboard tileman1.

 

[Ian]

Welcome along to TF


Sent via Tapatalk for iPad

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Hi tileman and welcome.

 

[Dan]

Wow that's quite some time you've been tile setting!

Welcome aboard tilersforums.com.

 

[steveb]

welcome along

 

[White Room]

Hi and welcome....

 

[Turkish tiler]

:welcome:

 

[radim]

:welcome: tileman.

 

[The D]

:welcome:m8 nice to have you here.

 

[DHTiling]

Hello and welcome... i was only just born when you started tile setting

 

[tileman1]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

I find it very interesting reading various forums and about numerous projects everyone is involved in. Early on in my career I had the chance to work with tile setters from all over the world but mostly from Britain and Europe as they emigrated to Canada after WW2.

I have to say if it wasn't for the influx of some of the most skilled artisans I have ever worked with, then I would never have been able to achieve the level of expertise and the desire to constantly develop and expand my knowledge of this craft.

It has allowed me to travel and work all over the world on some of the most amazing sites and with some of the most talented artists in our field.

In the spring of 2011 I was invited to China to share and lecture on the state of our industry in Canada and to lend my expertise in order to advance some of the outdated methods and technology still in use there. I felt I learned much more than I could have taught because I had the chance to visit excavations on sites where they were using tiles 4500 years ago, still intact with vibrant colours and even some glazed tiles and mosaics
panels inlaid in floors consisting of hundreds of thousands of pieces of hand set stone in every colour imaginable. Makes one feel how very special we are to work in this field, still creating with our hands where technology will never fully replace us. Carry on and be proud of our brotherhood.