1T Fit and Finish is a channel for DIYers, handymen/women, contractors and installers. Mat is a contractor/woodworker who specializes in many different fields. From Tile setting to drywall hang/tape/texture/paint to custom furniture there should be a video for nearly everyone.
There are future plans for collaborations with like minded colleagues, friends, family. There might even be some metal work and fabrication.
I dont know if you still check the comments or questions for this video but I will take my chances. I have seen people say that you are supposed to dip the edge you are grinding in water from time to time to make sure you dont burn the metal. Do you suggest doing so or does it depend on what you are working with?
Hello Chr B thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Yup, circumstances have required me to put the channel on hold for a bit. It all depends on what you're trying to do. If you want to sharpen a knife or chisel then yes, you do not want the metal to heat up too much. Being that a blade is so thin it can heat up quickly and remove the temper. If it's steel, it can become brittle. If I need to remove a large chip or gouge in a knife or chisel blade I do two things. Grind and quench before it gets too hot and reduce the speed of the grinder. I use an inexpensive router speed control also found at HF. If I'm just grinding away a piece of steel to shape it and don't really care about the temper, I will grind away and either let the piece air cool or just dunk it to cool it down. Sometimes I will keep a bucket of water under the grinder or abrasive cut-off saw to catch the sparks. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment. Hope I answered your question. -Mat W/1T
Hi there Joel, thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Unfortunately, life circumstances have required me to put the channel on hold for a bit. I DO have a few videos that I've shot and hopefully will be able to get them edited this fall. Besides, HF hasn't come out with any new tools that I need and/or feel compelled to review. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T
Hi there Angela. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. Unfortunately, we've got a state between us and mileage would be very expensive. :) I dunno, maybe I could do a cameo? Thanks again for watching. -Mat W/1T
Thanks for posting this video! It really helps me understand the process and materials I'll need for my repair. I've got my work cut out for me... I'm about to attempt a similar repair on the shower tiles in my house in Tokyo. The landlord refused to fix the tiles which started coming loose when we were living there. Now that we've moved out, our contract states we need to leave the house as we received it. Here in Japan, it's not so simple to find all the materials, especially in the quantity (or quality) needed.
Can you tell me why some boxes of 1' X 2' tiles say they do not recommend tiling horizontal in a brick pattern. If you install horizontal do 1/3 offset ?
That window was significantly undersized, even after you built out the opening of the frame with more wood. I think you did the best you could assuming you weren't the one that ordered that window in the first place. Normally you would want about 1/4" between the window and the opening to allow for movement and even after the build out yours was significantly larger. Also from a safety standpoint, you absolutely need to put your riving knife back on your table saw. Those long rips you took with that trim material were incredibly dangerous and if you haven't gotten injured before from doing similar rips it will almost certainly happen someday. Even if you're not gonna use your blade guard at least keep the riving knife in the table saw. Clearly you know something about safety as you're using a push stick, hearing protection, and eye protection but please be more careful in the future.
Hi there Kathryn. Thanks for watching and taking time to make a comment. Replacing the whole shower floor is a tedious exercise. I would recommend being extra careful to not to damage the substrate under the tile. If it is a Schluter system (orange) the membrane is adhered to polystyrene foam. It is very sensitive to pressure and sharp edges. The way I tile my showers is from the floor up, so the walls are overlapping the floor tile. Pulling the edge tiles will be very difficult to not chip the wall tiles. Additionally, if by chance you tear or rip the substrate in the corners and it goes unnoticed the shower will fail again. For an entire floor, it would be my recommendation to pull the floor and first row of wall tiles around the entire parimeter. Good luck! I hop everything works out for you. -Mat W/1T
This dude is just begging for controversy. Maybe thats how he get likes and comments. This house is going to rot to the foundation after a few years! HACK!
Hi there Harry. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I just installed this texture in another house a few months ago. The folks absolutely love it. I suppose it's not really for everyone. Thanks for taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T
Just plain garbage. Cannot follow along to many bad techniques including priming photography. Keep your day job boy. Stop wasting time wasting everyone's time making u tube vids
Hi there Aleem. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. Yup. Under the covered porch I sure did use interior trim. MDF is often used in some "light weather" applications. Fortunately, this window receives no moisture and once painted and sealed will be fine for several years. I warrantee all my work. Installed this over two years now. Still holding up great. Thanks again for watching and the comment! -Mat W/1T
Hi Tez! I appreciate your comment. I am in the middle of a shower tile install right now and am making video of it. Hopefully I will have it up sometime this Fall. Thanks again for your comment and watching. -Mat W/1T
Thank you for sharing. My husband and I are redoing our shower and having trouble with our shower floor that we grouted adhering. The grout hardens and then after using it for a week it starts to soften. Trying to figure out what we are doing wrong.
Hello Mrs. Farrell, thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. My guess is possibly of a few things. First, there might not enough thinset under the tiles near the drain. It's important that a layer of thinset (near 100% coverage) stays under the tile for adhesion in order to "set" them. It should get pretty thick near the drain. When setting, it's like allowing the tiles to "float" on top of the thinset. With the Kerdi Drain, there should be about an inch of thinset below the tile. It gets somewhat messy when setting near the drain. The next thing (and somewhat common) make sure to back butter underneath the drain grate frame to ensure full support by the thinset. (I'm fairly certain this is what occurred with the repair I did in this video). This is a crucial step in the process, I make sure to completely fill under the lip so that it will squeeze out creating a bit of a mess. For this step I make sure to mix the thinset a bit on the dry side and allow the thinset to cure for a few hours before I start cleaning out my grout lines. (If you start to clean it out too early, it can add moisture to the thinset allowing things to settle). If the shower "tray" wasn't waterproofed properly to the "drain flange" and water is allowed under the collar this would allow movement which would create a failure point. Lastly, there might not be enough subfloor support underneath the shower tray near the drain. This would mostly effect the tiles a few inches away from the drain flange itself. That would then propagate inward and outward from the edge of the flange (about 6" away from the drain grate). "Softness" typically has to do with excess moisture. Grout is not waterproof. Neither is thinset. However, if set properly without voids (100% coverage under the tiles, under the drain grate frame) the moisture has little effect on the tile. Remember, it's the membrane beneath the tile that makes the shower waterproof. It's not the thinset/tile/grout itself. If you check out my channel there are a few videos of installing the membrane/Kerdi and the actual drain. Good luck! I'm sure you're going to figure everything out. If a monkey like me can do it, anyone can. If you have any questions let me know! :) Thanks again for watching! -Mat W/1T
Hey Yellowstone-cabinetman, thanks for watching and the complimentary comment! Us Northwesterners have to stick together. :) I'm guessing by your handle that we're likely even in the same state. This job was in Helena. Thanks again for watching and taking the time comment. -Mat W/1T
Hello Michelle. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. The "shorts" version is not a good format for a training video. I can only cover the basics. I have installed this texture in another house this summer and made a video of it. I'm just trying to find the time to edit it now. Hopefully this fall sometime. Hoping to make it about 5 mins. I go into depth with better close ups too. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. -Mat W/1T
Oh my goodness, this looks rather laborious. Maybe it was just the accelerated pace. In any event, this method appears to be rather involved as you seem to be hitting the same areas multiple times. Does this not amount to a 'knockdown' texture?
Hello Aaron, thank you for the comment. Yes, this texture is quite labor intensive. I think I am able to do just about 200 sf in an hour. It really is a very nice texture though. It has a very organic feel to it. It kind of reminds me of natural stone when it's finished. Everything is random. My preferred way to install is very light and I try to make sure there are no strait lines, drags or tool marks. That's why it takes longer than a normal texture like a spray and knockdown. Knock down textures have a very uniform depth and fairly uniform pattern. Thanks for watching and commenting. -Mat W/1T
Hi there Thanatu76. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I appreciate your logic regarding the logo. In my former life (20 years ago) I was a Graphic Designer. I have always appreciated the First Interstate Bank Logo (Similarly it has two "F"s). When I designed this logo, I wanted something that was simple, eye catching and symmetrical. To be honest 1T Fit and Finish is secondary to 1T Enterprises which is the parent business and logo. :) Besides, you can still read the logo if I'm standing on my head. The business name is a bit of a play on words. My name is "Mat". Yes, it's Mat spelled with one T. For my entire life, I've introduced myself as; "Mat with one T". Technically, the channel name would be just "Fit and Finish". ;) Too late to change branding now. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T
Hey there Mr. Hornby. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I have just shot another video showing my process for this texture only slower and more in depth. I should have it edited in a week or two. Please check out my channel and/or subscribe and you will be notified when it's uploaded. Thanks, Mat W/1T
Hello manager, please I have a question. I live in Canada and I am looking for a material similar to Venetian plaster that is solid and I can mix it with colors to make decorations on the walls from the inside. What do you advise me? Thank you sir.
Hello. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I purchase a brand of venetian plaster called "Vella Plaster Systems" through Sherwin Williams. I believe it is crushed Marble. It use to be a little cheaper than paint. There are many different options on Amazon. The following is my amazon affiliates link. It has a product that is quite similar to the plaster I use. amzn.to/49t1KJ3 Good luck with your project. Thank your for watching. -Mat W/1T
I guess this video answered my question lol Very cool I am getting ready to do a similar setup where the drain is offset and this should work for me as well.. Thank you!
Just wanted to add a reply to this reply... I am also a photographer. I've been freelancing since the days of film. My portrait and wedding days are pretty much behind me. It was nice in the film days when you retained the negatives and just ordered and marked up reprints. These days I go after the fast easy money shooting real estate and architecture. Best of luck again with your project! -Mat W/1T
So I read your answer to the why you needed to use the dry pack but my question is will the dry pack being level with the Schluter pan create a space for water to get under the pan?
Hi there Mr. Aulabaugh. Thanks for watching. Thanks for your question and I'm glad the video was thorough enough to make sense. The way I visualize the shower system is as a giant envelope. The drypack is simply part of the substrate. The Schluter System itself is what makes everything waterproof. Every crack that is directly exposed to water has to be covered with membrane (with a 2" overlap). There are other Scluter shower trays with off set drain options. This was the tray the company I subcontracted for sent me. I had to make it work. Thanks again for watching. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. You can find my email on my channel homepage. Good luck! -Mat W/1T
Hi there Milosadventure. Thanks for taking the time to comment and attempting to watch the video. The music in my future videos has the music volume substantially lower. Those old videos were my first ones. I've gotten a lot of feedback very similar to yours. I appreciate the constructive assistance. Thanks again, -Mat W/1T
Hey there Jondozre, thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I always plug the drain pipe one way or another. Not just for fear of clogging the drain, but also for sewer gas oder, losing tools and spacers! On this particular repair I might not have had my Oatey Plug but there was certainly something retrievable plugging that pipe. Last week I was taping and texturing a bathroom. My typical 3" Oatey didn't fit the toilet flange, so I used the bottom half of a large plastic soda cup and florescent orange tape so the toilet didn't get installed over it. Anyway... I have deep respect for plumbers and electricians. I can be as professional as you want me to do. :) Thanks again for watching! -Mat W/1T
Hello there Mr. Jeffrey. Thank you so much for your positive comment regarding the music. I have to say, if you read through the thread, I get hammered a BUNCH regarding my background music. My taste isn't really the same as everyone else. Just trying to add some entertainment value to the videos and if I can teach or help someone out, that's even better. My future videos and the last few I've made have had the same style of music but at a much lower volume. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T
Hello Mr. Reisweber. Thank you for watching and your comment. I placed this window into a hole in the wall that was knocked out for an in-the-window AC unit to slide into. I don't believe there was much of a weather seal for the AC unit. The AC unit had been removed for a year or two prior to my repair and replaced with a loose piece of styrofoam and cardboard duct taped in. The original plan was to fill the hole and replace the siding. Unfortunately, I was unable to match the siding so the next most simple solution was to simply plug with a window. I did so with spray foam and caulking. In this instance Polyethylene foam and caulk are certainly a better water seal than cardboard. The opening is located under the roof of a porch. It receives little to no weather, moisture of any kind nor direct sunlight. There are thousands of solutions out there to accomplish what needed to be repaired here. The homeowner knows that I will replace any part of my work that she is dissatisfied with or fails. In fact she recently called me back to do another job for her. Thanks again for watching. Good luck with your projects. -Mat W/1T
Installer is unknown. I ended up replacing a ton of it. The highest part of the ceiling is 14' (I installed all of that wall by myself). Back in the day, this banjo was around $50 and you can't beat it for the price. One downside is the size. Being so small, it requires being refilled quite often. But, because of the size, it's awesome for this old guy with shoulder issues. I think I've run about a half mile of tape through it. Have run hot mud through it. It's fairly easy to keep clean. The corner attachment is pretty awesome. This is my amazon affiliate link for it: amzn.to/3uxqSjp Thanks for watching, and taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T
Prep is 95% of the work, afterward it's just like stacking bricks. Man, I do the same thing...flip tile upside down and mark cut line, except I don't transfer measurement to another tile, I just cut the marked tile upside down. I get all tiles cut to make sure all is level before I start tiling and masking tape and wedge spacers are my friends during this process.
Hi there Methodical2. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. Yes! SO MUCH prep. I have had people help me on the job site that cannot wrap their heads around prepping. I think of it as envisioning each tile layer from floor to ceiling. Thinking in advance toward several rows up and where the lines will fall. Sometime it's the better part of a day getting layout correct. I transfer the line to the front of the tile and cut it face up because my tile cutter seems to cut better that way. I suppose it doesn't matter considering that I clean up the edges with the grinder and polisher anyway. Lots and lots of dry fitting! And I ALWAYs dry fit every piece in a niche box. Spacers, spacers, spacers, wedges and tape. Thank you for taking the time to write a positive comment. Thank you for watching. -Mat W/1T
@@Mat-W-1TFandFSounds like me...anal with getting layout correct. Measure 4x and then cut, haha! Forgot, those wedges are great friends and should be in all tilers box.
I've always been confused as to the use of thinset for kerdi membrane. The thinset is not water proof. Why not use a liquid rubber water proofing compound?
Howdy Mr. Krooner. Thanks for watching and taking the time to write a comment. I absolutely agree with you that thinset is NOT waterproof. This fact is lost on a lot of people and probably a large reason why some showers fail. Because of that, the Schluter system might seem somewhat counter intuitive. I'm no expert, but this is how I understand it; Schluter membrane is a polyethylene waterproof membrane sandwiched between two layers of polyester anchoring fleece. It is hydrophobic and water visibly beads up on it. When you apply the proper trowel thickness of thinset, between two layers of membrane, the fleece absorbs the thinset and creates a mechanical bond with the fleece of the adjoining membrane (like hook and loop fasteners... Velcro). The mechanical bond or tooth doesn't allow water to penetrate (*that much). The recommended overlap is two inches. The overlap and proper thickness of thinset are key (the trowel used for Kerdi is 1/8"x1/8" square notch which leaves 1/16" layer of thinset). I've played around with Schluter stuff quite a bit. Have had to demo a couple showers that were improperly installed. I've seen a couple seams that had a bit of water in them, but not more than about 1/8". That could have been from improper installation. While I've been installing, I've had some corners of the Kerdi-band covering screws on Kerdi-Board come up, but I think that's because I wiped the joint too dry or I bumped them before they set. The corners weren't allowed to mechanically bond to the base layer. Getting them wet again, cleaning the lifted corners then adding a bit more thinset will set the bond. Once bonded and completely dry, the tensile and shear strength is quite substantial with really good adhesion. At this point, there's hundreds of thousands of Schluter showers installed, if not millions. Schluter carries a lifetime warrantee on the products when installed as per manufacturer specifications (that covers ALL materials and labor). Some folks, a lot smarter than I, created this product. If it truly was inferior and/or not waterproof they absolutely wouldn't be in business. I have to say, it's super easy to work with. It makes setting tile a lot nicer than setting on some weird uneven Drypack, Durock and RedGard nonsense. Incidentally, to use the proper MIL thickness of RedGard on Durock takes substantially longer and costs as much if not more than Schluter... And what a toxic mess! I can totally see where you're coming from though. I was a skeptic too. :) Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment! I'm currently installing a small shower and will be uploading a new video soon. Please check out and comment on my other videos if you get a chance. -Mat W/1T
Curious, why go vertical with the strips and not horizontal, starting from the bottom up, letting each have the 2 inch overlay, water flows down, then you have no joints to fill in the corners and provides a better seal?
Hi MrGuvernment, that's a great question. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I understand your thought process, similar to "house wrap". The main reason I chose to install vertically was because I was hanging the membrane by myself. Installing it this way is much easier than having the roll draped over my head trying to imbed it into the mud. Using this product, I've found that thinset can build up in the corners pretty easy. I am able to take a little more time removing the air and pushing the thinset around to make the corners nice and tight. As long as the two inch overlap is maintained Schluter will honor the warrantee. The waterproofing comes from the bond between the fleece surfaces of the overlapped membrane. The seams on this particular install were in the field on the window wall, so there was no further waterproofing in the corners needed. Was curious so just looked at the Schluter "Installation Handbook" to see what it had to say. There's no mention of whether or not to install horizontal or vertical. However, one of the illustrations shows the installer applying it vertically. I've seen several installers on YT putting this product in horizontally. Looks like they turned out fine. I believe it's just a matter of preference. Hope that answers your question. Thanks for watching! -Mat W/1T
@@Mat-W-1TFandF Appreciate the response. And good considerations I hadn't thought of around the mud potentially building up in the corners.... Good to know. I will be doing our shower in the coming weeks, so now I got something to contemplate!
Hi there JS. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Without knowing a little more about the situation it's hard to assess. Do you mean if the curb is installed and already tiled? if so, then no. If the curb is installed (wood, kerdi, drypack) and not tiled, then yes the shower tray can be installed after. The key is that it will need to be waterproofed with kerdi band or membrane. The membrane and/or Band is what ties the complete waterproofing system together. I hope that answers your question. Thanks again. -Mat W/1T
Hi Mr. parra. Thanks for watching and the comment. I do have a couple windows that need replaced and should be able to accommodate with a video. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to it, but hopefully this spring/summer sometime. Thanks again for watching! -Mat W/1T
Hello Mr Meireis (hope that's your correct pronoun). Thanks for taking the time to comment. As I mentioned to Mr. Anderson, I did use a little Fiba-Fuse to cover the crack. I mention it in the video description. Just didn't include it in the "short". Gosh, I sure hope I don't have to go back to work on this job again in three months. I didn't even charge OR get paid for this first patch and I did it a year ago. Besides, it's over a thousand miles away from where I live. ***One year update, it's still holding great*** :) Thanks for watching! -Mat W/1T
Hey there Mr Anderson. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I did mention in the video description that I used a little Fiba-Fuse to cover most of the crack. After I edited and posted the video I noticed that I didn't include that snip in the video. It worked out considering that I've gotten a TON of comments regarding this. The truth is, there's only so much you can show in a 60 second short. Thanks for watching and commenting! -Mat W/1T
For repairs that size one should spray it with Kilz primer to freeze/hold any remaining dust or loosened debris - allowing it to fully dry (cure) before applying any compound - giving the compound a good sticky surface to bond to. Also, use screws around the area to stop/limit the sheet rock’s movement to prevent a recurrence.
Hi there Sky Dome, thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I appreciate your input, and I don't disagree with you. In many cases, that's pretty close to exactly what I'd do. I believe this crack was formed from an earthquake. There was no need for any screws. All the surrounding sheetrock was stable. I didn't mention it in the video itself, but I did put a small piece of Fiba-fuse over the crack to help a bit with stability. Realistically, a 60 second "short" doesn't go into much detail regarding the nuances of sheetrock repair. I don't bother with primer and Kilz is expensive. If I have any rock that's crumbly/unstable or any exposed paper that I can't cut out (including wall paper), I mix up Tight Bond II glue and water and paint it on. If I have to prime a surface (sometimes I'll prime a section if I'm matching an orange peel), I'll use "Maintenance Paint". I'll be doing a video on "Maintenance Paint" in the future. Thanks again for watching and the comment. -Mat W/1T
Lol! Funny, it seems like I distress most people in my life in addition to sponges. It was the only descriptor I could think of when I was doing the V/O. I felt it sounded a bit better than; "I rip chunks out of a grout sponge." ;) Thanks for watching, taking the time to comment and the laugh! -Mat W/1T
Hi there Mr. Pulsipher. Thanks for watching and the comment. I don't believe the tools would be much more than $50. The thing is, when you start talking about thinset and other consumables. The problem is that you have to buy fairly large quantities. Then what would you do with it when you're finished? The next thing to consider is the fact that most contractors have some sort of warrantee. Lastly, there's years of skill and experience and YOUR time is worth something. I'm confident that you are more than capable to do this yourself. To be honest, $300 seems more than fair for this repair. Thanks again for watching! -Mat W/1T
Hey there ruha p. Thanks for watching and the comment. I did put a little piece of fiba-fuse over the majority of the crack (that's why I needed to float the joint. I mentioned it in the description but not in the video. For the most part. The joint was stable enough anyway, I don't think it needed it. I believe this crack formed during an earthquake. I'm making some long format videos on drywall repair. Back to the basics. I look forward to hearing some critique on the ol' technique. Please subscribe to the channel so you're notified when new content is uploaded. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment! -Mat W/1T
Good job! One question. Why not just use a table saw with a 12" blade to cut your sisters? Seems like having to plane them down is extra work, and it doesn't come out that good anyway? Table saws nowadays are light, portable and even a Craftsman will cut a straight line. Keep up the good work.
Hey there Mr Cogdill. Thanks for watching and taking time to comment. It's been quite awhile since I made this video. I believe you are referring to the 2x4 that I cut at a diagnal. That was in a very specific spot where the glass would be attached to the wall once everything was put back together. My first instinct WAS to use the table saw. I would have had to make a jig for the table saw out of some long stock. It would have taken a lot of time to set that all up to be able to make a safe cut. I chose to freehand it on the bandsaw to get it close then power plane to save time. I felt that freehanding it on the bandsaw was a way better idea that trying to freehand it on the table saw (super sketchy). I don't know anyone who has a 12" table saw (I have two 10" table saws one is portable). I appreciate the compliment! I have some great plans ahead for this year. The big project I'm working on now is a deep dive into sheetrock repair. I am working on the content over the next several weeks. Thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T!
Love the music in the background. It brings everything together nicely and makes the video feel smooth. Thank you for the video, I have a small section like you had and was trying to figure out if a small piece of tile there would look alright. Looks great based on your video. Thank you for sharing.
Hello there Mr. Anson. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. I've gotten a relentless amount of negative feedback from the background music. :) It's my style of music so I guess that's why I've been confused as to why other folks don't like it. I'm glad that you found my video helpful! -Mat W/1T
Hello Greg B! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Unfortunately, this was one of 3 jobs that I had to redo behind this guy who marketed himself as a tile setter. I blame lack of planning and forethought of the finished product. The first steps in the process of laying out a shower are literally set in stone. Everything starts with a good foundation. Thanks for the compliment, and taking the time to comment. -Mat W/1T
Hi there Bakedfrog19. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. That is a Great question! The crack had formed over a period of years. When I first inspected it, everything around the joint was stable meaning there was no movement of the drywall itself. This formed from the house framing shifting. (Possibly from an earthquake?) One of the things I didn't mention in the video is that I did use a little chunk of fiba-fuse tape over the majority of the crack. For now, the joint is stable pending another earthquake or two. :) Thanks again for watching! -Mat W/1T
