‘Holy Buckets, Batman!’

Why the buckets? 

1.  The roof is leaking.
2. We’re practicing our kicks for the final.
3. It’s a slalom Nascar course for Artie.
4. We’re making a list.
5. None of the above.

Actually, they’re part of a floor tile repair project.  Whoever installed the tiles did a lousy job of gluing them down and now there are dozens of them that are loose on 1 or 2 sides.  When you walk on the loose tiles they move up and down, causing the grout to crack and crumble.  I re-grouted the worst tiles 3 years ago but, since the tiles were still loose, it was an exercise in futility. 

So, what to do?  Live with it?  No!  Replace the loose tile?  Not an option: there are 90 loose tiles in the traffic areas alone, I only have 11 unused tiles, and they quit making new ones long since.  Last spring, we discovered what we hope is a permanent solution and the buckets are part of it.  You drill holes in the grout around the edges of the tile, vacuum up the loose grout, squirt a special adhesive into the holes, place a bucket of water on it for 24 hours, and re-grout.  In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m having a contractor do the work.  No way would I consider taking on the project.

It’s a tedious, messy process but it darn sure beats having to replace the entire floor.  In that event, all furniture, wall décor, and everything else not permanently attached must be removed – including residents.  Move into a hotel for 2 weeks, return when the project is completed.  Think of all the steps involved: remove the baseboards, break up and chisel out all the old tile, grind down the old, hardened adhesive, install the new flooring, paint and install new baseboards, wipe down the dust accumulation on everything.  Yuk!

Old farts like myself (I turned 70 today) may recall where the title of this post originated - the Batman TV series of the mid 60s.  Robin used the Holy Buckets expression regularly.