+ Follow

Tiling 102: The Bathroom Floor (Published 2013)

This article details the process and challenges of a DIY bathroom floor tiling project, following a previous less successful attempt at tiling. The author, Bob Tedeschi, embarks on tiling a 30-square-foot bathroom floor, aiming to save money by doing it himself rather than hiring a contractor. He seeks advice from experts, including Arthur Moloian of Ann Sacks and authors Michael Schweit and Robin Nicholas of “Tiling Complete,” who emphasize that while a bathroom floor is an intermediate-level project due to its manageable size, it is more complex than often perceived by DIY enthusiasts. Key initial considerations include assessing the existing floor's condition; weak, warped, rotted, or asbestos-containing floors are deemed unsuitable for DIY tiling. The project requires significant time, with at least a week for tile selection and ordering, and another week for installation. The article notes the added complication of a toilet in a bathroom, advising that professional plumbers should handle its removal and reinstallation, though more ambitious homeowners might attempt it with careful water shut-off and sewer line sealing. After removing the toilet and wood trim, the author inspects the subflooring and decides to tile over the existing vinyl flooring by adding backer board, a method suggested by an expert to avoid removing the old floor. Preparation involves purchasing thinset cement, rubber gloves, a dust mask, safety goggles, joint tape, and backer board. Cutting the backer board proves challenging for the author, who struggles with various tools before learning that scoring and snapping is the recommended method. The backer boards are then screwed down to the floor over a layer of thinset mortar, a crucial step to prevent future floor failures. This stage involves driving 115 screws and then taping and coating the joints with more thinset. Laying and cutting tiles form the next, and arguably most difficult, phase. The author chooses 6x6-inch tiles over mosaic sheets, which are considered harder for beginners to cut precisely. He uses a snap-line and a framer’s square to mark the layout, working from the farthest corner towards the doorway, and using one-eighth-inch spacers for grout lines. The most significant challenge arises during tile cutting. Initially using tile nippers for curved and L-shaped cuts, the author finds them ineffective for modern dense ceramic tiles, breaking two pairs of nippers and a tile in the process. A call to a local tile store reveals that a wet saw is necessary for such tiles, which he rents for $50, greatly simplifying the cutting process. Finally, the author mixes thinset to a peanut butter-like consistency and begins setting tiles. He encounters a “rookie mistake” by inserting spacers vertically instead of flat at the tile intersections, resulting in slightly skewed but otherwise well-set tiles. After a 24-hour curing period, he prepares for grouting, which involves scraping excess cement from the channels—a task made harder by not having dragged the spacers through the channels initially. He uses a 10-pound bag of grout mixed with GroutOnce, a product designed to eliminate the need for sealing. The grouting process is generally straightforward but he makes another mistake by delaying the shaping of the grout joints with a sponge, allowing the grout to calcify and requiring significant effort to refine. Despite the numerous difficulties and mistakes, the author successfully completes the project, resulting in a satisfactory new bathroom floor. He concludes that while it took him twice as long as a professional, the experience was valuable, and he looks forward to applying his newfound knowledge to future tiling projects, such as a mosaic surrounding the front entrance. #HomeImprovement #DIYProject #BathroomRenovation #TileInstallation #FloorTiling #HomeDecor #RenovationTips #InteriorDesign #HomeMaintenance #HomeImprovement #DIYProject #BathroomRenovation #TileInstallation #FloorTiling #HomeDecor #RenovationTips #InteriorDesign #HomeMaintenance

151 months ago

Read Full Article