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Hey now. I'm getting ready to lay ceramic tiles in about half of my house. Does anyone have any last-minute words of advice for a novice?
Tiling Floors
- Thread starter + friction
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Take your time! Ha ha obviously. Make sure the tiles are seated well in the mortar and you have your floor completely leveled. I put some 9x9 ceramic tiles in a kitchen once and there is a spot with a loose tile. I think the mortar was too dry or there was a lump in the floor.
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Thanks...I am on a slab so I think it is fairly level. We bought the house in September and I've renovated about everything (paint, outlets, switches, ceiling fans, fixtures etc.) by myself. I didn't know s*** about working on a house, but I think I have a knack for it so I am not terribly nervous about this...just don't want to screw it up too bad!
I am putting down 12X12 tiles. How many tiles per Newcastle do you recommend?
I am putting down 12X12 tiles. How many tiles per Newcastle do you recommend?
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Well, sounds like you have done this before, so do I put the shiny or rough side facing up?jred321 said:mortar on first, then tiles
Ha ha. I say maybe 10 per new castle? I'm not sure it depends on how fast you can drink.+ friction said:
Large tiles are more difficult to seat becuase of the surface area they have. The 9x9 I put down were tough to get level. Did you get the spacers to put on the corners (I dont know what they are called) to make sure they are all uniform?
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Yeah, I got them and they are just labeled "spacers" in anything I read.
The reason I got the particular size and type of tiles I did was b/c they were only $.78 a piece! For over half of our house's square footage, when all is said & done (wet saw, transition pieces, etc.) we will have just under $1,000.00 invested. I think the value of the house will increase at least that!
The reason I got the particular size and type of tiles I did was b/c they were only $.78 a piece! For over half of our house's square footage, when all is said & done (wet saw, transition pieces, etc.) we will have just under $1,000.00 invested. I think the value of the house will increase at least that!
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Yeah, couldn't pass it up. It will definitely look and smell better than the current cat-pee stained carpet. No getting rid of that in carpet
Only thing you really have to do is make sure the floor is completely level, don't trust the slab to be level check it first. Also lay out your tiles first to make sure you have them positioned so that you don't have a real thin slivers against a wall that you will always see. Takes a bit more time to test lay but it's worth it in the long run. I've already done this with a kitchen and bathroom in my old house and am currently redoing one of the bathrooms in my new house. The bigger the tile the more work you have to do to make sure everything is even. Also don't mix up more thinset than you can use in a 15 minute time period as it'll get too dry to set right otherwise.
That $1000 invested will probably pay you back about 5 fold when you sell. With all the upgrading to the last house we managed to get about $15,000 over market value for our old house with the tile work and painting. Probably helped that I had completely remodled the bathroom and flipped an old closet in the master bedroom into a seperate shower in the bathroom. With the current house I'll be redoing all three bathrooms and replacing all the upstair carpet with wood floor and replacing the carpet and tile downstairs with new tile and more wood. Then a complete repaint inside and out. All told we'll probably spend about $10,000 on it but we planned for it when we bought and it'll probably increase the value approximately $25-30,000, along with the $65,000 it's already gone up in value since we moved in in December.
That $1000 invested will probably pay you back about 5 fold when you sell. With all the upgrading to the last house we managed to get about $15,000 over market value for our old house with the tile work and painting. Probably helped that I had completely remodled the bathroom and flipped an old closet in the master bedroom into a seperate shower in the bathroom. With the current house I'll be redoing all three bathrooms and replacing all the upstair carpet with wood floor and replacing the carpet and tile downstairs with new tile and more wood. Then a complete repaint inside and out. All told we'll probably spend about $10,000 on it but we planned for it when we bought and it'll probably increase the value approximately $25-30,000, along with the $65,000 it's already gone up in value since we moved in in December.
Jeff Solomon
Member
I didn't have any experience setting tile when we bought our first home, but it was not too hard to figure out. Just takes a little patience when you're trying to make precise cuts.
With larger tiles you need to make sure that your mortar bed is even and that you have good coverage of the tile surface. Once the mortar has setup and before you grout you will probably have to remove excess mortar from the joints. I usually use a metal putty knife for this, but you can use a joint scraper or grout removal tool also. This is especially important if you are using a light colored grout because you don't want the gray mortar to show through and ruin your grout joints.
Personally, I've never been able to use the spacers. The damn things just seem to get in the way. I usually lay out the tile to establish the pattern before mixing any mortar, and make any cuts prior to mixing any mortar. I then use a sharpie marker to label each tile. Then I draw the layout on paper, transferring the tile labels to this drawing. Basically I create a map so I know where every tile goes. It makes the whole mortar process go much smoother.
Here's a couple of pics of tile work that I have done using this method.
Post a few pics when you get done, I would love to see how it turns out.
With larger tiles you need to make sure that your mortar bed is even and that you have good coverage of the tile surface. Once the mortar has setup and before you grout you will probably have to remove excess mortar from the joints. I usually use a metal putty knife for this, but you can use a joint scraper or grout removal tool also. This is especially important if you are using a light colored grout because you don't want the gray mortar to show through and ruin your grout joints.
Personally, I've never been able to use the spacers. The damn things just seem to get in the way. I usually lay out the tile to establish the pattern before mixing any mortar, and make any cuts prior to mixing any mortar. I then use a sharpie marker to label each tile. Then I draw the layout on paper, transferring the tile labels to this drawing. Basically I create a map so I know where every tile goes. It makes the whole mortar process go much smoother.
Here's a couple of pics of tile work that I have done using this method.
Post a few pics when you get done, I would love to see how it turns out.
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Wow, that is some intricate work Jeff. Thanks for the advice.
BTW, I bought white mortar and grey grout...hoping this works out ok!
BTW, I bought white mortar and grey grout...hoping this works out ok!
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We would love to have woodfloors, just right now the cost is prohibitive. We are still bad at saving money, so we are hoping to make a killing on this house in about 4 or 5 years...the market in Charleston is by no means appreciating like Cali, but things are still looking very good...we "Yankees" are taking over down here.Greg S said:
Jeff Solomon
Member
Sounds like you've covered all the bases. I'm sure that it will work fine. Just take your time and be patient. The best part about doing this yourself is all the money that you save on labor. Plus you get the satisfaction at the end of the day to step back and say "I did that".
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I agree 100%. Thanks for your guidance everyone.Jeff Solomon said:
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If anyone cares, I JUST finished this project this morning before work (well, actually my wife is spraying on sealer while I'm at work tonight).
What a taxing couple of months...I actually took an entire week off of work to start the living/dining room, and was set back significantly when my tiles became unevenly spaced. I had to pry up about 80 of those bastards and reallign them, so after that I've pretty much just been working slowly on weekends and around my work schedule.
Thanks again for the advice guys...best advice from you was "take your time."
What a taxing couple of months...I actually took an entire week off of work to start the living/dining room, and was set back significantly when my tiles became unevenly spaced. I had to pry up about 80 of those bastards and reallign them, so after that I've pretty much just been working slowly on weekends and around my work schedule.
Thanks again for the advice guys...best advice from you was "take your time."
protegemp52000
Member
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DIY.NET (mswerd)
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lol...diy.net. I checked out three books from the library, and watched some videos online. I think I should've gone to HomeDepot University before embarking, though.
Damn, I need a drink.
Damn, I need a drink.
I wouldn't worry about time, I'm still working on redoing my kids' bathroom, three months later. I've actually got the backer board, drywall and tub done. Now I have to finish the third coat of mud and start tiling everything.
So do you have finished pics for us to see?
So do you have finished pics for us to see?
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Sounds like a job. (eek2)Greg S said:
No pics yet, everything is still is covered in the grout dust...and I mean COVERED. That dust has floated to pretty much every room in the house...I think we will be the next two nights sweeping, mopping, dusting and moving furniture back into the living / dining room.
BTW, it is loud as hell in there w/out any furniture...I'm hoping the furniture and some rugs will absorb some of the sound/echo.
