My wife really wants new tile in our master bathroom. I told her that I
would install the tile myself so we can save the money (We just got
married almost a year ago so I'm trying to prove myself in the "home
improvement dept."). The only problem is that I have absolutely no
experience installing tile.

Do you think it's possible for me to get the job done well even though I've
never done this type of job before? If so, what are the most important
things I need to know going into this job, and what tools will I need.

Thanks for thoughts!

Walt B.

____________________________________
Posted via Homerepairlive.com
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I would recommend grabbing a one of those "how to tile" booklets at your
local Home Depot. You can also check out http://www.diy.com they usually
have good tutorials.

Mike

____________________________________
Posted via Homerepairlive.com
http://www.homerepairlive.com

webnba wrote:
My wife really wants new tile in our master bathroom. I told her that I
would install the tile myself so we can save the money (We just got
married almost a year ago so I'm trying to prove myself in the "home
improvement dept."). The only problem is that I have absolutely no
experience installing tile.

Do you think it's possible for me to get the job done well even though I've
never done this type of job before? If so, what are the most important
things I need to know going into this job, and what tools will I need.

Thanks for thoughts!

Walt B.

____________________________________
Posted via Homerepairlive.com
http://www.homerepairlive.com
Is there tile in there already? I'm not a fan of tile over tile due to
the changes in thickness that arise. Is there vinyl sheet floor? You
most likely will want to rip that out too. Just something to think about.

I think anyone can do a tile job although I have never been one to shy
away from almost any job. There are good books and videos on how to do
tile. Pick one up and see whats involved. Watch the shows (Hometime or
others). You will get some ideas.

Use a tile saw for cuts. The $88 one at lowes is fine for small tiles
and a small job. Plan your job around the capabilities of the saw. If
your layout requires diagonal cuts on 16" tiles then you are not going
to be able to do that with the cheap saw.

lets see - Other tools you will need.

Must haves
1- notched trowel $10 Get one for the tile you use. bigger tile =
bigger notch
2 - Sponge
3 - bucket
4 - electric screw gun (drill) You will likely need a backer board for
the tile. This is installed with screws and a driver typically.
5 - Wrench - You will need to temporarily remove the toilet. The wrench
is to remove the bolts and disconnect the water supply.

There are probably a few more - Again, get a book. Also, HomeCheapo or
that Blue store will also have classes from time to time. (Don't tell
your wife you are going to a class like that though, you should already
know how to do it grin)

Post back if you have specific questions along the way.

Thanks Mike!

I will give that a try. Does anyone else have any other thougts?

Walt B.

____________________________________
Posted via Homerepairlive.com
http://www.homerepairlive.com

webnba2, 4/12/2006, 4:39:46 PM,
om wrote:

Thanks Mike!

I will give that a try. Does anyone else have any other thougts?


Yeah, don't let her help you. There will be too many arguments. Tell
her to go away for the weekend to her friend's house and you will
present her with the new floor.

"webnba2" noreply@ wrote in message
news:b27cb45c29216bdb5009fee355593687@homerepairli ve.com...
Thanks Mike!

I will give that a try. Does anyone else have any other thougts?


Our local home depot has free hands-on weekend classes to learn to DIY.
Check with yours and see when (if?) they're doing a tile workshop. That's
what I would do. Although only you know your wife, I would suggest,
contrary to the other suggestions you have received, that you see if she
wants to take the class with you, and you can both learn at the same time.
DH and I have a great time doing things like this.

Donna

"Donna" wrote in message news:R6e%f.6768$hf2.1637@trndny05...

Our local home depot has free hands-on weekend classes to learn to DIY.
Check with yours and see when (if?) they're doing a tile workshop. That's
what I would do. Although only you know your wife, I would suggest,
contrary to the other suggestions you have received, that you see if she
wants to take the class with you, and you can both learn at the same time.
DH and I have a great time doing things like this.

A class at a real time store might be a better choice.

Bob

webnba2 wrote:

Thanks Mike!

I will give that a try. Does anyone else have any other thougts?

Walt B.

____________________________________
Posted via Homerepairlive.com
http://www.homerepairlive.com

My hubby provides the muscle and the big power tools, and I nag about
how it looks and the detail work. Between the two of us, we do pretty
well. I would get a good tile book, visit a tile store and get some
brochures. Read labels or install instructions (usually available on
the 'net) before you begin. Figure out the difference between mastic
and grout ) My main concern would be odd features, like tiling around
pipes, and what is under the present flooring.

We contemplated DIY, and hubby's drunk buddy offered to help, at which
point I threatened divorce and suicide ) NO WAY his know-it-all fool
friend was going to ruin my floor )

We took up the old carpet prior to ordering the tile, so we would be
sure there were no cracks in our slab that might be a problem with tile.
It meant bare floors for a while, delayed further because the tile was
imported and ordered just before 9/11. Our contractor was superb, and
took care of a couple of issues that we would not have figured out.
They also had a sub who uncercut the baseboards and door trim so the
tile goes under it, not up against. It turned out beautiful and looks
"original". Another issue would be to be sure you use a floor tile;
sort of basic, but wall tile on floors may be a hazard. Another post in
this thread mentions cleaning grout haze - pay attention, as that seems
to be a frequently mentioned problem on ahr. Don't let the
adhesive/thinset pile up in grout joints or the grout will be thin and
subject to cracking. Joins to other flooring may be an issue as to type
of median or level of each - we have tile up to terazzo in three areas,
and terazzo is higher. The contractor slanted the tiles ever so
gradually, with ?thinset built up so that the tile edge is level with
the terazzo and the "slant" isn't noticeable. If considering white or
light grout, consider stain potential. Our only hazard is red wine
being spilled - taupe color tile with same color grout. )

I saw a clerk at local HD or Lowes cutting tile for someone once.
Special cuts the store might do for you - worth asking.

I just finished tiling my bath, and it came out pretty well. Plan on
spending a lot of time and wading through a great deal of confusion.
Get used to the fact that when the job is complete, you will always see
your own numerous flaws even when no one else claims to.

Take your time, do lots of research, and ask lots of questions in this
group. There are some very smart people here.

I can't wait to do my next tile job. I've learned a lot of lessons
the hard way.

BTW, what is the group's opinion on mastic vs. thin-set and
cement/fiber board vs. greenwall for dry tile walls?

WOW! Thanks so much everyone for all of the great information. It seems
like if I spend some more time researching "how to", pay attention to the
details, and take my time, I should be able to do a great job installing
tile in our master bathroom.

Now, all I have to do is get this job done really well so my wife doesn't
say, ...."maybe you should call my Dad, or ask our neighbor..." I hate
that

Thanks again!




Walt B.

____________________________________
Posted via Homerepairlive.com
http://www.homerepairlive.com

Here is a great site for tile questions
http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php

Perhaps a reframe here would be helpful. Instead of proving how much
you already know about tiling, prove how quickly you can learn about
it. The latter is a greater measure of intelligence and would remove a
large source of stress.

Your first tiling job isn't going to come out perfect. Accept that.
It might come out really good and it might come out really bad, but I
would defy anyone to do a perfect job on their first try.

I just redid my bathroom and the biggest mistake I made was to wait too
long before cleaning the tiles after grouting. If you want to avoid
having grout haze and the difficulty of removing this grout haze, make
sure you clean the tiles and grout lines well after grouting. You have
to find a compromise between over cleaning and not cleaning enough of
the grout. Overcleaning and using too much water will leave you with
weak grout joints that can crack, not cleaning enough and waiting too
long to clean the grout will leave you with hazed grout lines which are
a pain to clean.

Just my input, as I am still working on removing the grout haze left on
my grout joints. After sugar and water mixture, I will move to acid
cleaners.

Steven

martini wrote:
I just redid my bathroom and the biggest mistake I made was to wait too
long before cleaning the tiles after grouting. If you want to avoid
having grout haze and the difficulty of removing this grout haze, make
sure you clean the tiles and grout lines well after grouting. You have
to find a compromise between over cleaning and not cleaning enough of
the grout. Overcleaning and using too much water will leave you with
weak grout joints that can crack, not cleaning enough and waiting too
long to clean the grout will leave you with hazed grout lines which are
a pain to clean.

Just my input, as I am still working on removing the grout haze left on
my grout joints. After sugar and water mixture, I will move to acid
cleaners.

Steven

When we were shopping for tile at a real tile store, we heard a very sad
story from another customer. She and hubby had retiled a family room,
didn't clean the grout haze until it dried, and then used muriatic acid.
Wanted something to repair the damage )

In article . com,
says...
I just redid my bathroom and the biggest mistake I made was to wait too
long before cleaning the tiles after grouting. If you want to avoid
having grout haze and the difficulty of removing this grout haze, make
sure you clean the tiles and grout lines well after grouting. You have
to find a compromise between over cleaning and not cleaning enough of
the grout. Overcleaning and using too much water will leave you with
weak grout joints that can crack, not cleaning enough and waiting too
long to clean the grout will leave you with hazed grout lines which are
a pain to clean.

Just my input, as I am still working on removing the grout haze left on
my grout joints. After sugar and water mixture, I will move to acid
cleaners.

Sugar and water? Hadn't heard that one. I've found that the green
kitchen Scotch-Brite pads work pretty well for cleaning the haze
after it's dried. Of course one wants to get as much up as
possible before it dries, but I never seem to get that part right.
There are also additives one can add to the rinse water to help cut
the haze.

--
Keith

Keith Williams wrote:

In article . com,
says...

I just redid my bathroom and the biggest mistake I made was to wait too
long before cleaning the tiles after grouting. If you want to avoid
having grout haze and the difficulty of removing this grout haze, make
sure you clean the tiles and grout lines well after grouting. You have
to find a compromise between over cleaning and not cleaning enough of
the grout. Overcleaning and using too much water will leave you with
weak grout joints that can crack, not cleaning enough and waiting too
long to clean the grout will leave you with hazed grout lines which are
a pain to clean.

Just my input, as I am still working on removing the grout haze left on
my grout joints. After sugar and water mixture, I will move to acid
cleaners.


Sugar and water? Hadn't heard that one. I've found that the green
kitchen Scotch-Brite pads work pretty well for cleaning the haze
after it's dried. Of course one wants to get as much up as
possible before it dries, but I never seem to get that part right.
There are also additives one can add to the rinse water to help cut
the haze.

Our contractor cleaned our tile well, but left instructions to use
vinegar and water at a certain point - two hours? two days? after the
grouting was done. I recently redid the grout in our walk-in shower, so
took particular care since it is a problem that appears often on ahr.
Not difficult at all to remove the grout. Just don't let the darn stuff
dry, and if you use unglazed tile, I believe they need to be sealed
before they are installed. RTFL.

Best tip I saw was to take a 5-gal (Joint Compound) bucket and a large
car washing sponge. Immediately after grouting, dunk the sponge, ring
it out well, and wipe a stripe one sponge width wide. Go over it
twice, once for each side of the sponge. Dunk the sponge, squeeze it
out, and do it again. Be sure to use a light touch so you don't wreck
your nice smooth grout.

This take a large portion of the haze off before it has a chance to
dry. A few hours after that, use cheese cloth to buff the tile.

webnba wrote:
WOW! Thanks so much everyone for all of the great information. It seems
like if I spend some more time researching "how to", pay attention to the
details, and take my time, I should be able to do a great job installing
tile in our master bathroom.

Now, all I have to do is get this job done really well so my wife doesn't
say, ...."maybe you should call my Dad, or ask our neighbor..." I hate
that

Thanks again!



The base is most important. I put down 1/4 inch hardibacker and the put
the tile on it. As others said check Home Depot for their two hour
class on laying tile. Well worth it.

The guy there said to put the hardibacker down with galvanized roofing
nails. I thought I would do better and use self countersinking screws.
After trying about four of them I gave up. No way could I drive into
that hardibacker. I went to the nails. Once that is down you won't get
tile coming loose.

In article _hy%f.12094$1q4.4990@bgtnsc05-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net, says...
webnba wrote:
WOW! Thanks so much everyone for all of the great information. It seems
like if I spend some more time researching "how to", pay attention to the
details, and take my time, I should be able to do a great job installing
tile in our master bathroom.

Now, all I have to do is get this job done really well so my wife doesn't
say, ...."maybe you should call my Dad, or ask our neighbor..." I hate
that

Thanks again!



The base is most important. I put down 1/4 inch hardibacker and the put
the tile on it. As others said check Home Depot for their two hour
class on laying tile. Well worth it.

I've always used the 1/2" because my floors are only 3/4" OSB. A
minimum of 1-1/4" subfloor is recommended for tile.

The guy there said to put the hardibacker down with galvanized roofing
nails. I thought I would do better and use self countersinking screws.
After trying about four of them I gave up. No way could I drive into
that hardibacker. I went to the nails. Once that is down you won't get
tile coming loose.

Use a countersink drill bit to drill pilot holes. Also, there are
specially treated screws meant for HardiBacker with nice robertson
or square-drive heads (I can't tell the difference).

--
Keith

Keith Williams wrote:

Use a countersink drill bit to drill pilot holes. Also, there are
specially treated screws meant for HardiBacker with nice robertson
or square-drive heads (I can't tell the difference).

That is what I was trying. My driver just wasn't strong enough.
Concluded that with nails every six inches it wasn't going anyplace
anyway.

Just don't lay over linoleum. A neighbor did that. One came loose.
When trying to replace it they all came loose.

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 03:03:21 +0000, Rich256 wrote:

Keith Williams wrote:

Use a countersink drill bit to drill pilot holes. Also, there are
specially treated screws meant for HardiBacker with nice robertson
or square-drive heads (I can't tell the difference).

That is what I was trying. My driver just wasn't strong enough.
Concluded that with nails every six inches it wasn't going anyplace
anyway.

You need a better driver. ;-)

Just don't lay over linoleum. A neighbor did that. One came loose.
When trying to replace it they all came loose.

Someone tried to convince me to just leave the vinyl flooring. My answer
was "how's the thinset foing to stick to that?". I scraped it all up and
then sanded the glue down.

--
Keith

In article om,
says...
My wife really wants new tile in our master bathroom. I told her that I
would install the tile myself so we can save the money (We just got
married almost a year ago so I'm trying to prove myself in the "home
improvement dept."). The only problem is that I have absolutely no
experience installing tile.

No one does the first time. I've now done two bathroom floors, the
laundry floor and walls, and a couple of closets. I have the
master bathroom left to do as soon as it gets a little warmer.

Do you think it's possible for me to get the job done well even though I've
never done this type of job before? If so, what are the most important
things I need to know going into this job, and what tools will I need.

As others have said, you really need a wet-saw. I bought one a few
years ago and use it often. Harbor Freight has what looks like a
nice one for a good price (significantly less than I paid for a
smaller one):

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...af?Itemnumber=
46225

There are cheaper ones there but IMO you do need a wet-saw. You'll
*easily* save enough on the first job to pay for it. That's how I
build my toy^h^h^htool collection. ;-)

It's a big job, but it's certainly within the range of a DIYer. If
your house only has one bathroom things might be, um, interesting
for a few days. ;-) A bathroom floor takes me about a week (I'm
slow .

- One day to remove fixtures, tear out old flooring (unless it's
tile, then it's month and prep. Maybe spackle the walls.
- One day to do the setup, cut the backer to size and maybe
install a sheet or two. ...perhaps paint the ceiling.
- One day to finish the backer and tape it. Plan the tile cuts.
Plenty of time to paint the walls (easy before the tile goes
in).
- Two to three days to lay the tile. I like work backwards from
the door to the wall far. If everything works out the cuts can
be hidden by the base molding rather than being exposed by the
saddle and tub. This means I only do as much as I can step
over (3-4'), at least the first day. Since I don't do this
every day I also don't want to do it tired. I tend to make
stupid mistakes when I'm tired.
- A short day to grout and clean up.
- And a short day to reinstall the fixtures.
- I plan so I can seal the grout the following weekend (an hours
job but the grout should set up for several days before).

--
Keith

Re haze: I have very little tiling experience, but my bro is a pro,
and I've helped him on a couple jobs. Bucket and sponge as posted
above is correct, working diagonally tp prevent pulling out grout. He
emphasized to me the importance of keeping sponge clean- rinse _a lot_
and change water, wring out, wipe, repeat. Go over whole floor a couple
times. Cheesecloth as mentioned above. Should be no haze.