How to Maintaining Your Stone Tile?

/in /by

Evaluate the condition of your stone. Cracked wood marble tiles will accumulate buildup and dirtiness more quickly than those without any. These may need to be replaced or repaired. Uneven wall tiles may require a professional to grind, hone, and polish them flat. Note any stains and try to determine what caused these.

Knowing the source of a stain will make it easier for you to eliminate later if general cleaning techniques don’t work. Avoid abrasive and acidic cleaners. Abrasive and acidic cleaners will damage to your stone. Check the labels of all cleaners before using them to make sure they don’t contain either of these. Before using a cleaner, test it on an out of sight part of the stone to verify that it won’t damage or discolor.

 

Cleaners that are specially formulated for the kind of stone used in your shower will likely be the safest to use. Remove excess moisture from the tile after showering. Water remaining on your white tile will eventually evaporate, leaving behind minerals that cloud your stone, dirtiness, and more. After every shower, use a squeegee or soft towel to wipe away excess water and prevent this from happening.

Many squeegees come with suction cup hangers that you can attach to the wall of your shower. This way, your squeegee will be easily accessible after showering. Protect the condition of the tile with a non-slip mat. Your feet can grind small debris, like dirt, into your stone tile, wearing it down over time. This can cause it to lose its luster. Place a non-slip mat on the tile and vacuum under it occasionally to suck up these small particles.

Clean mats at least once a month to prevent stains from hiding underneath them and increasing in severity over time. Polish out etch marks. Etch marks are usually caused by an acid. Remove any dirtiness first with general cleaning methods. Apply a suitable stone polishing powder to the marble tile. Use a damp cloth to rub the powder into the stone in a circular motion. Continue rubbing until the etch mark disappears.

Some of your shower products may contain acids. Take care to keep these off your stone to prevent etching. Etching that is especially deep may be impossible to remove with polishing powder. In these cases, call a stone repair or maintenance professional.

How to Removing Stains With a Stone Tile Shower?

/in /by

Investigate the location of the stain. This can provide useful information for what caused the stain. Certain cement tile stains will need special cleaning procedures to be removed from the stone. Note the color, size, shape, and pattern of the stain, along with anything in the area that might have caused it.

Cleanse oil based tile stains with a household detergent or ammonia. Some common examples of oil based wood tile stains include grease, tar, or cosmetics. These will cause your bathroom tile to darken. To dissolve oil based mosaic tile stains, clean the area by gently wiping it with a soft cloth and a household detergent, like dish soap, or ammonia. Afterwards, dry the area with a soft towel.

If detergent and ammonia fail to remove the stain, try mineral spirits or acetone. Use these sparingly and as a last resort. Flush these cleaners with water after applying, then dry the area. Eliminate mildew and algae with a heavy-duty cleaner. Mix a diluted cleaning solution containing a half cup (237 ml) of ammonia, bleach, or hydrogen peroxide with a gallon (3.8 L) of water. Clean the surface with the solution with a soft cloth, rinse the area well, then dry it with a soft cloth or towel.

Never mix bleach and ammonia. Doing so will create toxic fumes that can result in serious harm or death. Erase organic marble tile stains with hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. The most common kinds of organic casstle tile stains come from bodily fluids, like urine or feces, tobacco, paper, and food. These may create a brown-pink stain. Clean these areas as you would normally with 12% hydrogen peroxide and a couple of drops of ammonia.

In some cases, you may be able to get rid of an organic stain just by removing its source. After removal, wait a few days to see if the stain disappears. Hydrogen peroxide may fade or lighten the color of your stone. Test it on an out of sight location before you use it. Only use this technique occasionally to prevent color loss.

Use a stone poultice for metal wood tile stains. Mix the poultice according to its directions. Usually this will result in a paste that is the consistency of peanut butter. Wet the stain with distilled water. Apply the paste to the stain so it is roughly ¼ to ½ in (.64 to 1.3 cm) thick. The paste should extend beyond the stain by roughly an inch (2.5 cm). Tape plastic over the poultice, wait the time indicated on the label, then remove it according to its directions.

How to Doing Routine Cleaning a Stone Tile Shower?

/in /by

Wipe away loose buildup and grime. Wet a clean, soft cloth, like one made of microfiber, in warm water. Firmly wipe down all of your shower’s stone tiles and the grout in between. This will make it easier for you to find and target more severe buildup and hidden stains. Soft clothes will be the gentlest on the finish of your stone. Rough fabric, over time, could cause the surface of your stone to pit or cloud.

Scrub grout with a toothbrush and a mild detergent. The narrow crevices between cement tiles and filled with grout are a prime location for buildup. Use a mild detergent, like dish soap, warm water, and a toothbrush to scrub the grouted cracks between ceramic tiles. Rinse the area thoroughly afterwards and repeat as necessary until the grout is clean.

Because grout is often dirtier than the tile itself, clean the grout first to prevent it from spreading to the kitchen tile. Avoid using general grout cleaners when cleaning the grout of natural stone tile. These often have ingredients that can damage your stone. Stiff bristle brushes can harm the finish of your stone and cause scratches. Only use soft bristle brushes and soft cloths when cleaning.

Clean the stone with a mild detergent or stone soap. Mix together warm water and a couple drops of mild detergent, like dish soap. Stir the solution to distribute the soap. Dip a soft rag into the solution, wring excess liquid from it, and use it to wipe down the casstle tiles. Rinse the tiles frequently as you do so.

Soaps that are formulated for the natural stone used in your shower can be found at most hardware stores. Cleaners that are acidic can damage your stone tile. Only use cleaners that are pH neutral (a 7 pH rating), which should be indicated on the cleaner’s label information. Using more soap isn’t always better. Too much soap in your solution could result in streaks or a film remaining on the marble tiles after cleaning.

Cut through soap scum with an ammonia and water solution. Soap scum is a common problem and it can be difficult to remove. Cut through it with a solution of a half cup (237 ml) ammonia and a gallon (3.8 L) of water. Apply the solution to the tile with a clean, soft cloth.

Using ammonia to clean your stone too frequently can negatively impact its appearance, causing it to dull. Stay on top of general cleaning to prevent soap scum from building up. This way, you’ll only have to infrequently use ammonia. Dry the stone after cleaning. Avoid leaving cleaners on your stone for long periods of time, especially ones that can cause dulling or fading, like ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the tiles design thoroughly and then wipe them dry with a clean, soft towel.

How to Repair Tile?

/in /by

Tile is a very tough and durable wall and floor covering, but it is not indestructible. Tile can be made of ceramic, porcelain, quarry stone or terracotta (clay) and is vulnerable to damage caused by virtually any item heavy or strong enough to crack those materials. A floor tile may even crack on its own if it’s hiding a manufacturer defect or if it’s installed on an uneven subfloor. Fortunately, cracked cement tile is repairable and you don’t have to be a flooring contractor to be able to do it. If you have a broken tile that needs to be replaced, follow these steps for how to repair wood tile.

Find a replacement tile that matches. Flooring contractors often leave spare tiles design in the garage or storage room for when the homeowner might need to repair tile mishaps. Choose a matching grout. Borrow colored grout samples from a well-stocked flooring supply store and bring it home to find the closest match.

Remove the old fashion impression tile completely. Be careful not to damage any of the surrounding tiles. Use an electric drill with a masonry bit to drill a diagonal series of small holes into the cracked polished tile, keeping drilled holes less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.

Split the tile through the horizontal hole-line by using a ball-peen hammer to tap a cold chisel into the ceramic tile. Tap very lightly so as not to crack neighboring grout joints. Remove the loosened pieces. Use a flat bar to pry up any shards that you cannot get up by hand.

Scrape the remaining old mortar from the subfloor using a stiff-bladed scraper. It is not important that you get every last bit up. Just make sure the area is fairly clean of mortar. Vacuum up any loose dirt or debris.

Set the replacement tile. Use a notched trowel to spread mortar onto the subfloor and lay the new fashion tile in. Use a level to ensure tile is laying perfectly flat and also to determine that the newly set tile is flush with surrounding marble tiles. Grout the area according to the grout manufacturer’s directions.

What Should We Do After Finishing Your Countertop?

/in /by

Allow the mortar to set overnight. After tiling a countertop, you should let the mortar dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While it may be only a few hours, waiting overnight ensures that everything is well set when you get back to work.

Grout the marble tile countertop using the grout of your choice. Remove the vinyl natural marble floor tiles spacers. Then, use a rubber float to press grout into the grout lines. Work smoothly and methodically, using a rubber float to spread the grout and wipe up any excess.

Remove excess grout by holding the rubber float at a 45-degree angle and dragging it across the floor tiles in a diagonal direction.

Clean the tiles with a damp sponge when finished. Once the grout is evenly distributed in the joints, clean the grout off the room tile faces using a damp sponge. This should wipe off any residue or grit that got on the wood tiles while installing. Only swipe over the surface of the tiles — do not dig into the grout lines.

Allow the grout to dry before adding a finish to the counter. To protect your onyx tiles for years, you’ll want to apply a finishing solution to the grout. Find a grout and tile sealer that works for you at your local hardware store and apply according to the directions on the bottle.

How to Tile You Own Kitchen Countertop?

/in /by

Apply thin-set mortar to the top of the countertop. For the edges and backsplash, apply rustic tile mastic, which is flexible, along the outside edge of the countertop. This will allow for expansion so that your edge tiles do not crack.

Lay the tile in place, then push it firmly into the mortar to adhere it in place. Lay the edge tiles design first, then lay the countertop (field) tiles, using vinyl spacers to account for the grout lines. Keep moving in this pattern — mortar, tile, press, spacers, repeat — until you need to mix more mortar or finish your section.

Clean any excess mortar off the surface of your wall marble tile as you work. Removing grout is much more difficult once it dries, so work to get rid of excess while it’s still soft.

Check for consistency as you work with a straight edge. Use a straight edge to determine that your lines are straight, and place a level on top of the tile countertop to determine that your wood tiles are uniformly set into the grout. If not, you still have some time to adjust the small tiles while the mortar sets.

Cut tiles as you go to fit any problem areas. Use a floor tile cutter to cut any irregular edge and sink pieces if they only require trimming, then set those in place last. For larger cuts, or making many cuts, you should invest or rent a wet saw, which is made to cut marble tile without deforming or cracking it. When done with the counter, set any backsplash tiles using mastic. The process is the exact same.

How to Laying the Countertop Tiles?

/in /by

To get your counter ready for tiles: Use an orbital sander and 50 grit paper to rough up the surface. Do not gouge any big holes. Use a circular saw and a straight-edge to saw off any rounded, overhanging edges. You want square, 90-degree corners to fit your stone tiles into.

Mark out a backsplash, or set of tiles along the corner of the counter and wall, if you want one. Make sure you prep the area as well with a light sanding. Mark the height of your backsplash — usually just one tile high. Be sure to account for the width of the Simple Elegant  tile below it, however, on the countertop. Because of this, the backsplash usually comes last.

Do a dry run to ensure your fashion tiles fit. Arrange the wood tiles on the countertop base. It is important to determine the appropriate placement and spacing of the tiles before you wood marble tile countertops. Position your tiles on the concrete tile countertop as you want them to be set, making sure to account for grout lines. Use spacers to make sure your small tiles are properly placed.

Whenever possible, start from the center. Place a tile in the middle and work out, cutting the end tiles when necessary. This makes everything look evener. In general, grout lines range from 1/16″ to 3/16″ in thickness. It can help to use a marker and a straight-edge to draw out your rows of floor tiles in advance. Start nearest to the wall, then work to the edge. If you have a caulk box, you can use that to snap horizontal lines, or use a laser level to help keep things straight.

Mix up your mortar according to the manufacturer’s directions. Follow the specific instructions on the back of the bag. Only make as much mortar as you need, opting for a little bit less if you’re unsure how much to pour. You’ll need to use it all while it is still wet and well mixed, and you can always pour and mix more.

Mastic — a flexible adhesive — is often used for the backsplash, not the counter. Be sure to purchase a mortar able to handle the moisture of the kitchen or bathroom. Using a notched trowel, lay a roughly 1/4″ thick layer of mortar on the countertop. Give yourself enough mortar for 3-4 tiles at once. Lay the mortar down so that it evenly covers the surface, moving in mostly one direction.

How to Measure the existing countertop Before Tile a Countertop?

/in /by

 

Use a carpenter’s pencil to outline the dimensions of the existing countertop on a piece of 3/4 inch (2 cm) plywood. Be sure to trace the sink opening, too. Cut the plywood using a circular saw. If you need to make smaller cuts or round out your corners, finish up with a jigsaw. Clamp a straight edge along the marked lines to guide the saw so that your lines are perfectly straight.

Place the plywood base on top of the existing countertop. From underneath the existing countertop, trace the sink opening onto the plywood base. Cut out the sink opening using a jigsaw.

Use your plywood template to cut the concrete backer tiles with a wet saw. Put the plywood base on top of a piece of concrete tile. Use the plywood base as a template to make an identical countertop piece out of the concrete tile. Cut the concrete tile to the shape of the countertop using a spiral cutting saw with a masonry bit. Don’t forget to cut out the sink opening as well.

These tiles sometimes come pre-cut, or you can have them cut at a local hardware store if you cannot cut the concrete. Sometimes sold as “fibercrete,” a “backing tile,” or sometimes a “tile backer.”Screw the plywood base into the countertop, then adhere the concrete tile with thinset mortar and an electric drill. Screw the plywood base onto the existing countertop using wood screws.

Then, apply thinset mortar to the plywood base using a 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) trowel. Place the concrete tile on top of the plywood base and screw it into place with galvanized screws. When done, reinforce any corners and edges with fiberglass mesh tape. This prevents chipping, cracking, or crumbling along the cut edges of the concrete.

Alternatively, cut and sand down laminate countertops to adhere tiles design to them. If you have a laminate (popular, smooth, plastic-like surface) countertop, you only have a little preparatory work to do. You must simply get the surface ready to absorb the mortar and adhere the tiles. Most laminate is non-porous and a bad adhesive surface.

How to Preparing the Countertop Before Tile a Countertop?

/in /by

You do not have to be a professional tile layer to marble tile a countertop. It is possible to get professional results tiling a countertop yourself by following these steps. Note, however, that this requires not only a lot of tools, but time — tiling is not a quick process by any means.

Measure out your tiling plans in advance, getting all of your dimensions and marking problem areas like sinks. Break down your counter into workable sections, dividing up the room by large obstacles like the sink or oven. Clean everything off the countertops and empty the kitchen so that you can move and work freely.

Know your planned tile size, how many tiles you need total, and how the wood tiles will fit into rows ahead of time. If you can get a tile size that requires minimal cutting and fitting your life will be much easier. Remember to account for the grout when planning your tile size.

Remove the sink, stove, and any other appliances. If you plan on tiling a countertop in a wet area, then you will need to take out the sink in order to lay the new tiled countertop. You should also remove the stove, though this is much easier to simply slide out than a sink. To remove your sink: Turn off the water supply to the sink. If you have a garbage disposal, you will need to cut the power to that, as well.

Disconnect the plumbing hoses from the sink. This includes the flexible tubing that connects your dishwasher to your sink plumbing, and the hose clamps that keep your disposer in place.

Unscrew the sink from underneath the countertop, if there are screws holding it in place. If there are clamps holding the sink to the countertop, these will need to be removed, too. Run a razor around the edge of the sink to cut the caulking before removing the fixture. Pry the sink loose from the countertop, then remove it completely and set it aside.

Prepare the tile design countertop base if not purchasing or using a preexisting counter. If you’re crafting a new counter from scratch, the following bullets detail how to build a new countertop using plywood and concrete boards. In most cases, your countertop will already have a solid base — click here to skip ahead if it does.

How to Grouting and Caulking Before Laying Your Tile?

/in /by

Allow the tiles to set overnight. Before grouting, caulking, and finishing your job, wait at least 12 hours for the mastic to dry and the wood tiles to set. If you don’t, you could wind up displacing your tiles design. Remove spacers from between your subway tiles. Move over your wood marble tiles from the left to the right and remove all of the spacers you placed to separate the small tiles from one another. If you don’t remove the spacers before applying grout, you’ll have problems with your grout in the future. If the spacer won’t come out, use a flathead screwdriver to pry it out. Be careful not to damage the tile.


Open your premixed grout 15 minutes before you use it. While you can mix your own grout, it is much easier to purchase premixed grout and apply it without preparation. However, make sure you don’t open the grout until you’re ready to use it. If you open it earlier, it may begin to dry before you use it.


Spread grout with a float back and forth. Scoop up a generous amount of grout from your bucket with your float. Spread the grout over the spaces between your tiles. Apply extra grout, as you want to make sure you’re completely filling all grout lines. Avoid filling the space between your ceramic tiles and your counter, appliances, or windows. You’ll fill these in with caulk later.


Remove excess grout with a float. Run your float lightly across the grouted portions of your tile. Use it to scope up as much excess grout as you can. By removing grout, you’ll make your cleanup process a lot easier. You’ll also be able to use the excess grout elsewhere in your project.


Shape your grout with a pen, pencil, or the rounded edge of a float. Take a rounded tool and run it along your grout lines. This will give a slightly concave appearance to your grout lines. It will also help to compact the grout and fill any pockets that aren’t already filled. Use a sponge to remove any grout haze. Dampen a sponge in cool clean water. Wipe your rustic tiles in a back-and-forth fashion. Rinse your sponge after you’ve wiped down one 4 foot (1.2 m) row of tiles. Continue to wipe your wood tiles until you’ve removed any grout or grout haze that remains on them.


Caulk the edges between your marble tiles and cabinets, windows, and appliances. Use a caulk that closely matches the color of the grout you used. Squeeze your caulk gun or the tube slightly to push out just enough caulk to fill the gap. Finally, dampen one of your fingers in warm water and use it to smooth the caulk. You can use a rounded end of a pen, pencil, or another object instead of your finger. Place painter’s tape on the face of the tiles adjacent to where you’ll caulk. Remove the tape shortly after you’ve applied the caulk.