How to Laying Your Tile?

/in /by

Use a trowel to apply pre-mixed mastic to the wall. Mastic is the adhesive, much like mortar, you’ll use to secure the floor tile to your wall. Spread enough pre-mixed mastic on the wall so you can place 1 row of marble tile for about 4 linear feet (1.2 m). This way, you’ll be able to place your tiles before the mastic starts to dry.

Switch to a v-notched trowel to remove excess mastic from the wall. Hold the trowel at a 45 degree angle. Gently sweep vertically over the mastic. This will remove excess mastic and will also create grooves that will help the cement tile adhere to the wall.

Separate your tiles with 1/8 inch (.32 cm) porcelain tile spacers. Place one wood tile (or one sheet of polished tiles) on the wall at a time. Once you’re done with the 4 foot (1.2 m) row segment, apply more mastic and place more rustic tile on the wall. Continue this process until you’ve covered the majority of your drywall with complete tiles.

Use a toothpick or another tool to remove excess mastic from between the common marble tiles. Slide your tool of choice into the space between tiles and push out any mastic that was forced up when you placed the element tile. By removing excess mastic, you’ll make sure there is plenty of room for grout when you apply it.

Cut partial tiles. In spaces where a whole mosaic tile won’t fit, you’ll have to cut smaller pieces of whole tile. Use a wet saw to cut your tiles. If you don’t have a wet saw, you can purchase a ceramic tile cutter. Before cutting a tile, use a pencil to outline where you need to cut it.

How to Determining Subway Tile Backsplash Layout?

/in /by

Subway tile is an increasingly popular backsplash choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and utility rooms. One of the best things about subway tile is that it is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Over the course of a weekend or two, you can make a chic and practical backsplash out of the subway tiles of your choosing.

Measure the area and purchase 10% more tile than you need. Use a tape measure and measure the width and length of the space you want to cover with subway tiles. Multiply these numbers by each other. This will give you the total area you want to tile. Afterwards, add 10% to the total to cover potential waste.

If you have a 10-foot (3 m) section that is 2.5 (.76 m) high, you have an area of 25 square feet (7.6 square meters) to cover. To cover waste, you’ll add 2.5 square feet (.76 square meters) in addition. This will give you a total of 27.5 square feet (8.4 square meters) of subway tile you will need to purchase.

Remove outlet and light switch covers. Use a flathead screwdriver and unscrew the plastic covers from the outlets and light switches. After removing them, place the screws and the covers in plastic bags so you don’t lose any pieces. You’ll replace the covers once you’ve installed your backsplash.

Sketch your tile design on the wall. Start by determining how many marble tiles can fit vertically and horizontally in the area you want to cover. Next, figure out where you need to place partial pieces of tile size (pieces that you will cut). A lot of this depends on your taste. Finally, take a pencil and draw on the wall where you plan to place individual tiles.

Factor in 1/8th of an inch (.32 cm) between tiles and the wall for grout lines. You may want to choose between centering whole pieces of small tile or starting at the top with whole pieces and finishing the bottom with cut/partial pieces (if there isn’t enough space for whole pieces).

Lay your tile out. After you’ve sketched your design on the wall, you should assemble all of the pieces you need to complete your project. It is best to lay out your pieces on a large table or on the floor in another room. This way, you’ll be able to match the pieces to the places on the wall where they will go.

The Knowledge of Laying Tiles

/in /by

Use small shims or other spacers to allow a small amount of space between the bottom of the marble tile and the lip of the shower pan. Small pieces of cardboard work great as makeshift shims. After the mortar is set, you can simply remove these shims and caulk between the lip of the pan and the bottom of the wood tile.

Continue laying the tile, making sure to use spacers in between tiles. Spacers will leave you identifiable grout lines between wood tiles. Small 1/16″ or 1/8″ spacers (or even bigger) can be placed at several places on the x- and y-axis of the wood marble tile to leave adequate space for an even grout line.

Repeat the procedure, setting each row of tile on top of the last row of wall marble tile. Continue until you reach the top of the shower stall. Measure up from top of the last row. Mark the line with a level as a guide for your next row. Spread thin-set onto your tiles design with v-notched trowel and place the tile just below the marked line. Use spacers all around. Make sure to measure every third or fourth row to ensure that you have an even grout line. Let the tile set for 48 hours. This will make sure that the mortar has adhered properly to both the rustic tile backing and the cement board backer.

Don’t cut any partial pieces yet. Set aside all of the pieces you’ll need to cut partial pieces. After placing full pieces on your wall, you may find that the size of the partial pieces you’ll need is a little different than what you anticipated.

Place a cloth or plastic cover over your countertops and appliances. Use a cloth or plastic to cover anything you want to protect from adhesive, grout, and caulk. Most importantly, place cloth or plastic over your counter tops, on appliances, and on any furniture in the immediate area. Secure drop clothes to countertops and appliances with painter’s tape.

Cover the edges of cabinets and appliances with painter’s tape. Take the time to systematically cover the edges of cabinets, appliances, and woodwork. This way, you’ll protect cabinets and more from being stained with grout or caulk.

Rub 80-grit sandpaper back and forth on the area you are tiling. When your sandpaper wears out and isn’t as abrasive, use a fresh piece. Make sure you sand the entire surface that you are tiling. Sanding will make it easier for the spots tile to adhere to the wall.

How to Finishing up the Job of Tiled a Shower?

/in /by

A tiled shower adds beauty and durability and value to your home, and you can choose tiles for your shower all by yourself. There are several things you need to do to properly prepare a leak-proof shower. If you are tiling a shower tile for the first time, consult with a general contractor before starting the job.

Grout the tile. Mix up a batch of grout and let wall tile rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Lightly wet the tile area you’ll be grouting with a damp sponge and dump a bit of grout onto the tile area. Use a rubber float to smooth it into the joints, attacking each joint at a diagonal angle. After 30-40 minutes (check the directions on the bag of grout) you want to wipe the excess grout with a damp sponge and a circular motion. Keep wiping with a clean sponge until the shower tile is clear.

The tiles may look a bit hazy even after wiping, so you may have to buff small tile with a clean sponge to get rid of this haze. Let the grout cure for approximately 3 days before sealing. Then, seal the grout. Run a thin bead of liquid grout or aerosol grout sealer onto the grout line and wipe away. Let dry and then test its water resistance by dropping water onto the sealed grout. Correctly sealed grout will cause the water to bead up on top of it.

Caulk any needed tile size areas. Make sure to use a grout caulk to match the colors. As you caulk tile design, remember to pull the caulk gun relatively quickly across the joint. Most amateurs caulk too slow and end up dropping too much caulk down on the joint.

Other things to remember: Keep the tip angled as you run the bead along the joint. Match the speed with which you pull the caulk gun trigger with the rate at which you pull the gun along the joint. You don’t want to be pulling the gun fast but triggering slowly, or vice versa.

After applying the bead of caulk tile, “bed” it by running a damp finger across the bead with light pressure. Make sure that your grout chalk matches the grout. Let the caulk dry and redo it if you are not happy with the results.

How to Laying the Tiles for a Shower?

/in /by

Mark your tile layout on the substrate and mark out your first course carefully. If your shower enclosure walls are not perfectly square, or if you plan to install accent tiles, the layout of these shower tiles becomes increasingly important. Measure up from the bottom of the backer board the height of a tile minus 1/2″. This will give you a 1/2″ overlap over the bathroom tile lip on your shower pan. Make sure that you allow room for the grout joints as well. Mark this with a sharpie or chalk and using a level, transfer the mark across the shower stall. This will be a guide for the top of the first row so that all wall tiles will be level. Only use dry tiles make sure that the lay out works as well.

Another way to plan out the first row of tiles design is to measure the high part and low part of the shower pan. Make the cut spot on the low end a full tile, mark it, and then cut the tiles on the high side down to the level of the uncut wall marble tile on the low side. Keeping grout lines away from the inside corners of the enclosure can prevent the need for tiny tiles and poor grout joints. Plan accordingly and always make cuts tight on the inside corner.

Mix enough thin-set for the bottom row. You want your thin-set to be the consistency of peanut butter — not too thick or it will dry out and not too thin or you’ll have a hard time setting the mortar with strength and cleaning. Use an electric drill and a mortar mixing bit attached to your drill to mix your thin-set mortar. This will ensure even consistency and ultimately a better product. Let the mortar set for seven minutes and then mix it again.

Dampen the cement board with a sponge before applying the mortar. If you do not, the cement board will draw the moisture out of the thin-set too quickly, making for a brittle set that is susceptible to cracking. Trowel some thin-set onto the back of the tile and spread it with a notched trowel. This process is called “back buttering.” Apply mortar to the backer board along with back buttering and then set the cement tiles on top of that. It’s a lot cleaner, too!

Be sure not to apply too much mortar to the back of a tile. You only need a little in each corner and a little dab in the middle for back buttering. More isn’t necessarily better when it comes to thin-set. Keep in mind that back buttering is only necessary when you are using a larger small tile (8″ x 8″ or larger) and you only need to add a little dab of thin set mortar to each corner.

Set the first tile in the middle of the wall (or floor). This will create a pleasant visual effect and allow each tile that is placed beside it on either side seem centered. After back buttering, simply press the cement tile onto the backer board and apply pressure to make sure that the mortar adhered properly to both the tile and the backer board. Then, give the tile a little twist and tap each one with a rubber mallet, especially the floor tiles.

Wipe away any excess thin-set mortar after pressing the marble tile onto the backer. Although you’ll be grouting and caulking between the tiles, it’s best not to leave any thin-set on oozing out from the sides of the tile. Dig out any oozing thin-set that you notice. Simply wipe away excess thinset with your finger or a Q-tip.

How to Preparing the Shower for Tiles Before Tile a Shower?

/in /by

Gut the shower stall down to the studs. You may need to remove the shower pan and ceiling, as well. Do not put down any plastic because this can trap moisture and lead to rotting. Instead, use a product that you can paint on to help prevent moisture. Choose a vapor barrier to install and introduce according to manufacturer directions. If you fail to install a vapor barrier, you might grow mold and mildew as moisture from your shower escapes through the tiles and into walls tile. Improperly installed rustic tile and grout can allow water vapor to pass into the space behind.

When installing a vapor barrier on an exterior wall marble tile, it may be helpful to seal a plastic vapor barrier to the concrete floor but not all the way up to the top of the ceiling. With insulation improperly installed, or in colder climates, there’s a chance that condensation that forms behind the vapor barrier will cause the framing members to rot. In order to avoid that possibility, install the vapor barrier with space to spare so that the gap behind the vapor barrier can breathe. Use a roll on product, such as Red Guard.

Wedi boards are another option some consider even better than cement tile. If you choose a membranous barrier such as Trugard or Kerdi, you can install plain old drywall tile or you can just install a cement tile instead. Put up a sturdy cement tile backer. Putting up wall marble tile is just like putting up drywall. You cut it to fit using a grinder with a diamond bit, and then screw it to the studs. Leave a 1/8″ gap between panels and then a very small space between the shower pan and the bottom of the backer so that the two don’t squeak by rubbing together.

Use a hole saw with a carbide bit to cut the holes where the shower head and handles would come through. Make the small tile flush with the tile lip of your shower pan by using shims behind the board to bring it out to the desired thickness. Make sure to use composite shims. Use 100% silicone caulk to seal the seams between the panels and then apply the silicone behind the board on the stud. Add some seam tape between the panels as well.

Lay the drywall. If using crown molding near the ceiling, lay down 12 to 18 inches (30.5 to 45.7 cm) of drywall instead of cement tile. Nails used to fix the crown molding in place will not travel through the tile; you’ll need to use moisture-resistant drywall such as greenboard in order to take the nails and affix the molding.

Feather any edges with seam tape and thin set mortar where the backer board meets the wall tile. If there’s a gap between the backer board and the wall tile, you’ll want to use seam tape and then feather the gap with thin set mortar so that it appears as one continuous back. Remember that the seams must remain tight with gaps 3/16″ or smaller.

Paint a water resistant primer over any areas you intend to tile. After you’ve feathered the edges to remove the gap, apply a high quality water resistant exterior primer over the feathered wall tile and backer.

How to Quickly Repair Bathroom Shower Tiles?

/in /by

Ceramic shower tiles may be damaged or broken over a period of years. This may include damage to the grout joints, or even individual only tiles may crack, causing water to leak into the walls or floor space, where it can damage subfloors or lower level spaces. This guide will help you to repair these problems.

 

Remove damaged tiles together with small tile adhesive (cement under tiles). You may have to break the wall tile into small pieces and remove it. The biggest problem with this is that you can easily break some of the adjoining tiles. Using a grout saw or other tool, remove the grout from the tile joints surrounding the damaged tiles design. Be careful not to cut through any membrane waterproofing underneath or behind the tiles.

Using a masonry bit, drill a hole through the middle of the tiles you need to remove. For large wall tiles design you may need to drill several holes so the tile can be broken up to remove it. Again, be careful not to drill too deep, or the substrate and/or any waterproofing membrane may be damaged. Use a chisel to break out the marble tiles in small pieces.

Remove the thinset mortar or tile adhesive behind the wall marble tile you have removed. You will need a smooth, clean surface to install the replacement tiles on. Make sure any waterproof membrane is undamaged before proceeding. You may have to repair rubber or vinyl membranes to assure there isn’t a leak underneath the bathroom tiles you are replacing, and the methods for doing so vary depending on the membrane used.

Get some ceramic tile adhesive, or thinset tile cement and apply it to the substrate with a notched trowel. For small repairs, you may have to use a putty knife to apply this material. Replace the tile by pushing it into the adhesive or thinset firmly so it is bedded in the material. Make sure the joints around the tile are uniform, and the surface of the newly installed shower tiles are flush with the surrounding tiles.

Wait for the tile adhesive to dry and then grout the joints surrounding any new tiles you have installed. Use a sponge and plenty of water to clean excess grout off the tile’s surface. Once this material has dried and cured, it is difficult to remove. Use a good, waterproof bathroom sealant or caulk to repair any joints that do not lend themselves to grouting, such as metal trim or fixture penetrations.

How to Cleaning the Tiles with a Baking Soda Paste?

/in /by

Mix 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water in a bowl. Mix the baking soda and water together until it forms a thick paste. The paste should have a toothpaste-like consistency. If the mixture is thin, then keep adding more baking soda until it reaches the desired thickness.

For tough stains, add hydrogen peroxide to the mix by substituting half of the water with peroxide. Alternatively, you can use a marble tile cleaner to clean your wood marble tiles if you do not want to use a baking soda paste.

Apply the paste with a sponge. Do this by spreading the paste over the tiles. Make sure to apply a generous amount in between the tiles and on tough stains. Spray the paste with the vinegar solution. The vinegar will react with the baking soda, making it bubble. The vinegar helps the paste eat through the soap scum.

Scrub your tiles with a scrub brush. Use a stiff bristle brush or a grout brush. Scrub your small tiles in a circular motion. Use pressure to remove tough stains and mildew from the tile, as well as when cleaning in between the marble wall tiles. For small crevices, use a toothbrush.

Rinse with warm water. Use a bucket or pitcher to rinse your tiles. Pour the water over the rustic tiles until all the soap and residue are removed. You may need to rinse your tiles three to five times. Dry the wall tiles with a clean towel. This will prevent water from pooling in corners and crevices, which will help in the prevention of mold and mildew growth.

Spray the vinegar solution onto the stone tiles. Do this after you finish showering two to three times a week. This will help keep your shower tiles clean for a longer period of time. Keep a spray bottle labeled “shower spray” in your shower for easy access. If you have children, keep the bottle up high and out of reach.

How to Pre-Treating Soap Scum Before Clean Shower Tile?

/in /by

Cleaning your shower tiles is simple, but it may take some time depending on how dirty they are. Start by pre-treating the tiles with a water-vinegar solution. Then apply a baking soda paste to the small tiles and use a stiff bristle brush to scrub away scum, mildew, and grime. Prevent future buildup by drying your tiles four to fives times a week after showering.

Run your shower on a high temperature. Let the hot water run for at least 10 minutes. The hot water will open the tile’s pores, making it easier to clean. Mix 1 part vinegar to 1 part water in a bowl. Mix the ingredients together in the bowl until they are well-combined. Then fill a spray bottle with the solution.

Spray the solution onto your shower tiles. Make sure to spray more solution onto dirtier areas, as well as the spaces in between the tiles design, i.e., the grout. Since you will be using this solution later on, do not use up all of the solution at this point, or make more solution as you clean.

Let the solution set for five minutes. This will loosen the soap scum. Depending on how dirty your tiles are, you may need to let the solution set for 30 minutes or longer. Scrub the soap scum. Use a stiff bristle brush or a grout brush to do this. This will further loosen the soap scum, making the only tiles easier to clean.

Rinse with warm water. Do this by turning your shower on again. Use a lower temperature setting. However, the water should still be warm. Alternatively, you can use a bucket or a pitcher to rinse the tiles.

Squeegee your tiles. Do this by keeping a squeegee in your bathroom. Squeegee your bathroom tiles five to seven times a week after showering. Make sure to squeegee corners and crevices. Dry your casstle tiles with a towel. Keep a specially designated towel handy in your bathroom to do this. Dry your tiles off five to seven times a week after showering.

How to Trimming Tile with a Wet Saw?

/in /by

Where you want to make the cut on the floor tile using a square. A square will help you draw straight lines for cutting. Use a lead or grease pencil to make your marks. Don’t use a permanent marker. This will be very difficult to remove from the rustic tile in the end. Fill the tray of the wet saw with water by turning on the water pump. The water will cool down the blade of the wet saw. Don’t fill the reservoir past the maximum line marked on the edge of the tray.

You can cover the floor underneath the saw with a plastic drop cloth if you’re worried about it getting wet. There’s a chance water will spray or splash out of the reservoir. Set the wall tile on the saw, lining up the blade with the cut mark. Before turning on the saw, you may want to slide the tile about 1 inch (2.5 cm) back from the blade so it doesn’t start cutting immediately. Make sure the tile is completely flat on the surface of the saw.

If you put the widest section of the clound tile between the blade and the fence, you’ll avoid having to get your hand too close to the blade. Lock the fence along the edge of the only tile for a straight cut. The fence (also known as the lock plate) can be shifted from side to side along the saw to adjust for different sizes of tile. It’s a long bar that sits on top of the saw’s table next to the blade. Push it flush against the edge of your ceramic tile once you have it aligned with the blade, and lock it into place.

To lock the fence, there should be a small lever on the side of the fence. Pull it out towards you to unlock it and push it in against the saw to lock it. You can lock the fence on either the right or left side of the blade. It depends on which is most comfortable for you. Turn on the wet saw by pressing the button on the side of saw. The “on” switch may be a green button. Wait for the water to cover the blade before you start cutting.

Wear safety glasses and gloves to protect yourself from flying debris. Always leave the protective plastic covering over the blade while you’re cutting. Push the tile gently along the fence into the blade. You shouldn’t have to force the tile through the blade. You’re simply guiding it along using both hands. When you get near the end, firmly press the 2 halves of the glazed rustic tile together as you push it through the blade so that the tile doesn’t break before the cut is made.

Make any necessary adjustments to the kitchen tile while you guide it. If the blade starts straying from your cut mark, gently push the polished tile back into place. Harder or thicker tiles design should be pushed through at a slower rate. You’ll know you’re pushing it too fast if you hear the blade slow down. Never take your eyes off the blade as you cut. Looking away for even just a second is very dangerous.

Keep your hands as far away from the blade as possible. If you need to, you can use a piece of scrap wood to push the tile through the blade. Turn off the saw before removing the marble tile from the table. The “off” switch is typically a red button on the side of the saw. Wait until the blade has completely stopped rotating before you grab the tile. Make sure the bathroom tile is free of the blade before you reach over to turn off the saw. Otherwise, it could go shooting off the table. After you unplug the saw, you should use a damp sponge to wipe it down and remove any debris.