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How Using Baking Soda Paste Clean Grout

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Make a baking soda paste. Combine about two tablespoons of baking soda with about one tablespoon (15 milliliters) of water. The mixture should not be too thin. If it sloshes about in the bowl you mixed it in, add some more baking soda to help it achieve a more paste-like texture. It also shouldn’t be too thick. If the mixture is thick and dry, and doesn’t adhere well to the fork or spoon you use to mix it, add some water to thin it out.


The more grout you have to clean, the more paste you’ll need. Apply the paste to the grout. The easiest way to apply the paste to the grout is with your finger. Simply scoop a little dollop of the paste onto your finger tip and smear it in an even layer across the grout you wish to clean.


Mix water and vinegar. In a spray bottle, combine water and vinegar in a one-to-one ratio. For instance, you might combine 1.5 cups (354 milliliters) vinegar with 1.5 cups (354 milliliters) water. To prevent grout from accumulating grime in the shower, just spray this mixture onto the shower grout two or three times weekly after getting out of the shower.


Spray the mixture onto the paste. Point the nozzle of the spray bottle toward the baking soda paste you’ve smeared along the grout. Squeeze the handle of the bottle. Repeat as necessary until all of the paste has bubbled up somewhat. You may have to wait about five minutes for the vinegar and baking soda to react.


Scrub the grout. Once the paste has become fizzy with the application of the vinegar mixture, use a stiff-bristled toothbrush to scrub the grout clean. Use a toothbrush you aren’t planning on using again for anything but detail cleaning.

How Concealing Tiles Permanently?

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Paint the tiles to match the color scheme of the room. For a more permanent solution to unsightly tiling, choose a color or a set of colors that matches your design aesthetic. Then, sand, wash, and prime the tiles to prepare for the paint. Apply the paint in 2 even coats, and add a layer of sealant over the painted tiles, especially if they might be exposed to foot traffic or water.

There are a variety of different paint options for tile, including chalkboard, latex, and oil-based. Opt for chalkboard paint if you want to save money, since you don’t need to apply a primer. You can even add a pattern to the surface by hand painting the tiles or using a stencil.

Cover a tile backsplash with wood and liquid nails for a rustic effect. Visit lumber yards and home improvement stores to find inexpensive wood, and cut it to fit the tiled area. Apply the adhesive and stick the boards to the tile in your desired pattern. Follow the adhesive instructions to let the area dry before applying a sealant or touching the backsplash.

 

Affix a layer of beadboard over a backsplash for a fresh, clean look. Purchase a few large sheets of beadboard, and paint them to your desired color. Measure and cut them to fit the area that you’re covering. Then, apply a layer of liquid nails adhesive to the existing tile and press the beadboard against the tile. Be sure to leave some overhang if possible, and use a nail gun to secure the corners of the beadboard.

It’s important to use traditional nails to keep the corners in place, since the material can sometimes warp due to high humidity or exposure to sunlight. Tip: Since you won’t see the adhesive, you can choose whichever color is the cheapest for this project.

The Knowledge Before Install Floor Tile

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Installing a tile floor can be time-consuming work. For those on a busy schedule, it can take a week to get the whole project accomplished. However, the process itself is straightforward and the end result is well worth the effort you put in. See Step 1 for more information on how to do DIY tile layout with minimal experience and lots of fun.

Laying Down a Cement Board. Install cement board first if you’re dealing with just a subfloor. While it’s possible to lay wood tile directly on plywood subfloor, it’s certainly not recommended. Plywood subfloor won’t bond as surely with thinset as cement board will; neither will it provide as even and stable of a surface for the common marble tile. Cement board will probably be a bit more expensive and will add time to your project, but the investment is totally worth it. Tile done right requires a solid substrate.

The cement tiles in mortar and grout is a serious chemical and you need proper safety gear. Cement can cause first degree burns, eye injury from dust or wet cement getting into your eyes and also can sometimes cause lifelong chromium sensitization, so be safe EVERY time and wear alkali-resistant waterproof gloves, long sleeves and long pants (unlike the pictures in this article, which don’t follow proper safety guidelines!) and waterproof or thick shoes. Wear goggles with side protectors and a ventilator at LEAST when pouring mortar to mix it, preferably throughout the project – remember, if mortar gets into your eyes, even once, you’ll have to flush with water for 20 minutes and may need a trip to the hospital. Don’t wash mortar off with normal soap (special pH neutral soap can be used). Make sure there’s nowhere mortar can get inside and get trapped against your skin. Rinse any mortar that touches your skin off right away, and keep vinegar on hand to neutralize.

Lay down some latex-modified thinset mortar onto the subfloor.If you’re mixing mortar from scratch, add enough water to the dry mortar so that the final consistency resembles peanut butter. Then, let the mortar slake, or rest, for 10 minutes. Use a trowel with notches about the same size as the cement board thickness to lay down the mortar. Lay only enough mortar that you can safely cover in about 10 minutes. This is the time it will take the mortar to start hardening.

Press down the cement board onto the subfloor and attach with cement board screws. Starting in one corner, press the cement board down to the subfloor using your own weight. Drill the cement board screws into the board to fasten the board to the subfloor. Screw about every 8 inches (20.3 cm) around the edge of the board and every 10–12 inches (25.4–30.5 cm) in the center of the board.

Continue laying mortar and cement board onto the subfloor, staggering the end joints so that they don’t line up. For added strength, make sure that the end joints don’t form one continuous line. This means that you might need to lay one line of cement board starting on one side of the room, and then start the next line on the opposite side of the room.