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How to Clean a marble tiles Shower?

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A marble tiles shower is an elegant and chic addition to anyone’s bathroom. Unfortunately, there are also drawbacks with marble tiles, especially when you have to clean it. marble tiles is a porous rock that tends to absorb chemicals and dyes that are found in traditional cleaners. For this reason, many different things can end up ruining your shower’s sleek finish.


Luckily, if you use the right techniques and limit the chemicals you use when you clean, you can have a shiny marble tiles shower that’s free of stains and dirt. Wipe down your shower after each use. It’s important that you wipe it clean after every use because the chemicals found in your soap may hurt the marble tiles.


Use a dry cotton rag or dishcloth to wipe the moisture from the walls and basin of your shower after you use it. Fill a spray bottle with warm water a tbsp (14.7 ml) of mild dish soap. Use regular warm water to fill a spray bottle and add a tbsp (14.7 ml) of non-abrasive, pH-neutral, dish soap into the bottle.


Select an undyed dish soap that does not contain any abrasives like sand or stone, and that doesn’t contain any acids like citrus, lemon, or vinegar. It will say pH-neutral on the label of your dish soap. Conventional cleaners may contain acids that can damage the surface of your shower. There are specially made marble tiles cleaners that you can purchase at department stores or online.


Popular commercial marble tiles sprays include Black Diamond, Simple Green, and Zep marble tiles Cleaner. Spray the solution onto your shower and rub it in with a damp cloth. Coat the walls and basin of your shower with the solution and rub the solution in a small circular motion. Continue to work around your shower in small circles, concentrating on any built up mildew or dirt.

How Sealing Your marble tiles Shower?

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Test to see if your shower needs to be sealed. Unless you have a white marble tiles shower, you should not seal your shower. You should also not seal your shower if there is already an existing seal on it. Test to see if there is sealer by putting a couple of drops of water onto the surface of the shower and allowing the water to dry for ten minutes.


If the area is dark, it means that your marble tiles has absorbed the water and most likely needs to be sealed again. If the sealer has pooled on top of your marble tiles, it means that it’s already sealed. If your shower is already sealed, there’s no reason to do it again, and it can actually be detrimental to your marble tiles.


Dust and clean the inside of your shower with a damp rag. The first step before you seal your shower is to make sure that all the dust and dirt that may be built up is removed before you seal it in. Wipe down your shower with a damp rag and water, then dry it with a clean rag. Make sure that your shower is dry and free of dirt before you start sealing.


Spray down your shower with the sealer and wipe it in. Spray down your shower with the sealer and use a sponge or a rag to wipe the sealer in. Work your way from the top of the shower to the bottom of the shower and try to apply even coats throughout it. Some popular brands of marble tiles sealer include DuPont Stone Sealer and Miracle Sealants.


It’s important that you get a stone sealer made for a stone like marble tiles. Allow the sealer to soak for 15 minutes. During this period the sealer will be absorbed by the marble tiles. You should start to see the marble tiles turn a darker color as it absorbs the sealer. Wipe off excess sealer on the surface of your shower. Use a dry absorbent cloth to remove any excess sealer that pools on the top of your shower.

Choosing the Right Type of Flooring

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Choose solid flooring if you want to be able to refinish it in the future. Solid flooring comes in planks made solely of wood. It’s noticeably quieter and can be refinished over and over again since it gives plenty of solid wood to work with. However, solid flooring is also prone to expansion and contraction, which can change its appearance over time.


Opt for engineered flooring if you want the wood to be more stable. Engineered flooring consists of multiple layers, only the top one being solid wood. The way engineered flooring is made prevents it from expanding and contracting, which means it always stays the same. However, it usually comes with a pretty thin layer of solid wood, which doesn’t leave enough room for future refinishing.


If price is a big concern, engineered flooring is a better option. Not only is it cheaper, it can also be installed directly onto concrete floors, which can significantly reduce your costs. Get prefinished flooring if you prefer not taking risks. With prefinished flooring, the top coat is added before the planks leave the factory, so you know exactly what you’re getting.


Also, you don’t need to rely on your contractor’s skills when it comes to finishing touches. Once the flooring is delivered, it only needs to be installed. Go with unfinished flooring if you want a higher level of control. Unfinished flooring gets delivered without the top coat and has to be finished on site.


This is riskier, since you don’t see the end product before it’s already installed. However, choosing for the flooring to be finished on site allows you to make adjustments during the entire installation process. When it comes to price, unfinished flooring is less affordable, since you need to pay a contractor to first install your flooring and then do the finishing touches as well.

The Knowledge of Tile Mist and Dry Cement

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Do any additional touch-ups required. Stand back and admire your work; it should appear as a marbled black and white checkered floor. Decorate your painted surface. Once your painted concrete floor has dried you can add your own personal touch. Apply a stencil design to your cement floor and paint on your desired pattern or style.


You can create your own stencil. Or you can check with your local paint store for stencils and designs to apply to your flooring. Have a helper on hand to hold the boards in place while you attach them to the walls. Spray another small section of the wall, completely soaking it before applying a layer of cement. Smooth out the cement before moving onto the next portion.


Keep doing this until your wall is coated in a single, perfect layer of fresh cement. If you make a mistake, scrape off the cement right away with a trowel or another tool. Cement is much easier to take care of before it hardens! Mist and dry the cement for 3 days. Get a big misting bottle and fill it with water.


Dampen the concrete twice a day for 3 days straight to ensure it cures correctly. After that, your wall is done and you can enjoy the strong but smooth finish the cement gives it. Cement can be painted over by coating it with a concrete primer. Another option is to mix colored concrete pigment into your wheelbarrow of wet cement to give it some color.


Add the stucco to the top of the wall, then spread it from left to right, repeating this as needed to finish the layer. The scratch coat is like a second base for the outer layer of stucco, so don’t skip it. Applying a large amount of stucco all at once is a recipe for an unappealing finish.

How Tracing Tile Cut Lines before Toilet Installation?

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Tile the areas away from the toilet flange first. When tiling a bathroom, mark out your desired grid pattern on the floor, and lay tile over the unobstructed areas first. Don’t tile around the toilet flange—the circular piece that connects to the drain pipe and upon which the toilet itself will rest—until the end.


Draw out a grid pattern for the tile layout on paper, and then on the subfloor itself, that reduces the number of tile cuts you need to make. If you’re using larger tiles—e.g., 12 by 12 in (30 by 30 cm) or larger—you may be able to cut a circle out of a single tile to go around the flange.

Cut one or more sheets of paper that match the size of your tiles. If you need to cut 1 tile to go around the flange, cut 1 sheet of paper; if you need 4 tiles, cut 4 sheets of paper. Be as precise as possible in sizing the sheets of paper properly. For instance, if your tiles are 8 by 8 in (20 by 20 cm), cut your sheets of paper to those dimensions.


Lay the sheet(s) of paper in place, overlapping the flange. Place the sheet(s) of paper exactly where the tile(s) will go, making sure to account for the spacing of your grout lines. That is, if your other tiles are spaced 0.125 in (0.32 cm) apart due to the grout lines, leave this same gap between the set tiles and your paper.


You can employ the same plastic spacers you use when laying the tile to make sure your grout line spacing is consistent with your paper templates. If you only need to cut a single tile, just lay a single sheet of paper right over the flange.

How to Cut Tile Around a Toilet?

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If DIY tasks like replacing a toilet and installing a tile floor are within your skill set, then you can also handle tiling around a toilet. Cutting tiles to fit neatly around the base of an installed toilet requires careful template-making and tile-nipping, however, so patience and precision are critical.


In most cases, you’ll have more room for error if you remove the toilet, trace and cut one or multiple tiles to fit around the toilet flange, and then reinstall or replace the old toilet. For instance, imagine that you have a toilet with an angular base that will necessitate cutting a triangular section away from one of the corners of one of your tiles.


You’d cut the parallel slits into that same area of the corresponding sheet of paper, with a little extra “wiggle room” added to your cuts. Lay each sheet into place and crease the slits along the toilet base. One at a time, lay the sheets of paper down where their corresponding tiles will go, remembering to account for spacing between tiles due to grout lines. The slits will fan up and over the installed toilet’s base.


Use your finger to press a crease into each slit—one at a time—where the subfloor meets the toilet base. When you’re done, you’ll have created an accurate template for that tile. Then you can move onto the next sheet of paper. To account for future grout lines, utilize the same plastic spacers that you use when permanently setting the tiles in place.


Cut the slits along the traced lines and dry-fit the sheets. Once you’ve creased all the sheets of paper, take your scissors and cut carefully along the crease lines. Then, lay all these cut sheets of paper down around the toilet (again, accounting for grout lines) and make sure they fit snugly against the toilet base.

How to Choose Tile for Pools?

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Designing a new pool can be an overwhelming process, given all of the options available to homeowners these days. Choosing a tile for your pool might not sound like an important decision, but the tile you choose can have a big impact on your pool’s durability and overall appearance.


Fortunately, there are a variety of ways you can go about choosing a pool tile that’s right for you, like looking at different styles, finding a good material, and visiting your local tile store. Install the tile. Once you’re satisfied with your layout, all that’s left to do is call a tiling contractor and have your tile put in professionally.


You might also consider tackling the job yourself if you’re handy with home improvement projects. When you’re done, you’ll have a handsome, custom-designed tiled floor to show for your efforts. Take care of any necessary last-minute adjustments before you break out the mortar and grout.


By the time you’ve begun setting the tiles, it will be too late to make changes. Keep in mind that the tiles will have to come up prior to installation. This isn’t an issue—when the time comes, simply lay them out again in the same formation you used during the dry-fitting phase.


If one or more do not, get more paper and repeat the process. You want the finished tiles to rest right up against the base of the toilet, so take your time to make sure the paper templates fit precisely.

How Choosing Pool Tile by Style?

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Use larger tile for easier upkeep. Save time cleaning your pool tile by having a larger tile finish, which has fewer seams that can collect dirty buildup. Go with smaller tile to create a captivating design. Add dimension to your pool by using smaller tile, which makes pool designs look more intricate.

Creating a mosaic or tile image is easier to do with small tile than with larger tile. Opt for blue tile for a classic swimming pool look. Incorporate multiple hues of blue into your design to add depth to your pool and make it more interesting. Use one shade of blue for a clean, uniform appearance.

Match your tile color with a color from your home for a unique pool design. Use red tile to complement the red brick on your house, or go with a green tile that blends with the surrounding landscape. Using a tile color other than blue will immediately make your pool stand out.

Mark the last tile in each row to indicate where to cut it if needed. As you near the edges of the room, you may find that you don’t have enough space to set the final tile. When this happens, you’ll need to cut your end tiles to ensure a proper fit. Measure the distance between the last full tile you laid down and the wall and mark this measurement on the end tile. You can cut the tile later using a masonry saw.

If the space left over at the end of a row is especially narrow, pick up the rest of the tiles in the row and shift them down half a tile’s length towards the opposite wall. Adjust your other rows accordingly. That way, you’ll have a larger partial tile at either end rather than a tiny sliver visible along only 1 wall.

How to Cleaning tile?

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Avoid cleaning with abrasive materials. Never clean your solid stone tiles with anything that’s abrasive. These can scratch and damage the tiles. When making or buying cleansers, avoid: Hard bristle brushes, Vinegar or lemon juice, Products with acid cleanse.


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 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 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 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 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.

Commercial Polishing of Tiles

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For really stubborn grout, you can use a toothbrush to scrub it. For stains or darkened grout, sprinkle baking soda over the grout, then spray white vinegar over it. Let the baking soda and vinegar sit for 5 minutes, then scrub the grout with your toothbrush.


Mop the floor with warm water and 1 to 2 drops of dish soap. A little bit of dishwashing soap goes a long way. One to two drops is plenty for 1 gallon (3.8 L) of warm water. Dip your mop into the bucket and slosh it around a bit to get the water nice and sudsy. Then wring the mop into the bucket to remove any excess water.


Start at one part of the room and work your way across the entire floor, mopping in big sweeping motions. It’s best to use as little soap as possible when cleaning your tile because excess soap can leave a residue on the tile. Make sure the bucket is large enough to hold 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water without sloshing over the sides.


The bucket itself should be clean to start with as well. You don’t want to start by adding more dirt to your soapy water! When you are finished mopping, clean your mop by rinsing with clean water so that it doesn’t harden and build up dirt. Allow the tile floor to fully dry. When you have finished mopping the floor, empty the bucket and rinse out any residue to give your floor some time to dry.


It’s very important to let your tile dry completely before you do anything else to it. Wet tile will make it difficult to add any cleaning solutions or to buff the tile. Wait at least 1 hour to let your floor dry. You can use a fan in the room to help your floor dry quicker.