With our simple and easy to follow tips , there is no home imporvement project to big to tackle . DIY Home Repair is about showing you how to save money on home repairs and home improvemnts projects, by doing it yourself !
When it comes to remodeling or updating a home, whether for personal enjoyment or to add value prior to selling, the two rooms that deserve the most attention include the kitchen and the primary bathroom. Unfortunately, many people think projects for these rooms are too costly or too difficult to accomplish themselves so instead of ending up with changes, they do nothing.
Although you have a long list of projects to consider, focusing on the floor is always a good option. We wanted to show you how easy it really is to tile the bathroom floor, creating a room that looks amazing but also a room that now has value added. Ad you will discover, the process is easier than you might imagine and being able to do the job yourself means taking pride in a job well done.
For starters, you need to gather all the required materials and tools. For this, you need to measure the bathroom so you can purchase new tile according to total square footage. You will also need tile adhesive, cement bond, a screwdriver and screws, tape measure, pencil, spacers, and a notched trowel. Additional items would include tile nippers, tile scorer, float, sponges, needle-nose pliers, grout, and a wet-saw. This type of saw is specially designed to cut tile. If wanted, you could purchase a portable wet saw for less than $100 or rent one from a local equipment rental company.
The first step would be to remove the old flooring so you end up with the exposed subfloor. Then, cement board would be attached using the screws. Now, measure the width of the floor, deduct the number by 50%, and with the pencil, draw a line at the point directly onto the cement board. For the length of the bathroom, follow the same procedure. When done, you would see two lines, with the point of intersection being the center of the room.
Prior to putting adhesive down, put a corner of the first piece of tile down so it sits flush at the point where the two lines intersect. Moving along the line, you would center the other tile pieces, keeping about one-quarter inch between them for the grout. The goal is to position the tiles in a way that would require the least amount of cutting in that this step of the process is the most challenging, although not overly difficult. You would then use the pencil again, marking the location for the additional tile pieces. When done, stack the tile and set them aside.
The next step for installing new bathroom tile is to apply the adhesive according to the manufacturer's recommendation. The easiest type of adhesive to work with is called mastic but no matter the choice, it is highly recommended that you only work in a three-foot area at a time. With the notched trowel, the adhesive would be spread over the area being worked. For the next step, the first tile piece would be placed in the adhesive following the pencil marks you made earlier. To ensure the right amount of space is left between tiles for the grout, spacers would be placed in between tile pieces.
Continue laying the tiles until you reach the wall. At that point, measure the width and length needed for the tile pieces to fit flush to the wall, remember the one-quarter inch grout line. You would then use the tile scorer to score the tile at the place where it would be cut. The tile score simply weakens the tile so excess could be broken off easily. Using the nippers, apply pressure carefully along the scored line, breaking off unwanted sections of the tile. However, if using a wet saw, you would simply cut the tile according to measurements without scoring.
After the three-foot section is complete, move to the next section, repeating the process. After all the tile has been placed, the adhesive would need to dry according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Once dry, the spacers would be removed with needle-nose pliers, followed by the grout being applied with a float. We suggest you purchase readymade grout in the color of choice, making the application process easier. Allow the grout to settle for 15 minutes or the amount of time according to the manufacturer's recommendation.
Now, moisten a sponge and wipe over the grout lines to remove residue from the actual tile pieces. Be sure to rinse the sponge frequently while going through this process so all the residue is cleaned up. Again, it would be easiest to work in small sections so after wiping the grout residue several times, you could then go over the sections with a clean, soft cloth. After going over all the tiles, you can then look at the beautiful new bathroom floor, knowing that you did the installation on your own.
