Master Bathroom Tiling

Oh what fun it is to spend a beautiful day inside tiling.  No, but seriously when it is all done and over with I will be elated. One because I will have completed a task the professionals say that amateurs should not do, and also that I can take a shower.  I can't tell you how many things of cologne I have gone through in the last two months, LOL. Just teasing.

So anyway, I got the shower walls, ceiling and inside walls done and also got the shower curb and floor tiled. The easiest tiling part I have had so far was the shower floor it only took me about an hour to tile.  So all that is left to do with the shower is grout. But that comes later, first I must continue my bathroom remodel by  tiling the bathroom floor. 

Well I actually gave you a hint as to what I found when trying to start the bathroom floor, do you remember?  Yup MOLD...  When I pulled the tile boarder from around the wall OMG to my nightmare mold had set in... Who BUILT THIS HOUSE the CAT in the HAT?  Things just don't add up.

So here I am with more work ahead of me. No only do I still have to tile, grout I now have to go back to the demolition stage (this was not in the plan).  I got my handy tape measure, a utility knife, a Dremel and had to run back to the store, yup LOWE'S.  I wonder if anyone from Lowe's corporate will see this blog and donate some materials to complete projects. lol  Hey where is that landscape guy that is always asking people if they need help.  I so would put him to work.    Thanks to my brother I purchased the mold resistance sheet rock of green board as we call it. 

Ok back to the bathroom.  Let's start this demo process.  I used my tape measure and marked the wall at 32 inches, snapped a chalk line and using a straight ruler I cut the wall using my utility knife. I put blue painter's tape on the chalk line to make sure I did not damage the wallpaper any further than what I planned on doing. ( I don't know why when I am going to paint it)

Let's Make A Hole:

This is what every kid dreams of doing making a hole in the wall but this time on purpose. The little kid inside of me jumps up and down as take a swing at the wall... KAPAOW!!!! Crash.  Hole made. Since I scored the Sheetrock ahead of time the impact snapped the rest of the sheet rock at the line. 

Now to continue. I know what you are thinking... He should pull out the vanity.  NOPE not going through that hassle of pulling it out. The plan is to cut the sheet rock right on the stud beside the vanity and butt the new piece tightly against it. 
So let's continue ripping out the wall. 

Dang toilet in the way.  I had to remove the tank but only after I turned off the water supply to the tank and drained the toilet. Okay tank removed. It's always funny to me taking pictures of the toilet. Yes, everyone has to go but somethings should remain private.. I know I'm weird.  The mold was not so bad around this wall but as I neared the shower my fear was creeping up thinking I may have to remove every wall. But the mold seemed to have stopped at the 14 inch mark and no remain mold was on the sheet rock so I continued. Though the area near the shower entrance was molded  it was not as bad as the right hand side of the shower.  OMG never seen so much damage. Did the builder think that "oh the wood would just soak up the water," Duh!  Yeah it will and continue and mold will set up in the walls.  Well thankfully I had on gloves and a dust mask, but I can't stop thinking how many spores went into my lungs.  Well Thank God I am still breathing   :-)

Now to rebuild what I destroyed. I score the green board that I bought from Lowe's for 8.75 and using drywall screws secure it to the studs. The tape is just to remind me that I will need to use drywall tape and mud to cover the seams.  It's just painters tape it will come off easily enough.  If you look carefully in the pictures you will notice that the existing bathroom floor is still intact. Yup the withe diamond tile. That is correct because I was not planning to break it up, but instead tile over the existing tile.  How do you say I do this or can I do this? 

Yes you can, though may people don't think it is a good idea to tile over because it will make the floor higher than normal, but it can be done and that is what I plan to do.  So the green board is up and what will I do now. Well I have two choices I can cover the seams well and sand and paint or I can prep the walls to hold tile. Now why did i choose green broad? Because it's a bathroom and usually bathrooms deal with water or moisture so I wanted to minimize any damage or mold growth this time around.  So after prepping the board to support tile and repel moisture at the same time I am ready to get started in tiling the wall up to the 32 inch mark.  Oh you can buy a solution that you can roll onto the Sheetrock from LOWE'S, sorry I forget the name of it right now maybe I will remember shortly, but you can also tile on top of the green board as is.  The mortar will need to be thick and not contain much moisture.  If the mortar or thin-set is to wet the tile will not adhere to the sheet rock and it will also damage the green board itself. Spread a think layer of thin-set onto the green board to give it a rough textured surface. This is a very very thin coat of the thin-set and should dry in as little as 15 minutes. Make sure the entire area is covered with this thin layer, this will also act as a barrier to prevent any moisture from deteriorating the protective surface and also act as a surface the thick layer of thin-set can adhere to the tile.  Again, I did not use spacers on the tiles on the wall. Since the tiles are 12x12 I used spacers (actually pieces of tile  leftover to make sure the bottom row sat at the right height).

Tiling Over Tile:

Now here is the part you been waiting for. That's right tile over the existing tile. First, you should check the clearance of the toilet and the door since the floor will be raised by about 3/8 of an inch when complete. If your door does not have the clearance you will need to shave the door down or trim off the bottom of the door. If you do not want to do this then break out the sledge hammer once more and break up the existing floor.  If the floor is going to raise your toilet above the flange you may have to purchase a closet flange (yup you can get it from Lowe's for about 5.00)  or you can do like me and purchase an extra thick wax ring for the toilet (2.45 @ Lowe's). 

Remove the toilet, grab your gloves because this is going to be nasty. Unbolt the toilet from the floor, I had to rock mine from one side to the next as it had lock-nuts and needed some additional pressure to remove the nuts.  Be careful not to break the toilet or you will be spending an extra 170.00 to replace.  After the toilet is removed using paper towels remove the wax from the bottom of the toilet and the flange and discard. Place a rag in the sewer line so sewer gas will not fill the house. Now time to prep the floor.

Depending on your existing tile you may need to sand it using a belt sander  to score the surface, but you definitely want to remove all debris and any wax on the floor surface. So get your dollars out and go to the store and by a stripper. Ok bad joke.  But seriously purchase a good stripping compound to strip the wax off the surface of the floor.  Since my floor had no wax and no cracks and was in good shape I just needed to sweep and use the Swiffer wet mop on the floor to clean it. 

I made up some more thin-set and spread a thin layer across the floor using the 1/4 inch notch trowel. You want to make small trowel lines in the thin-set at least two sizes smaller than the tile you are going to be placing down. This will give a textured surface for the floor to adhere to.  Let the thin-set setup over night or at least a day without walking on it or getting it wet.  The next day we can begin to tile.  Make up more thin-set and spread it on the area you are going to work with. 

Now remember, I said in the previous entry that laying out the tile was important. It will save you time and energy and allow you to plan where you need to make cuts in the tile. Nothing worse than stopping in the middle and going to make additional cuts on the tile saw.  You will thank yourself later if you do a correct layout and cut all the tiles prior to placing them down.  Work from the corner of the bathroom or if you have a large bathroom work from the center outwards. This leaves you an escape route so you wont get yourself hemmed in when tiling.

Now just like making toast, butter that tile making sure it has good coverage.  The threshold is easy to finish you can either use a thicker marble threshold or you can use the mortar to make a new threshold as I did on my floor. I was not about to spend 14.00 on a 5 foot piece of marble when I only needed 15 inches or so.   Remember notch lines should be in the opposite direction of the ones on floor.  Once you have done this, stay off the tile for at least 16 hours.

 After the tile is set you can use a damp rag to clean up the mortar that got on the tiles.  This just takes some elbow grease. Make sure the mortar is has not squeezed between the tiles, if it has take a slotted (flat head) screwdriver and clean out the access. This will allow for the grout to have an even coat through the floor.

Grouting-Oh what Joy:

Grouting is the stage where you know your project has almost come to an end and you can breathe a sigh of relief.  Make sure you choose your grout wisely: sanded or un-sanded grout. Sanded grout is great for grout lines thicker than 3/8 inch and up un-sanded is great for less than 1/4 inch. But either way you will need to seal the grout lines to protect against water, stains and mold.   Now they have sealers you can use after your grout but this is like triple your effort. These usually have you grouting, cleaning off the grout and tracing the grout lines with the product or using an aerosol can to spray on the sealer.  So forget that didn't I tell you that I am lazy.  Well I did some research and there is a product called Grout Boost that is used instead of water to mix the grout. It protects, seals all at the same time so no need to use those other sealers. This does it all in one.  Make sure you pick the one you need depending on the grout you chose (sanded / un-sanded).   Make sure you follow the manufactures instructions of the grout you use.  Some sets up in as less than 12 hours others may take 24 hours. 

Cleaning the tile is time consuming and can make your arms sore, but use a damp sponge and clean water to clean up the residue from the grout.  Also you will need a clean towel to buff the tiles of any additional residue. Here's is a tip ( too bad I didn't have one to use but if you do use it) use a car buffer and buff the tiles this will save you a bunch of time and energy. 

 Whew I am finally done there are only a few things I need to tidy up but for the most part my bathroom tiling is complete.   :-)

Now on to my next project whatever that may be.  Here are some shots of the bathroom as it is today and I will place up the final picture this evening.

 

2011 Master Bathroom Project - Tiling

Well its time to start tiling the shower. The plan is this, tile the shower and then tile the bathroom floor, so lets begin.  The further I go into this project the more I find out. I already know what the next project will be or should say several projects: rewiring house, insulate the walls in the house, build a better patio, install a NIC Closet. Maybe I should let you vote on what to do next.

Anyway, tiling is a fun adventure especially if you have not done it before.  If you have any skill in using a table saw, baking and making toast you should be able to tile. It's not really rocket science and doesn't take much skill but you will need some things to help ease the process.  Just like baking a cake its necessary to have everything ready. If you know the pattern of your tile i suggest you start laying it out and then  label the tiles into what position they are to go. This will speed up the process some as you won't waste any time by trying to match each piece as you go.  Yup, I figured that out after the first row.


The thing I used was a ledger board (this is just a piece of wood screwed into the wall), it should be the length of the wall.  Install these first before you tile. they should be placed the height of the first tile row from the bottom of the wall. For instance I used 12x12 tile so the top of my ledger board was 12 inches. Make sure you check the board to make sure its perfectly level.   Whats the purpose of this?  One, it allows you to make a straight row. Two, it allows you to have support for tiling vertically. Three, it allows you to maintain a space for the bottom row of tile.  The ledger board I used I made from buying a 2 inch board  @ 1/2 in thick I got from the place where they should know me by name.  Yup, LOWE'S.  Maybe I should buy stock or start my own web show about Lowe's.   I bought three 42 inch boards and cut them to the length I needed, 36 inches, yes it's a small shower.

Next mix the thin-set:
The thin set, the glue that holds it all together.  It's important that you follow directions on the bag.  Nope I followed them to a T( who came up with that saying anyway). I did not use an additive in the thin set, as i purchased the MAPEI mortar with Polymer so all I did was add cool water.  Its important to say at this point only make up the amount you need. The thin set (mortar) begins to setup pretty quickly and you don't want to end up with a bucket of rocks.  Add water first and then add the thin set powder. Grab your drill and your paddle bit (yup got mine from Lowe's for 5.00, tip go to the paint department, no need to buy the 14.00 paddle when the 5.00 one will work just as well). I started off with about a 3 gallon bucket and filled it with 2 quarts of water and added the powder (flour) and mixed together adding more thinset as needed to make meet the desired thickness.  What is the thickness?  It should be like pancake batter just a little thicker.

Take the bucket, grab the trowel and on to tiling. Make sure you have the right tool for the job. Your trowel teeth should be appropriate for the size tile you are using. If you are not sure do like I did and ask someone at the tile store. No need to guess and have tiles popping off the wall.

Ok, we are ready to begin.

Tiling the Shower:

The ledger board was removed
only after tiles were set.

Simple enough, place mortar on wall first making sure the area that you are working with will be fully covered, I did 4 foot sections at a time. Start from the corner.  Using the notch trowel, hold it at a 45 degree angle and notch out the thin-set on the wall. Using the same trowel start buttering that tile.  LOL I know it sounds funny but remember I said if you can make toast you can tile well this is what I meant.  Like toast you need to add butter to make it all the better so on the back of the tile place an ample amount of thin-set on the tile using the notch trowel. Make sure the lines from the notch trowel are the opposite direction of the ones on the wall. (Vertical lines = horizontal lines on tile).  Simple right.  Place the tile, wiggled it  into place and repeat.  Easy Huh? Yup.

Now if you have perfectly square walls ( I DID NOT) you can pre-cut your tiles using a tile saw.  DO NOT buy the cheap tile cutter you will waste so much time and may ruin your tile.  Instead ask some one to borrow theirs or buy one. My friend Jennifer and her husband Allen allowed me to borrow theirs... borrowing allows you to rekindle friendships and fellowship some too.  Thanks Jennifer and Allen for allowing me to borrow your saw.   Ok, Shout out's over for now.   :-)  

Once you have the tiles cut you just repeat the pattern and continue. The tricky parts of tiling a shower is the Valves and the shower head.  Now most people will cut the tile in half and then notch out the edges of each one to make the hole. Now you can try using a hole saw to cut a hole (I tried it, but didn't go so well) but us can also use the tile saw. Making a circle on a tile saw on the edge of a tile is simple it just takes time.  Make sure you draw your half circle patter on the tile first then make straight cuts about 1/2 inch between each cut, when finished take an object and tap on the cut pieces and they will fall away. Use the saw and clean up the jagged edges.

When I reached the head of the shower I make two vertical cuts in the tile and slid the tile under the head.  I know you are saying why didn't i remove the shower spout before. Answer; it was secured in place really tight and I did not want to fight with it so I left it connected (yup I got lazy).  So anyway,  I cut a vertical rectangle out of my tile, I kept the piece I cut out, and slid the tile under the spout and replaced the cut out with the saved piece. 

Save Room for Soap:

Ah the soap dish or rack, It doesn't matter what it is but you should take into account during the planning stage where you want to place the soap dish. You will have to mortar this in to make sure it is secured to the wall, but you will also need to notch out tiles on the tile saw to fit the tile over the soap dish. This is not hard to do at all. If your thin-set was thick enough it should support the soap dish without using tape to secure it to the wall. (I didn't use tape here, but when working on the outside trim and inside trim tape was necessary. 

Tile Spacing:
I chose not to use spacers on my tile in this project. Grout lines are nice but the smaller the line nicer the look or at least to me it does. But don't take my word for it I am just an amateur. Make sure you determine the spacing of your tile before you start though, this will make it easier on you in the long run. 

Now on my shower I decided that I am going to tile the entire thing, YUP that means the ceiling too.  How did I do that... the main question is how the heck did i get the tiles to stay up there while they were setting up?  After the first tile fell and hit me in the head I decided I would try to use a support beam. I had a long wood beam left so I placed the tile and set the beam underneath the tile adding pressure to the tile.    Another thing is to make sure your thin-set is at a good thickness this will ensure that the tiles will hold more securely to the ceiling. Butter the ceiling and the tile ensuring the tile is fully covered. Press the tile in  place and hold it for a few minutes then move onto the next one.  It's easier if you cover the area of the ceiling you are working on with thin-set.  Note you will want to cover the bottom of the shower with a tarp or like I used roofing felt.  You don't want the thin-set on the shower floor yet. NOT YET.  

Shower Floor:

So the walls and ceiling are done. All the cuts fit well.  Well some i had to do twice. I knew I should have checked my measurements twice.  Well the part that will go quickly is the tile floor. I hope you chose the mesh backed tile to do the floor and not large tiles. If not you may want to rethink your choice.   working from the corner I troweled out the thin-set in the shower floor and laid the first mat.  Do not press the mat into the thin-set so where it squeezes through tiles. Repeat.  Repeat, Repeat! Ah the dreaded drain.  I thought this out really well. Why get a cicrular drain that just makes for more precise cuts, so I got a square drain. Made it really easy. I sued the left over portions of the tile mats that i had to cut and placed these around the drain.  Viola after 3 days of tiling the shower is done.  All i have to do now is grout.  But wait my project is not done. 

When prepping to tile the bathroom floor I found MOLD on the sheet rock on in the bathroom seemed like I keep finding stuff.