[1967Tempest]

So I feel that I am to old (37) to NOT know how to tile. The floors in my bathrooms and especially the kitchen are AFU and if I am gonna sell this house next year, tiling at least the floors will push the sale faster.

I have never tiled. So, I started reading some books etc.. and I was curious for tips and tricks and also if I post pictures would you guys give advice.

As for as a DIY guy, car wise I'm at about a High 7 or Low 8. If you know me, I have done everything possible, with out owning a machine shop. Construction on a house i would say high 4 low 5. Big stuff ok, but the small stuff like trim I suck at. Painting I am same as car stuff. 7-8.

So how hard will this be and do you guys have an literature that you prefer.

Thanks,
Dave

[Deadhead]

I'm an 8-10 on house building. I do not do my own tile yet, but I do EVERYTHING else except HVAC units b/c I have no freon lic. I would say that if you are not a good trim guy and not into fine detail, you may struggle with tile. I have watched tile guys in effort to learn, and worked with them some. The whole thing looks to me to hinge on precision and detail. Skilled layout to make tiles break where they make sense, precise use of the wet saw, and the setting is just more of the same. If you are going to have any shower floors or areas with drains etc., that is a whole other level of skill required to slope and cut. No way a non-professional could get a good result on that IMO. If you are just going to do backsplashes or wall accents, then you have a good shot at getting a nice result doing it yourself. I would have no problem getting a nice result with that, but areas where it really counts like floors and showers are a different deal altogether. Basement slab maybe, but lots to get into there with crack abatement and uneven substrate.

I just bought a place that needs tile work in 2 bathrooms, and with all my skills, I am VERY RELUCTANT to take that aspect of the house on myself b/c a crappy or marginal tile job is butt obvious. Even with the tricks I have learned from pros that tempt me to do it, I will probably end up subbing it out in the end. Since it is the only aspect that is a ? for me, I have spent the last month trying to figure out a way to reduce the amount of tile via glass etc. Just my .02 after 3 decades of renovation experience and living my entire 49 years in a construction site.

The main advice I can give is that you really need to have a helluva base for your tile work. 2 layers of 3/4 ply on the floor with quality framing in the floor joist Dept. I threw additional joists under my tile areas in a house with floor trusses. Same goes for any curbs etc. Wood moves. masonry cracks. If you do not have a rock solid base, you are gonna have problems no matter how nice your tile job is.

If you're gonna just sell it anyway, then most buyers can't tell good work from crap anyway from the stuff I have seen sell, so maybe a good place to get your first chops. I think you just have to do it a bunch to get good at it. The main thing is having a good base so your work holds up.

Keep us posted on what you decide.

[Cerberus]

I did tile for the first time a few years ago - I was 45 at the time. It's really not that bad. Spend some time on the innerweb reading up on the process. There's probably some you toob videos that could help, too. My wife and I are DIY show junkies, so that probably helped. We bought a tile saw for ~ $100, did the job just fine. The hardest part was making sure you have the layout correct so the cut tiles are even from side to side. It's physically hard for me to be on my knees for long periods of time - a good set of knee pads helped with that.

[Cerberus]

http://http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,221776,00.html

[Ollie]

I tiled the kitchen in our house, a shower is some thing I would leave to the pros.
The trick is to use 1/2 inch cement backer board under the tile. Cut the backer board so that seams in the backer board do not line up with seams in the tile, Mark the center of the kitchen. Using plastic tile spacers. Lay out the tile starting in the center, working out. Ending up with a 3 or 4 inch. Piece under the cabinets. I did not have a wet saw, I used a miter saw with an abraiting wheel to cut the tile.

[Tempest]

I did a front hallway and kitchen a few years ago. Not really that bad. No cracks in tile or mortar/grout yet.

The worst part was breaking up the builders wire mesh and thinset and pulling all the staples. Dirt and dust everywhere.

I agree with Ollie, the 1/2 inch cement backer board is the way to go, with the special backer board screws every 8- 10 inches. (solid foundation)

I centered the tiles in my hallway, so a seam was right in the middle of the doorway to the kitchen. The far end of the kitchen was under cabinets and stove, so no need to worry about how the far edge of the kitchen tile looked.

Tip, when you lay down the tile in the thinset, be sure to remove all thinset from between the tiles while it is wet. You need that space clean so the grout will fill it. I left some mortar between the tiles and the light colored grout did not cover it. (very difficult to remove once it dries)

I have never done a shower stall, and don't know if I would, but a kitchen, bathroom, or hallway floor, I would do again. (be sure to keep your cut edges to the wall)

also, I used a cheap wet saw, don't feed the tile too fast, and it works fine.

You can see from the first pic, I installed all the 'full sized' tiles first, and once they were dry/set, I went back to cut all the edge pieces.

Good luck with the project.

[paint guy]

What kind of tile are you installing? Somewhat different procedures for different types of tile. I am installing porcelain in my entry way tomorrow and then starting on a marble backsplash (that should be fun). As noted above, start in the center and a good base is essential. I have had good luck with 1/4" backerboard with mortar underneath when 1/2" board will raise the floor too much. Put the correct screw in every spot marked on the board, drive them just beyond flush, then tape and mud (just like drywall) with thinset and the correct tape. No height discrepancies beyond about an 1/8" or so between backerboard sheets, then backbutter any tile as needed. Use a level for each tile. Do not put tile over luan or pressboard, fiberboard,etc, only good quality plywood ( marine grade if possible or in wet areas) with backerboard on it. There is a new product out called "Power grout" that supposedly never needs sealing that I'm going to try. Good luck.

[salem1912]

I like doing tile,have done a few rooms in the house. Very good results take your time and it will turn out great. Last project was the basement about 400sq ft.

[1967Tempest]

Your guys stuff came out great!!

I think that ceramic tile is the cheapest, so I am gonna use that for the floor. My main concern in the bathroom is the toilet. If it is not PVC with a little bit of wiggle room the floor might be higher than the drain ring.

Like I said the cheapest tile would look better than the linoluem that is down on the floor now.

I have 2 jobs I need to finish in house before I start so all of this is great research and prep!!

P.S. Salem, the cat looks comfortable.. Hopefully in my next life I will be a cat to an old lady who is rich and always cold.

[rohrt]

I would get one of the books on the subject at one of you big box stores. It has good tips on how to lay out and space your tiles.

One of the things I found lacking in the book was on putting tile down on a wood floor. If its over cement your good.

[chrisp]

Originally Posted by 1967Tempest

Your guys stuff came out great!!

I think that ceramic tile is the cheapest, so I am gonna use that for the floor. My main concern in the bathroom is the toilet. If it is not PVC with a little bit of wiggle room the floor might be higher than the drain ring.

Like I said the cheapest tile would look better than the linoluem that is down on the floor now.

I have 2 jobs I need to finish in house before I start so all of this is great research and prep!!

P.S. Salem, the cat looks comfortable.. Hopefully in my next life I will be a cat to an old lady who is rich and always cold.

Floor flange should always be mounted on top of the finished floor . Not a big deal to move .

[skipp65]

You might want to think about putting some electric heat wire [not sure what its called]under your tile. I didn't know about it till after I had my tile finished, I regret it daily! Tile floors are COLD!!!

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by skipp65

You might want to think about putting some electric heat wire [not sure what its called]under your tile. I didn't know about it till after I had my tile finished, I regret it daily! Tile floors are COLD!!!

Noooooooooooo! Radiant heat mat. As an electrician, I hate these things. Can be VERY problematic. I would only have a Prof. install this. Dedicated circuit only. Must be hooked to a GFI and done/grounded correctly or you will have issues. Also must be left on or a 110v. can take forever to heat up depending on substrate. Pretty inefficient if in a bath as usually you are not in there long enough to get the benefit if not left on. Some do like them, but I have also seen a TON of them ripped out.

[The Boss]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

I would say that if you are not a good trim guy and not into fine detail, you may struggle with tile. I have watched tile guys in effort to learn, and worked with them some. The whole thing looks to me to hinge on precision and detail. Skilled layout to make tiles break where they make sense, precise use of the wet saw, and the setting is just more of the same.

If you're gonna just sell it anyway, then most buyers can't tell good work from crap anyway from the stuff I have seen sell, so maybe a good place to get your first chops. I think you just have to do it a bunch to get good at it. The main thing is having a good base so your work holds up.

Keep us posted on what you decide.

Best advice here so far!

I've done tile but prefer to sub it out - I did this basement bath room & shower a few years ago including the plumbing.

[Engine-Ear]

I am about 60% done with a bathroom rehab here at the Ranch, and this project was a tear-down-to-studs affair. Getting past all that Bolshevik, the insulated walls are up.

These pics show the floor heater, which is REALLY nice to have. The radiant wire gets laid out and then connects to a 110 VAC source. I am controlling them with a properly-rated dimmer switch. To give the radiant wire a uniform 'load' to work against as well as to have a flat surface on which to apply the floor tiles, I poured high-flow concrete over all of it. The floor heat kit provides sharp-edged (sloppily stamped) steel anchor clips - I decided to use duct tape instead. I also did not heat under the pedestal sink nor the thunder-mug.

Before pouring the watery concrete, I used duct tape on the sub-floor seams and around the perimeter so the water concrete wouldn't end up in my basement. Worked well, IMO.

One bit of advice on the concrete: you're better off mixing up more than you need than not enough. I had to add another gallon or two of the soup to the floor and it was really tough to get it FLAT.

I think I buried the evidence when putting the floor tiles down. I need to dig up a pic of the finished floor and share it...

[69goatboy]

Tile is easy, but can be tedious. If you're putting down on a floor in a bathroom, the 1/4" backerboard should be sufficient. Unless you're down to the floor joists, then the 1/2" is what you want.

I've done a couple of bathrooms (including the shower stall) and just got done tiling a portion of my basement (about 270 sq-ft) . I used the 6" x 24" porcelain tiles that look like wood.

I got a cheap wet saw ($100), it got the job done, but it does lack power.
If you're only doing a bathroom and your tiles are large, I'd suggest renting a good wet saw instead of buying a cheap one.

One trick I learned along the way: when setting a tile down, butt it up to the ones next to it with no gap. Set it, then slide it away from the adjoining tiles until you get the proper gap. This method help keeps the thinset from oozing up into your grout lines.

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by 69goatboy

One trick I learned along the way: when setting a tile down, butt it up to the ones next to it with no gap. Set it, then slide it away from the adjoining tiles until you get the proper gap. This method help keeps the thinset from oozing up into your grout lines.

Even better than this is to use SQUARE toothpicks.

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Best advice here so far!

I've done tile but prefer to sub it out - I did this basement bath room & shower a few years ago including the plumbing.

See, now this I would consider/attempt. Using the mats like that was something I considered. I am pretty sure I could do that. I have a feeling we approach jobs with the same thought process. Still, I like the confidence of saving a ton doing what I know and hiring out the other. Then I get a killer final product.

[tooski]

I used this on my tile floor:
http://www.schluter.com/6_1_ditra.aspx
I used Easyheat floor heat, covered it with self leveling concrete (which I still spread n leveled), Ditra over top, then the tiles. If I were to install tile in another bath or kitchen I wouldn't do it without some sort of under tile heat.
There are also systems to do a shower stall with.

[1bad65]

Watch a few videos on YouTube and take your time, you'll be amazed at the end result. In my first house I put down 500 sq ft of basement floor tile, a bathroom and backsplash and it came out just as good if not better than the work I hired a professional to do in my current house. Keep your lines straight and cuts in corners that are less visible when walking into the room. If you get frustrated, clean up, take a break and come back fresh. Good luck, I'm certain you'll do just fine.