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Tile question

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  HandyPete 
#1 · (Edited)
Tile questions - going to start soon...

I have NEVER done tile before, but am willing to give it a go. We have to remove the surround in our bathtub and I was thinking about attempting to tile it.

My first step is going to buy a book on tile, but thats about as far as I have planned so far. Any recomendations/tips?

btw, how much can I expect to spend? It's just your average run of the mill tub/shower.
 
#2 ·
Price will depend on the tile you pick.You can get 4x4" tile for about $ 1.50 a sq ft.at the lower end. the upper end is what you decide. Prep work cost is the same. Straighten the walls if needed. Insulation and vapor barrier. Cement type backer board and tile. About 75 sq ft of tile, 5 concrete boards, 40 sq ft of insulation and some plastic and thinset. Should run you under $300. at the low end.
The plumbing is another thing. What's the age of the house? What kind of supply pipes? I've done baths from the '50's and '60's that the steel 2" drain pipes were barely open. Clogged with years of stuff stuck to the walls where there was barely the diameter of a finger for drainage. The only pipes I ever leave are the vent pipes. Galvanized and yellow brass pipes should be replaced if you have them.
The plumbing will depend on the houses age and what you should do.
Ron
 
#3 ·
The bathroom was just remodeled a few years ago, all new plumbing. The reason we are doing this is because the "handyman" who did the work didn't properly caulk the tub and we ended up with some water damage, so the surrond has to come out, as well as the drywall around the tub and the wall where the showerhead, plumbing, etc is. I figured that there is no better time than now to do tile!
 
#4 ·
There are a number of subleties involved with the substrate and the tiling, if you don't do it correctly, you will be tearing out your own work.
You need to tape the concrete board with fiberglass tape made for concrete board. You don't grout the corners or the tub/tile interface, you silicone caulk it. Preferably with water in the tub. Use thinset for the tiles, not mastic. If you're building a wall niche, keep it out of the direct line of the shower and build it watertight.
What the book doesn't tell you, try the John Bridges tile forum.
Ron
 
#5 ·
If you're looking for a book on installing a shower, I can't recommend John Bridge's e-book on Kerdi showers highly enough. Schluter's kerdi system is about as simple and goof proof as it gets, and John's book is very detailed with lots of "PICHERS". :) As for books on general tile setting John's also put a couple of good books out on the subject. You also might look for any of Mike Byrne's books. You could also check either Floor Covering Magazine's online site and do a cearch for articles by Dave Gobis. Same on the NTCA site, searching "Tile Letter" articles.

here's the link to pick up The Kerdi E-book:

http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=27665
 
#6 ·
Okay... I have decided that I am definatly going to tile.

I'm not sure about the e-book... I would prefer to have an actual book to use as reference while I'm working. Any other suggestions?

I have a few other questions, but I think they are going to needs pictures to help explain... but i'll give it a go anyways.

The long wall of the shower is on a "slant" wall. Im not sure the exact height from the floor to where the slant starts, but I know it is 53" from the flood rim of the tub to the slant. What will I do with the tile when I get to that point? (I only want the tile to go to that point)
 
#8 ·
Okay... I have decided that I am definatly going to tile.

I'm not sure about the e-book... I would prefer to have an actual book to use as reference while I'm working.
Dude, you ain't gonna have that book in your sticky hands when you start to tile! :laughing:

It's a cheap little book to have and comes out really nice when you print it on your office computer :whistling2:

be careful, ask a ton of question here...
 
#7 · (Edited)
I too just tried my hand at tiling my foyer. I will admit I was lazy with the subfloor. It was plywood, and instead of replacing it I just sanded it down. A few weeks later, we had a frozen, busted water pipe. Water damage totaling at $22,780 did a number on my house, including my new floor. The floor would have been fine, except the water crept around the size of the trim work to warp the plywood. Now I have some grout cracking, likely due to uneven flooring.

I certainly recommend getting concrete board for this job if you don't already have it.

Another bit of advice is to have one person cutting, and one person laying it out. Doing both yourself is tedious and exhausting and makes a few day project turn into a few week project.

And finally, as I was also looking online and at books to learn to tile, it can be a bit hard to map the text book example to your layout. So always keep the symmetry where you can on the main focal points of the room. No cut tiles in the center.

to cut large sections from the middle of a tile (to go around the door jambs and stuff) I suggest using the wetsaw to make multiple cuts to create finger-like tabs and then break them off carefully. This will avoid cracking a tile beyond the scribe area.
 
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