I’m tiling a bathroom counter and have all my supplies but not sure I purchased the right trowel. I purchased a square-notched trowel 1/4×1/4×1/4. What is the difference between this one and the one I see commonly used on tv and on other tiling jobs…the razor tooth edge type?
I tile every day of my life, and I want to assume these "Stone Tiles" are at least Milled flat on one side, though if they are RAW, not production glazed, I wouldn’t be using them on a counter top.
I also don’t always use 1/4 inch mortar beads on counter tops, often choosing 1/8, (In the same Tool you purchased). Floor tiles yes, always. That’s just a personal choice and not a Law set in stone (no pun intended). You have the correct tool for Thinset.
The saw edge applicators, are usually used for mastics/Adhesive tile setting materials, which are also, often used for counter tops, Not very practical for tile or stone.
Steven Wolf
just my two "sense"
I want to us MDF as the base and cover it with a tile backer board. I am getting conflicting information as to the stability of the MDF.
Do not use MDF! It’s no different than particle board aside from the fineness of the particles and overall density. If it gets wet, it’ll act like a sponge and swell.
Hi
I am interesting in wall and floor tiling job but I don’t have any experience and I and over 40 now. I am machine operator. Any one please advice me how to start to this industry?
Take the classes offered to the public at Home Depot ( i don’t work there). Then practice by laying tile in your own home. Then charge friends only the cost of materials to work at their houses. If you feel confident , you can put an ad in the paper.
If you do jobs that cost more than $750, you need to get a license from the state. They will give you the guidelines for getting the license. The fee is not large but they may require some level of experience and you will have to pass a test.
r u asking for little jobs, or if somebody needs you full time?
why or why not?
between the tile and the tub!
Most definitely a latex and not silicone. Right out of the tube, a silicone based caulk is not water soluble wheras latex is. For best results, cut the end of the tube so that the hole is only about 1/16 inch or so. Then, apply the caulking with the tip of the tube as perpendicular to your work as possible then tilt the tube back toward the direction that you are going to make your bead. Try and use only as much as you need to fill the seam. Keep a cup filled with water and dampen a cloth with it. Wet your finger and run along the bead and you will see a nice transition between your tub and tile. Try not to get your work too wet but just enough that your finger cleans the excess caulking. Use the wet rag and water to clean your finger throughout your job. A clean looking job is almost impossible to do with silicone. It is very hard to clean up too.
I want to tile my bathroom (walls and floors) what is the purpose of the cement backerboard. (I think its sometimes called hardybacker) What service does it function? And is it 100% nessesary?
It is more water and mold resistent that normal sheetrock. Since tile is generally installed in wet areas, it is advisable to use the cement backerboard, although not 100% necessary. If any water gets behind the tile, mold and rot will cause damage in normal sheetrock.
A few years ago, I had a new bathroom fitted. A friend fitted some mosaic tiles over waterproof plasterboard but didnt do a good job. I now want to re tile using larger (1ft sq) tiles. I dont want to remove the old tiles as this would probably damage the plasterboard and would be a massive job as I may have to re plaster board the walls. Is it feasable to tile over old bathroom tiles or should I remove the old ones first?
you can tile over tile as long as the originals are well stuck, if you are going to do this then an ordinary acrylic (bucket) adhesive will be ok, for what is a fairly run of the mill job,you don’t even need to score the tiles seeing as there is a joint every 20mm. However it is always preferable to remove the old tiles otherwise your nice shiny tiles are effectively held on the walls by the bond of the mosaics that your ‘bodger’ friend fixed, (do you really trust his skills?) You may find that removing them isn’t as hard as you thought since glass mosaics (assuming they are glass!) don’t really stick too well and anyone who knows their stuff will tell you that the grout is what holds them to the wall (or floor) more than the adhesive, this is because not too many adhesives stick well to glass and assuming your friends a novice I doubt that he picked one that would .Anyway even if the worst happens and you destroy the plasterboard it’s really easy to replace,just pull it all from the wall, buy some new stuff , measure it, cut it , and screw it to the wall. Don’t be scared if you were to see the idiots that do this for a living you would realise it doesn’t require a lot of brains (plasterboarding that is!!!!!)
If your refixing with porcelain tiles then be sure to use a flexible adhesive or one with an admix
So I have the substrate ready, the room is a L shape 253 x 148. Where do I start the tile, I am assuming the center of each on a chalk line. Is this correct?
Bond
also, I have to complete the job in a kitchen, hallway and spare bathroom flowing into a reversed L. Does this affect the start point?
Kosh has a very good point that I was going to bring up that no one else has. When dry laying tile out going off a center line and you end up w/ less than 1/2 a tile at your longest site line then shift over a 1/2 tile and remark your lines. Dont just go off your longest site line and lay whole tile. Yes a few more cuts and a bit more time but it s your own job and you want it to look the best.. As far as a grout joint you didn t say what you are laying ..Soft bodied tile w/ lugs are butted together( leave just a hairline space to make adjustments for sizing . ( unsanded grout only) With hard bodied tile stay in the 1/4 inch 3/16 range any larger and it looks gaudy I think. Any smaller and it s harder unless you have a good tile and or experience working w/ tile.. GL
I’m taking over a tiling job that is half completed, in the shower the last tiler left a rubbery membrane that is loosely stapled to the lower walls and floor. I don’t know if I’m to keep stapling through this stuff, or put "backer-board" on top of it (which would also include putting screw holes in it), or wheighing it down with tile (doubtful). Any advice, or tips on websites that have the answer would be much appreciated.
We just did this. What a pain. If you haven’t previously tiled, you’ll need to extend the drainpipe up about 3 inches. Lay the membrane over the flooring with a hole ever-so-slightly smaller than the drainpipe sticking out of the floor. Install the basic drain. Then you need to lay about 2-3 inches of cement over the membrane bringing it up to the top of the drain, but certainly not over it. Smooth it out with a slight slope torwards the drain pipe. Let it cure at least 24 hours. Then lay the mastik and tile over the concrete.
The people before us put down ceramic tile over top vinyl flooring. As a result, most of the grout was cracked and several tiles were cracked in half. A lot of people renovate a house before resale with fixes that may not be done properly. Like many issues in our house, this floor was disgusting in the quality of the laying down.
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