DIY Network

Bathroom Upgrade with Italian Marble Derek and Dean get an assist from DIY Network cohort Amy Matthews to help rescue a bathroom renovation. From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-313

Dean and Derek's (and Amy's) bathroom renovation

In this Rock Solid project, expert stone masons Derek Stearns and Dean Marsico — with help from with guest co-host Amy Matthews — use Italian marble to upgrade a guest bathroom from "country cottage" to "classically elegant."

Dean, Derek and Amy replace plain tile on the floors and walls with honed and tumbled marble. And along the way, Amy even manages to modify Dean and Derek's behavior just a bit.

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	Before
	Before
	After

Tools:

wet saw
notched trowel
level
tape measure
starter board
screws
electric screwdriver
spacers
pencil
sanding stone
mask
rubber grout float
sponge
safety glasses
broom
buckets
tile nippers

Materials:

Crema Marfil marble tile
thinset (regular and non-sagging)
grout (sanded and un-sanded)
fixtures

	Figure A
	Figure B

In this project, Dean and Derek start work on a bathroom renovation but find themselves in over their heads. But with some expert help from guest Amy Matthews, host of DIY's Bathroom Renovations and 10 Things You Must Know, things get back on track. The three DIY'ers transform a country cottage bathroom into classical elegance.

Design and Materials

Dean and Derek step in to tile a bathroom while it's in the middle of a renovation. The demolition is complete, the cement backer board is installed in the shower (figures A and B).

The shower pan is poured (figure C) and the marble floor is partially set (figure D).

The old bathroom had a Jacuzzi tub, a wrought iron vanity, and a plain tile floor. The new design includes a shower with a rainfall showerhead and marble tiles on all surfaces, a new vanity, and a pinwheel patterned floor.

	Figure C
	Figure D

Dean and Derek start by tiling the shower. Cement backer board for use with tile has been installed in the shower. They use an Italian tumbled marble tile, called crema marfil. The tiles come in different sizes, and are pre-spaced on mats. Being able to set several tiles at once saves a lot of time. On the ceiling and floor, Dean and Derek install square 2" by 2" tiles. On the shower walls, they use rectangular 2x4 inch tiles.

Measure And Dry Lay Tiles For Back Wall In Shower

Before you start setting tile, take some measurements and see how the tiles will all lay out (figure E). Dean and Derek set the tile for the wall opposite the shower door first.

Measure the top and bottom of the shower wall to make sure it is straight and does not slant in or out. Here, the wall is a consistent 48.5 inches across. It is also 82 inches from top to bottom. The design calls for a decorative 3 inch mosaic border to be installed between the second and third panel from the top.

Next dry lay the tile panels, including any decorative borders, to see the way it's going to set vertically on the wall. You want to see how many panels can fit, where you need to make cuts, and where you should start setting.

Figure E

To get an accurate measurement, you want to make sure to space it out exactly how you will set the panels as well. Here seven panels and the mosaic border is 84.5 inches tall.

After dry laying, Dean determines that the best place to start setting is at 72.5 inches from the top of the shower (start setting from the bottom up). The bottom panel will go in last because cuts will need to be made.

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