DIY Network

Installing A Ceramic Tile Floor From "Ask DIY Home Improvement" episode DADH-202

	The bathroom floor BEFORE.
	The bathroom floor AFTER the vinyl flooring has been replaced with ceramic tile.

Q (from Liza in Lincoln, Nebraska) : The previous owners of my home put a vinyl floor in the bathroom. I'd like to put in something that's more fitting to the home's turn of the century design. Any suggestions?

Janette: We're going to suggest a ceramic tile floor in a retro pattern -- and we'll show you how modern technology has made it so much easier to install pattern tile than it once was. Tile flooring is a project that we're working on at our DIY project house for Habitat for Humanity. We're fixing up every room in this house to get it ready for sale?and as you'll see it has a small bathroom, too. Home-improvement pro Scott Branscom takes us through the process.

Materials:

Wet saw
Tile sheets
Cement board
Tile adhesive
Square-notched trowel
Tile nippers
Utility knife
Tape measure

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Space is only one of the problems for our project bathroom (figure A). For the complete makeover, we replace the tub-surround, vanity and exhaust fan. But the first project we tackle is the floor, replacing the worn-out vinyl floor with a ceramic tile that's true to the era of the home. The new tile provides the room with some authentic period charm and also creates a greater sense of space. But this job won't require laying a bunch of small tiles as was done in the old days. Modern pattern tile-sheets make installing this retro pattern a snap.

Ideally, it's preferable to first remove the vinyl floor and assess the condition of the sub-floor. The best way to do this is to pull the vinyl back in strips. In our case, the vinyl was in such poor condition (figure B) that this was not feasible. Cutting or scraping the worn tile would likely result in more damage than benefit. Instead, we opted to lay cement board directly over our old vinyl floor. The cement board serves as base for ceramic tile. To make the installation easier, we first removed the vanity and toilet.

Figure A

Figure B

• Begin by taking measurements of the room (figure C).

• Use those measurements to cut the cement board to size. This material is hard, but not too difficult to cut through. Use a razor knife to score one side, then turn the board over to finish the cut. Use caution when cutting to avoid pulling the mesh off the board.

• Once all the pieces are cut, lay them out on the floor to make sure you have a snug fit (figure D).

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

• Secure the cement board to the floor using a screw-gun or cordless drill with screwdriver attachment (figure E). Use special cement-board screws, and place them every six to eight inches.

  Tip: You can start the screws in the cement board by tapping the tip in with a hammer. Then use the screw gun to set the screws fully.

• With the cement board in place, measure to find the center of the room. Mark it by snapping two chalk lines that intersect at the room's center point.

• The patterned tile comes in sheets that are about 1-foot square. The individual tiles are attached on the underside with rubber "dots." The dots serve two purposes: they hold the tiles together in the patterned sheets and also act as spacers to create even grout lines. The rubber dots are easy to cut through when it's necessary to separate tiles.

• Lay out the tile using as many full sheets as possible (figure F).

  Figure E

  
  

• Work in small sections, lifting out the tiles and spreading the adhesive. Spread the adhesive smoothly and evenly with a square-notched trowel. You'll want the adhesive to be about as thick as the tiles you're working with.

• Lay the center section first, then you can tackle the tricky cuts around the edges of the room.

• Spread as much adhesive as you can work with before it dries. To determine how quickly the adhesive dries, check the open time on the product container.

• Set the first sheet of tiles into place and press it firmly into the adhesive. For the second sheet, remember to line up the pattern and check the spacing and then set it into place (figure G).

  Work around the room until the entire center of the floor is covered (figure H).

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

• For the perimeter of the room (figure I), you'll need to trim full sheets to fit. We started at the door and worked our way around, measuring and cutting tiles and sheets as necessary to fill the area.

• The easiest way to cut tile is with a wet saw (figure J). It uses with water to keep the blade from getting too hot as it makes the cuts. Set the length you want and guide the tile through the blade. You can rent a wet saw for this project from a local rental center. Just remember to get safety gear and follow proper safety precautions as well.

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

  	Figure K
  	Figure L
  	Figure M

  Here are a few more tips:

• To cut a tile sheet, flip it over and use a utility knife to cut the rubber dots (figure K), then pop out the piece. This technique is handy to cut out a piece of tile to fit around the toilet or any plumbing pipes.

• If you have any small cuts buy a pair of tile nippers (figure L). The key to working with these is to be patient and cut off a little bit at a time.

• When mixing grout make sure it is creamy and easy to spread. Using the tile sheets, were able to simply put grout onto the tiles then spread it with a rubber grout float (figure M). Let it set for about 20-minutes then wipe the tiles with a damp sponge. Once the grout has hardened, wipe off the haze and buff the tiles with a dry cloth.

• Make sure to seal the grout to help keep it clean. For new grout, wait a week to ten days then apply a silicone sealer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the sealer product you select.
  

  Pattern tile now comes in pre-joined, grout-ready sheets that makes installation easy.

RESOURCES :

HGTV's Complete Fix-It
Author: HGTV