Trowel
If you're considering laying ceramic or porcelain tile for your bathroom floor, take it up a notch and install granite. It's a big project either way, but the installation process is almost the same no matter what kind of tile you use. There are a few added complications with granite, chiefly that you'll need a wet saw to cut it and you'll need to level out the surface as you go, since the granite tiles are cut smooth and straight. Start with a solid cement-board underlayment.
Instructions
1. Remove the toilet by turning off the water line attached to the back and using an adjustable wrench to unscrew the line from the tank. Take off the two floor bolts, lift the toilet straight up, and walk it out.
2. Lay two intersecting lines over the floor with a chalk snap line, dividing the floor into four equal quadrants.
3. Use a notched trowel to spread thin set mortar over the middle of the floor, covering as much area as you can from one position. You will be able to see the lines through the mortar.
4. Press the first granite tile into the mortar where the two lines intersected, so it's bordered by two lines on two adjacent sides of the tile. Set spacers alongside the tile and place the other tiles next to the spacers.
5. Lay a straight 2-by-4 over two or three tiles at once, with the narrow edge of the board sitting on the tiles. Tap the board with a mallet to get the tops of the tiles even with one another. Move the board to another position and repeat.
6. Spread more mortar and install more tiles, progressing along the lines and toward the walls. Stop after every few tiles and level them out with the board and the mallet. Lay as many full tiles as will fit in the room. Use a wet saw to cut around the toilet drain.
7. Let the tile set for a day. Measure the spaces remaining around the edge of the floor, by the walls and around the tub, and cut and mortar down tiles for those spaces, setting them with the cut side facing the wall. Let them set for another day.
8. Spread grout over the granite in sections of a few square feet, using your grout squeegee to force the grout into the spaces between the tiles. Wipe up the excess grout with a sponge. Let it set 48 hours before reinstalling the toilet.
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