You can tile your own bathrrom floor and walls.
Tiling a bathroom wall and floor is no mean feat; it takes time, precision and patience, but this is not to say that it is not a doable DIY project. Whether you are doing a bathroom remodel or tiling a new bathroom, the best way to ensure your bathroom tiling job lasts is to get the substrate right. This means a flat, sturdy and water resistant substrate, which is typically found all-in-one in ceramic tile backer board.
Instructions
Floor
1. Clean the floor thoroughly. If it is a concrete floor, lay the ceramic tile backer board directly on top; if it is a plywood floor, cover it with waterproof membrane first. Nail the backer board down with a nail every 6 or 8 inches, on center.
2. Divide the floor space into quadrants with the measuring tape, ruling the lines in with chalk so you have more-or-less even sections of the floor to work on, one part at a time.
3. Lay a section of thin set, around 2 feet squared, then furrow the surface with the notched edged of the trowel. Start from the approximate center of the room, pressing tiles into the thin set, spacing with the tile spacers. Once all the full tiles are laid, mark the tiles that need to be cut-those needing to fit around toilet or vanity bases-and cut them to size with the wet saw. Spread thin set on the back of the tiles and lay them in place individually.
4. Let cure for 24 hours.
Walls
5. Nail ceramic board over the wall studs, or over existing dry wall, one nail every 6 or 8 inches, on center. Divide the walls in half, from floor to ceiling, marking with chalk.
6. Lay thin set in a smaller section, one foot squared, on the wall at the part where the center line meets the floor. Furrow the thin set. Set a tile spacer between the floor and the first tile, then press tiles into the thin set. Continue, moving along the length of the wall, then the height.
7. Put a tile spacer between any bathtub and the wall, as well as the vanities and faucets-these spaces will be caulked. Tile all the whole tiles, then individually cut and place the tiles that need to be cut. Allow to cure for 24 hours.
Grouting
8. Spread grout into the grout spaces between tiles using the grout float. Hold the grout float at a 45 degree angle to the tile joints. Do this on the floor and the wall, saving for the spaces set aside for caulking.
9. Spread caulk into the spaces around the vanity, faucets, bathtub and others that were set aside. This is easily done by simply pushing the caulk into the cracks with a finger and smoothing over.
10. Wipe the excess grout and caulk off the tiles with the sponge, then let cure for 72 hours.
11. Apply three coats of tile and grout sealer to the entire floor and walls, following the manufacturer’s recommended drying times in between coats.
Tags: backer board, ceramic tile, ceramic tile backer, cure hours, tile backer