Taking care when removing the old tiles helps reduce the cost of the project.
When you need to remove old tile from your bathroom's floor and install new tile on a budget, taking care in removing the old tiles can help keep the costs under control. Instead of smashing the old tiles to remove them, carefully remove each tile by breaking apart the grout between the tiles. This method helps ensure the substrate under the old tiles is not damaged in the process, saving you the expense of installing a new substrate.
Instructions
1. Place the edge of a putty knife onto the grout between the tiles on your bathroom's floor. Strike the handle of the putty knife with a hammer to break apart the grout until you can remove the tiles.
2. Pour a bag of thinset mortar into a bucket and then add the amount of water directed on the bag's instructions. Stir the mortar mix and water with a drill with a paddle attachment until the mortar has the same consistency throughout.
3. Coat the floor with the new mortar, spreading the mortar evenly over the floor with a trowel until it is smooth. Spread the tile adhesive on the ridged side of the trowel, and then run the ridged side of the trowel over the mortar to create furrows in a single direction in the mortar.
4. Drop the new tile onto the mortar, placing plastic spacers between the tiles to keep the spacing even. Measure any obstructions such as walls or the bathtub and cut the tiles to fit using a tile saw. Remove the plastic spacers, place a board over each tile and tap it with a rubber mallet to seat the tiles in the mortar.
5. Press grout into the spaces between the tiles with a rubber float. Hold the rubber float at an angle and run it across the tiles to scrape away any grout that sits above the tops of the tiles. Wet a sponge in a bucket of water and then wring the sponge out. Rub down the tiles with the sponge, removing any grout film.
Tags: between tiles, your bathroom floor, apart grout, bathroom floor, each tile