Too Much Tile

We're back at it! I started to tell you about our bathroom project and I left you with a lot of demolition and a bathroom where shoes were DEFINITELY required. So now onto the tiling

First Mike laid out the tile on the ground so we could see the general pattern and placement of the tile. Then we got to work!

#1: Scrap down the cement where your tile piece will go. Make sure it's thick enough to have ridges in the cement - better grip!

 

#2: Place the tile and press down. (You can see the pencils lines on the floor every so faintly of where Mike marked the first tile should go, so we could work our way down)

 

#3: Scrape away any excess cement around the tile. (You don't want cement where you eventually grout will be!)

 

#4: Keep on keeping on. (Throughout the project, periodically make sure everything is level. And don't forget to put spacers between the tiles when you're placing them!)

So here was the flooring without grout.

Then with grout! So much better! (Oh, and I painted the cabinets like I've done in the past to jazz the old wood up a little bit)

Next up tiling around the tub and the shower. Those may be what broke our DIY-back but we're still here to type about it right!?? In the meantime here are some pictures to show what the true meaning of DIY looks like.

The corner of our bedroom. I stepped on many cut tile pieces.

 

Mike using the tile saw outside in the not to warm weather of Wisconsin.

Bless our neighbors for putting up with the buzzing of this saw until wee hours of the night.

The aftermath of the tile chipping on the last cut. Mike Was Done.

The final countdown ...of tile!

And the tiling continues around the tub to the shower walls and to the shower floors. I was the (delirious-because-it-was-way-past-my-bedtime) cement applier...

 

And Mike was the placer.

 

It a labor of love. Look as all those tiles and spacers and literally hours of my life hanging on those walls! You can see we added the decorative base to the tub enclosure we built earlier.

 

After the tub, Mike started on tiling inside the shower. That was a pain! So many angles. And you can see he put in blocks of wood to hold the first row of tiles as they set.

 

 

So here's how I'll leave you today - so close! We're almost there in this never-ending bathroom remodel! This is also the point where I tell you Mike had to have surgery on his shoulder so we called in a professional to finish the job. Clearly, Mike (nor I) thought my talents could finish this project off. Next post - FINISHED BATHROOM!!

Bathroom Makeover

Here's a Before and After of our guest bathroom. We painted the cabinets like in our last house, painted the walls, switched out the brass fixtures and (clearly) redid the flooring.

 

 

 

Here's how we did the flooring, which is our newest project we can add to our portfolio!

 

First, we went to Menards and looked around at our options. We ended up deciding on Designer's Image High Performance Composite Flooring, which is basically a vinyl stick down tile that you can grout. It feels and looks exactly like tile, but isn't as expensive. It's also more durable which is definitely a plus!

 

We also picked up a primer (see below) to apply to the existing flooring since we weren't planning on removing it. It helps bond the new flooring to the old.

 

 

Before apply the primer, we had to remove the toilet... (clearly by we, I mean Mike) He's wearing a mask because he was preparing for the smelliness of having an exposed sewage pipe. To remove the toilet he first shut off the water to the toiler and used paper towel to soak of the remaining water in the bowl and the tank.

 



 

Then he took the washers off, so he could lift the toilet off the ground.

 

 

Before he could lift it though, he unscrewed the water supply line going to the toilet. After doing this, it wasn't attached to the ground or the wall anymore.

 

 

Then it was time to lift! Mike briefly placed it on an old towel on the floor - then it found a permanent home in the bathtub for the duration of this project. During this time, we quickly covered the sewage pipe opening with a plastic bag to help with the smell.

 

 

Ta-da! No toilet! Don't mind the little green swatch - clearly I couldn't reach that while painting. Good thing we removed it now!

 

 

After removing the toilet, we applied the primer with a roller over the majority of the surface, and used a brush near the base of the wall. Then we let it dry for 24 hours (per the directions). After the primer, we decided how we wanted to lay the flooring down. With numerous Google images, we decided to angle the tiles.

 

We also laid the flooring down to get an idea before starting the real measuring and cutting. I wanted the tile to be centered with the doorway so that's where we started. Mike measured the width of the doorway to find the center.

 

 

Make a straight line to the back wall, we laid down the first tile row. Each tile has a sticky back in which you just peal off the paper to reveal the adhesive side.

 

 

Just like normal tile, we used spaces in between each tile. We chose 3/16" spacers, but Menard's offers a variety depending on your preference.

 

 

After laying down all the tile, we grouted (This part I actually did!). We used premixed Mapei grout in the color Ivory. I used a putty knife to get it in all the grooves, working my way from the corner of the bathroom to the door. This took me about a half hour to do. I tried to scape off most of the excess grout so we had less to wipe up afterwards. After applying all the grout, Mike wiped it all down with a damp sponge to get up some more of the excess grout.

 

 

 

After letting it dry for 24 hours (read the directions on the package), Mike went back through with a Windex and paper towel to clean up the tiles. And look how pretty it is now!

 

 

 

We're so pleased with the results! But now I'm second guessing this paint color (Mike's shaking his head and walk away)...