Archive for the ‘Ceramic Tile’ Category

Begin installing mosaic tiles by first examining the sheets of mosaic tiles that you have purchased to verify their condition and mosaic backing type. Glass mosaics tile sheets usually come with a thin plastic film on the front surface of the mosaic tile to hold the tiles together. Installing glass mosaic tile sheets is basically the same as installing marble mosaic or ceramic mosaic tiles, the only real difference being that ceramic or marble mosaic tiles are normally mounted from the back on fibreglass netting, plastic mesh, paper, or threaded backing. Most mosaic tiles are glass or high-fired porcelain which makes them impervious to wetness in your bathroom. The good thing about installing porcelain mosaic tiles in your bathroom is that they come in glazed surfaces for walls and alternatively non slip surfaces for your bathroom tile floors. When installing mosaic tiles, a starting point on your bathroom floor or wall must be established and should be marked as to where the mosaic tile sheets are to be laid down. Just remember when installing your tiles to mark and level the guidelines at right angles to each other depending upon the size of the mosaic tile sheets to be installed. To get started with your mosaic tile installation, marks off the squares of a couple sheets, making sure the guidelines are horizontal and vertical to establish a level pattern. Read the rest of this entry »

Caring for marble tile is a prerequisite when you have marble tile in your bathroom. Taking proper care of your marble is a must because it is as expensive as it is beautiful. Marble tile in the residential bathroom is renowned for its ornate, refined beauty but maintaining correct maintenance of your natural stones in your bathroom can sometimes be a problem. With regular cleaning and care of your marble tile surfaces, you can keep your marble tiles looking brand new and polished. Give lustre to your marble floors, walls and bestow splendour to your bathroom backsplashes and marble countertops. Marble tiles can increase the value of your home if you learn the proper polishing techniques and scratch removal procedures. Natural stone is one of the most durable of all bathroom flooring materials, yet to maintain a polished, scratch and stain free marble surface, you must understand the properties of marble stone and the best cleaning agents for your marble tile floors, walls and backsplashes and this all starts with getting the right advice about how to care for your marble tile flooring. Read the rest of this entry »

Tile repair and maintenance techniques vary depending upon the severity of damage to your ceramic tile and are usually caused by factors that include improper installation and substrate problems. Whether you have a loose bathroom tile, a cracked floor tile, a chipped ceramic back splash tile or a broken wall tile will all determine if you have to mend the cracked tile or replace the broken tile altogether because it is beyond a simple patch up job. It should go without saying that if the chip is too big; you will probably have to replace the damaged tile. If on the other hand your damaged tile is simply cracked or has a little chip, all you have to do is match the chip area with analogous tile colors and then fill the indent with a clear epoxy. Read the rest of this entry »

Mosaic tile is a very good alternative for bathroom walls and floors. What makes these 2 inch or less, mosaic tiles such a good choice for bathroom floors is the fact that mosaic tiles have a multitude of tiny grippy grout lines that act as a slip resistant foil to help prevent unnecessary falls in your bathroom. Mosaic tile is also great for bathroom walls due to the almost limitless creative decorative patterns and options you can incorporate into your bathroom wall and floor design. Mosaic tiles come in many different colors and in rectangles, squares, random design patterns and many different forms of geometric figures to add character to your bathroom. Mosaic tiles come in numerous different materials from porcelain tile, ceramic tile, glass tiles and stone tiles. And the best part about mosaic tile is that most require very little upkeep except for maybe terra-cotta tiles that requires that you seal them at regular intervals. Read the rest of this entry »

So your choices are to rip out your old grout and tile or restore your grout to an attractive uniform color using a grout colorant. Today’s grout colorants are easy to apply, can last for many years and best of all can make your bathroom look good with half the effort of re-grouting your whole lavatory! Grout color, whether you are purchasing a dry mixture or wet pre-mixed grout will already have the color mixed in. But if you want a specialized color, in most cases, grout color can be applied to your tiling grout mixture depending upon the type of grout you used, urethane grout or cement based grout. You can also change your existing grout’s color after it has hardened by purchasing grout stain or some form of grout colorant. If you are mixing a large amount of grout, to retain color consistency throughout your grout for both your floors and walls, mix all the bags of grout together that you purchased and store in a dry ready to use container. Read the rest of this entry »

When you need to make precise cuts to a required shape or size when cutting ceramic tile, you need to use a ceramic tile cutting tool. From simple manual tools, attachments to power tools to full fledged utility wet and dry saws, using a tile cutter is fairly easy if you use the right cutting tool for the job. Snap cutters, wet saws, tile nippers, diamond hacksaws, scribing or razor knives, board scoring/cutting tool, chisels, ceramic tile circle cutter, the choices are many. All you have to decide is whether you want to use a manual tile cutter or an electric tile cutting tool to get your tiling job done in your bathroom. Read the rest of this entry »

Premixed urethane grout is a relatively new product to the bathroom home improvement market. It is a handily convenient grout that comes premixed in a bucket ready to use without the hassle of having to pour and mix the dusty dry ingredients of traditional cement and sand based grout with water. Instead all you have to do is open the urethane grout bucket, fold in the sand and polyurethane resins together by stirring with a flat edge and you are ready to grout. The benefit of using urethane grout over cement based grout is that the urethane grout produces a stronger bond between its sand particles and is color and stain resistant. Unlike traditional cement based grout which if you add too much water to the mixture can not only reduce the strength of the grout but can also cause discoloration and mottling when the grout dries, urethane grout is premixed for you. While urethane grout is a great product, there are several issues you should consider when using urethane grout to remodel the tile in your bathroom. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Eric Spurt: Our tile floor in our bathroom is a disaster to say the least. I must admit we probably don’t clean it as much as we should but who likes mopping anyway? It probably doesn’t help that we have two kids under the age of ten either who have a tendency of spilling things, if you know what I mean. The tile itself is relatively ok (just a little dull) but the grout stains is making our bathroom look old and dingy. What are some good products out there to combat this problem? Are there any permanent solutions to this dilemma? Please get back to me on this, the wife is driving me crazy with the complaining, all she seems to care about is what our friends will think….help! Perplexed Pete, Edmonton Ab. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Eric Spurt: I want to spruce up my bathroom vanity area. I’ve heard that backsplashs can do the trick. What’s your take on this? I have a backsplash in my kitchen and it looks good so I’m thinking of putting one in my bathroom. Do you have any helpful backsplash tile ideas that I can use. Vera Miles, Florence KY Read the rest of this entry »

In part one entitled: Do-It-Yourself Corner Ceramic Shower Seat Installation, we talked about the pros of installing a more permanent solution in your shower enclosure. Now we will discuss the materials and procedures for installing your brand new ceramic shower seat. You have already decided where you want it to go now lets get on with what you will need to get the job done and the skill set you will need. Read the rest of this entry »