Questions tagged [tile]
For questions generally relating to stone or ceramic tile, including selection, preparation, installation, maintenance, cleaning, and removal.
1,145
questions
4
votes
3
answers
109k
views
Should tile floors be cleaned with vinegar only? Is the advice against using other solutions a myth?
After we had ceramic tile installed at our house, the company said we should just clean with vinegar and water mixture. However, I haven't been able to find anywhere online that says that using Pine-...
- 263
6
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What kind of material do I need above the tile line in my shower?
I have a shower with original, 100-year-old tile.
The tile and the drywall-like material above the tile line has survived well, but we're planning to replace it in the entire bathroom due to ...
- 1,928
8
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Which is least likely to crack due to high traffic, large or small tile?
Consider a kitchen on pier-beam flooring with two doors allowing traffic to flow through it.
The floor is 10x10 feet. I plan to tile and would like to minimize risk of cracking. Which size tile would ...
- 1,037
1
vote
1
answer
568
views
Do I need to do more prep work on this cement floor before putting in new tile?
In my basement i have a poured concrete floor, and we're re-doing the bathroom down there. It used to have Vinyl flooring, and we ripped it all up. The top vinyl part came up easily, but it left a bit ...
- 113
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Requirements for using Schluter Ditra
I'm preparing to do my first tile project in my house, and have recently been told conflicting statements about what I need to do to my floor as it exists now. I'm going to tile the floors in my ...
- 133
6
votes
2
answers
61k
views
can you glue tile to plywood?
I have a contractor who covered my bathroom with marble tile. Now tiles are cracking, grout is breaking and water leaking...
See image of a few he picked up that were making noise.
Also note he ...
- 825
8
votes
2
answers
53k
views
Why can't I lay tiles on an uneven floor?
My buddy and I have gotten into a bit of a dispute on facebook, here's what he asks:
I keep hearing tiling an unlevel floor will result in tiles coming up. This reason makes no sense to me. The only ...
- 309
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Dealing with scratched floor tile
I have a kitchen with a tile floor. In one corner, there's been a pedestal style garbage bin. It seems that stepping on the foot pedal has caused the bin to shift slightly during each use, and over ...
- 356
5
votes
3
answers
21k
views
How do I mount a shower curtain rod to tile?
In my new place my shower is tile and has a spring loaded shower curtain rod. I have my curved rod from a previous residence and would like to mount it. I can operate a drill, but I have never gone ...
- 488
11
votes
1
answer
26k
views
What types of tile require a wet tile saw?
I have tiled with all kind of tile in the past. When redoing my kitchen I custom ordered hand painted tiles to match the odd color of the granite. So I only had enough tiles for the project without ...
- 2,044
5
votes
2
answers
9k
views
How should I re-caulk my butcher block counter top?
Last year I had my kitchen re-done. Everything thus far has held up well with the exception of the caulk between the counter top (butcher-block) and the back splash (tile).
What would be the best ...
- 225
4
votes
5
answers
14k
views
How can I clean floor tile grout?
Someone I know had tile laid in their kitchen and was supposed to seal the grout after the work was done. This never happened and now they have dirty grout. What's the best way to make the grout look ...
- 2,145
1
vote
2
answers
77k
views
What type of tile should I install in a bath/shower surround?
I am about to remodel our bathroom. Currently the tub/shower is all tiled but the backing is not secure/stable so there is cracking in the grout and I know water is getting behind. I prefer the look ...
- 5,215
4
votes
1
answer
291
views
Basement Bath floor
I'm putting Platon drain board on the slab of my basement because I'm concerned with humidity and moisture. Then I top it with laminate. What should I do with the bathroom?
Can tile be put on top ...
- 2,213
4
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How do I properly seal slate tile?
We recently installed slate tile in our renovated bathroom. We have sealed it with a penetrating water-based sealant. Water still seams to soak in to the tile and little water spots on the tile are ...
- 797
4
votes
2
answers
32k
views
Should unsanded grout become darker when wet?
Anyone who recognizes me at this point will know I've been working on remodeling our bathroom (Should we use a tub surround and Curing time for grout with GroutBoost).
We finally finished everything ...
- 1,363
4
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Screwing into the grout line between glass tiles
I'm about to mount some shelving brackets onto a wall of 1" square glass tiles. The entire wall is backed by 5/8" plywood, so I don't have to worry about hitting a stud. With that kind of ...
- 163
3
votes
1
answer
9k
views
Kitchen tile on pier & beam
We are remodeling our kitchen in our older pier & beam house. We were looking at tile today and they said we would need to remove the existing linoleum, then put some type of cement board over the ...
- 365
4
votes
1
answer
952
views
How do I remove mineral stains from tiles?
The water in our apartment has higher salt levels, which ultimately makes stains on tile. I tried to remove them with various bleaching agents, but with no effect. Can anyone help?
user1992
6
votes
6
answers
45k
views
How do cement boards and Kerdi boards for wall tile compare?
I came across an interesting product the other day, and thought it might be perfect for an upcoming project. I'm redoing the tile back splash in my kitchen and was planning on using cement board ...
- 130k
1
vote
1
answer
217
views
Ceramic Stain: Removal (from hot water tank)
I was adjusting the hot water tank this afternoon and draining the tank just as part of maintenance since it hadn't been done in who knows how long. The tank looks fairly new (no more than 5 years ...
- 203
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What wall material should be used behind the Kerdi system in a tub/shower?
I know from my previous question that in most cases a cement board of some kind needs to be used. However, when the Kerdi membrane system is being used behind the tile, is it still necessary to use a ...
- 618
7
votes
7
answers
49k
views
How should I tile under kitchen cabinets?
I currently have tile on the floor of the kitchen that just butts up to my cabinets. I plan to change the floors and also change the cabinets. Is is best to rip out all the cabinets and tile, and ...
- 1,041
19
votes
4
answers
188k
views
Must I remove all mortar between tiles before grouting?
I'm just getting ready to lay down the grout after successfully tiling our master bathroom. I've been told in no uncertain terms that I must remove the spacers between tiles (or else grouting over ...
- 365
6
votes
2
answers
45k
views
What are the pros/cons of using porcelain over ceramic tile in a bathroom?
I'm planning on tiling a bathroom floor and a walk-in shower (including the ceiling). I haven't looked into pricing yet, but I've heard that porcelain would be a better, yet more expensive material to ...
- 265
3
votes
1
answer
20k
views
How do I fill a wide gap between tile and other flooring / sill plate?
I recently installed 16" porcelain tile in a new laundry room addition. As luck would have it, the room ended up being the same width as 4 tiles, so I had to do very little cutting to complete the ...
- 388
3
votes
2
answers
18k
views
How do I treat / maintain IKEA Platta wood patio tiles?
Over a year ago we put a good sized set of IKEA Platta deck tiles on our patio. After exposure to the elements, they are now dis-coloring and becoming a bit 'rough'.
What exactly do I need to do to ...
- 133
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
What precautions should I take installing tile on a backerboard in an area surrounded by cement?
I had to have my old three-handle tub faucet replaced by a plumber, because the valves in the handles were rotted into the handle bodies. When the tile came off, we found that the wall behind the ...
- 113
8
votes
3
answers
12k
views
What kind of backing should I use for a glass mosaic backsplash?
I want to install a glass mosaic backsplash. These are a bunch of small square tiles of different colors on a mesh. Each meash measures 13 x 13. They are so thin, that I want to put some plywood or 1/...
- 5,365
6
votes
1
answer
512
views
How to repair fallen tile near kitchen floor?
One of the tiles adjacent to my kitchen floor fell down.
The tile itself is still in good condition but I'm not sure how to properly reattach it. I'm guessing it would be something like:
Chisel ...
- 8,011
7
votes
2
answers
53k
views
How do I make where my carpet meets tile look nice?
We've recently replaced our kitchen tiles. I'm happy with the results but have no idea what to do with the edge. How do I clean this edge up so that it looks more appealing?
- 173
11
votes
3
answers
9k
views
How do I remove baseboard that has been tiled over?
The previous owner installed tile without re-installing the original baseboard. We are trying to remove the baseboard in preparation for installing laminate flooring. Afterwards our plan is to ...
- 113
3
votes
4
answers
101k
views
Can I use my shower while grout is curing?
I just recaulked my front bath and accidentally popped loose a tile in the process. I reinstalled the tile and allowed that to set before grouting. I just finished grouting the tile, and I read on ...
- 3,431
2
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Do I need to put mortar between wood and backerboard on a mixed wood/tile floor?
We have a hardwood insert on our kitchen floor and we will be surrounding it with slate tile. Also the room next to the kitchen is all hardwood floor. Our heights are correct for the tile (with the ...
- 263
18
votes
5
answers
274k
views
Should my toilet flange sit on top of the backer board or the tile of the floor?
The bathroom model saga continues. The old toilet flange was rusting, and the subfloor was rotting, so I pulled up the subfloor around the toilet, and replaced the drain pipe with ABS, and an elbow. ...
- 5,075
5
votes
1
answer
4k
views
In a brick layout for tile, how do I handle exposed cut edges?
My second in the line of "redoing a bathroom" questions. For our tub surround, my wife and I have picked out some very nice 16"x4" subway tiles, that we would like to arrange in a brick pattern. To ...
- 5,075
4
votes
2
answers
311
views
Any tips on fixing a difficult wall for tiling?
I've got this small old bathroom that I want to lay with ceramic tiles. But to do that the walls should be straight - which they are not. Three of them are almost fine, but the fourth is... well, take ...
- 876
8
votes
4
answers
7k
views
How can I seal the grout on kitchen wall tiles to give lasting stain and mold protection?
I have 1.5mm of white grout between rectified white tiles on my kitchen walls as a splashback (or backsplash in North America*) behind the sink and cooktop and I'm concerned about stains from food and ...
- 683
4
votes
1
answer
570
views
Crack spanning several tiles
I've got several tiles in my dining room that have a diagonal crack running across them. Since it's a pretty straight line across several tiles, I'm guessing it's a foundation issue. The room is at ...
- 15.6k
10
votes
2
answers
8k
views
What is the practical difference between cement board and greenboard?
When installing tubs I've mostly used cementboard. I find it a bear to work with though.
A guy I know uses the water resistant greenboard; he claims that for home applications it is entirely ...
- 2,652
12
votes
2
answers
32k
views
How do I do a minor grout repair properly?
I've got grout between some floor tiles that is cracking and coming out in small chips, over time. The tiles and remaining grout are otherwise in great shape. I suspect this is just a problem high-...
- 1,475
10
votes
4
answers
3k
views
How can I remove a single cracked floor tile?
How can I remove a single damaged floor tile without damaging the surrounding tiles? Is there anything that will help the replacement tile from cracking in the same way?
- 853
8
votes
3
answers
287
views
How do you remove a lot of wall tiles?
How do I quickly remove a lot of wall tiles without damaging the wall?
- 6,129
9
votes
2
answers
30k
views
Where should I start tiling my bathroom wall?
The bathroom I'm about to tile has a complex layout, and I've never put tile on a wall before. Let me see if I can paint a verbal picture...
The room is approx. 6'("short side") by 10'("long side"). ...
- 193
5
votes
1
answer
8k
views
How do I remove the white residue on fresh tile grout?
The day after grouting my tile, a white residue formed on top of the (grey) grout. Moistening the grout makes the residue go away until it dries again. I've been told the problem is because I had ...
- 153