Dog Community

Laying tiles

Posted : 4/9/2007 9:47:36 PM

So I want to redo our bathroom. It is a small bathroom, like maybe 5' by 4' area where there'd be tile. Is it something really hard to do myself? I'd ideally get tiles that are maybe 6" by 6" because foot ones would be too big for the small area. I know we can rent a tile cutter at home depot if needed to cute tiles around the toilet, etc.

Also, how long does it take the grout to dry. We only have one bathroom, so would ours not be usable for a long time because of the retiling?

I plan to put Home Depot to the test on their "You can do it, we can help" slogan

.

Mark

Posted : 4/9/2007 10:15:17 PM

myself,i would take the toilet out and tile under it,cutting around the waste hole.It will make for a cleaner looking finish...you wuill only need to add another wax "johhny ring".

cakana

Posted : 4/9/2007 10:20:42 PM

We put tile in both of our bathrooms and like MhadDog, we took the toilet completely out. It doesn't take more than 24 hours for the grout to set, but you're looking at being without a bathroom for at least 48 hours. You need time for the tiles to set (overnight) and then the grout to dry before you can put the toilet back.

smilee1079

Posted : 4/9/2007 10:27:29 PM

Yeah, I plan to take the toilet out and do the tiles under it. Don't they make a quick drying grount these days?

Bullymom

Posted : 4/9/2007 10:58:19 PM

I'm the lazy, cheap person! I got the "peel and stick" kind and those things are annoying! They stick to everything that you don't want them to stick to and if you don't get them sized right, they will "walk" around and leave cracks. I found out the hard way![

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cakana

Posted : 4/10/2007 9:08:54 AM

Don't they make a quick drying grount these days?

Not sure if we used quick drying kind or not, but it didn't take too long. I think we laid the tiles (it took a couple days, but both bathrooms are large). We let the tiles set over night and then grouted the next day. We let the grout dry for a few hours (maybe longer) and then put the sealer on. It dries very quickly. So, I'd still plan for one day to lay tiles and one day to grout and seal it.

huskymom

Posted : 4/10/2007 9:21:18 AM

the grout isn't the same as the adhesive that goes under the tiles. The adhesive has to set for a day before you can grout or it won't get proper air circulation to dry properly. And you don't really want to go with a quick drying one in a high humidity room like the bathroom.

Make sure you cut all of your tiles before you start to lay them. Figure out how they will fit on your floor and make sure they all fit. You don't want to have most of them stuck downa nd then realize you have to take off a quarter inch off the edge by the bathtub. Trust me on this one...[sm=no no smiley.gif]

rwbeagles

Posted : 4/10/2007 9:28:57 AM

Home Depot did our tiling...big job....we walked on it the same day. They use quick dry thinset and only waited 1 hour to do the grout...which was also dry very quickly. It was a big chunk of our house so we needed to walk on it. Use what they used and you will be able to be done in one day.

smilee1079

Posted : 4/10/2007 9:58:13 AM

Thanks Gina... it is nice to know it exists.

I don't mind if the whole project takes 2 days or whatever, I just need toilet usage

. We can go a few hours but not a whole day! We could probably do the stuff right before bed too if it means having hours of non usage to try too.

Thanks for the tip about cutting first!