In just three steps you can lay a ceramic tile floor in the toilet which will endure as long as the house itself. The first job is to take up the old floor covering, whatever it could be. From then on, take up the hardwood top flooring and expose the subfloor. Remove all fingernails and particles and check the subfloor thoroughly for signs of damaged places, rot and warped boards. If any boards need replacing, does it at this time, for the brand new tile floor covers the subfloor permanently.
As part of the preparation, take away the door from its hinges and the threshold, or saddle, so that the tiles may be laid in a direct line between your inside door casings. Remove the footwear molding and baseboard so that the tiles may expand to the wall.
Finally, consider other obstacles on the floor. Generally radiators can be jacked up somewhat, or at least plenty of to lay the tile beneath them. Drinking water pipes will have to be surrounded with tile. Long term fixtures will also be encircled with the tile.
The second step is laying the tile. Start by spreading a coating of large waterproof paper over the whole region, overlapping at least 2" at every joint, and arriving the edges from 1/2 to 3/4" at wall space and around fixed items. Tack down the paper sufficiently to prevent moving it while working. Over the paper lay a fine-mesh metallic plaster lath, tacking it down over its entire surface area at 6" intervals with rustproof fingernails. The lath must be absolutely rigid. Slice the lath with tin snips or wire cutters and match it carefully against the wall structure and in the corners. To match around pipes, cut as shown in the sketch below.
Next comes the cement, an assortment of 1 part Portland cement, 5/2 to 3 parts sand and sufficient water to make a sandy combination. Avoid an excessive amount of water, as tiles will totally sink right into a watery cement. Spread the cement to the depth of 3/4" and level it off. For those who have a large area to cover, divide it into sections with grounds (3/4" boards which will be used as a guide in leveling off the cement) and lay only one section at the same time. Grounds are eliminated as work progresses, so usually do not drive nails so that the grounds cannot be easily removed.
Tiles of this type, sometimes called mosaic tiles, are often sold in a single or two square-foot "sheets," already pasted in correct spacing on bed sheets of paper. Lay the first sheet on the cement, paper part up, in a single corner. Lay another alongside, keeping the same spacing between sections as is definitely observed on the types pasted to the paper. Continue until the area is covered.
Eventually you will come to places where tiles must be cut. They could be broken by first scoring each aspect with a cup cutter, and snapped with a pair of pliers. Ragged edges are flaked off by small nips with the nasal area of the pliers. Irregular and curved lines are created in the same way. Nip off the top side carefully to a marked collection and remove the tough lower sections at will. Slate and stone cutters, or power-driven Carborundum discs, speed the procedure of cutting tiles but are in no way necessary.
With the tiles laid in place, leveling off begins. Use a amount of 2-by-4 with a perfectly flat side and a hammer. Lay the flat part against the tiles and tap lightly on the timber with the hammer, sinking the tiles into the cement. Move the stick slightly and tap once again until the whole surface has been reviewed. Check your improvement with a spirit level to observe that no valleys or ridges are created. Where individual tiles protrude, tap them down. During the taping process, the paper to that your tiles were pasted will come loose. Remove it and wipe the tiles with a damp fabric, taking care that non-e are dislodged.
To fill the cracks between the tiles, make another mixture of cement; a 1:3 blend, but thinned with drinking water to a creamy paste. Pour it over the tiles and work into the cracks with a paint brush. Mop up the excess, and then clean the tiles clean with a damp fabric frequently rinsed. When you have laid which flooring types are best in an office the ground in sections, repeat the entire procedure until all tiles are laid.
At entrances, lay the tiles in a direct line drawn between the door casings. At this point, you will discover that you have raised the level of your bathroom floor. This is due to the 3/4" of cement plus 1/4" of tile. The old wood ground was less heavy. To make an adjustment between the tile flooring and the ground of adjoining rooms, spread a tapered level of cement across the threshold and lay the wooden saddle or threshold over the cement. It will no more be level over the top, but its curved surface area is designed to adjust such differences.
If you opt to replace the baseboard, lay a 1/2" ribbon of caulking compound around the whole edge of the bathroom on the tile and press the brand new baseboard into this substance to supply a watertight joint. Quarter-round shoe molding may, of program, be either nailed in to the baseboard or omitted.
If there are left-over traces of cement on the tiles and it has hardened, make a solution of 10 per cent muriatic acid and water and wash the floor with it. The acid softens the cement to permit removal. Put on rubber gloves and be careful in managing the acid. Read the directions cautiously. If the mortar between the tiles has become soiled, wash the floor with sodium hypochlorite or with any chlorine cleaning liquid.