Anybody ever tile their own kitchen floor?

[Pliablemoose]

Quick bump to this thread, found a great forum specifically about tile...

John Bridge Forums

& his main page: http://johnbridge.com

My next project is our master bathroom, going to do a raised whirlpool tub & re-do the master shower.

Don't be afraid to mix your own mortar, I used a bathroom scale to weigh the dry mortar & a measuring cup from a home supply store, with the amount of mortar I mixed, I nearly paid for the huge drill I had to buy to mix the stuff, and it'll come in handy for the next tile project.

Also, don't forget the spacers, they're cheap & really help keep those tile lines straight.

 

[Armitage]

Yea, that's a good site ... had forgotten about it. Looked at it awhile back wrt doing a mortar bed shower.
And yes, I mix my own mortar also ... its not that hard.

 

[LAUST]

Good site Pliablemoose

 

[allisolm]

We just finished our kitchen and it looks great (pats self on the back). Used 12" ceramic tile over concrete. Versabond white mortar, spray sealer, Sahara Tan grout. We bought a wet saw ($88 at Home Depot or Lowes) and don't regret that at all. It would have been $40 a day to rent one or $1 a tile to have it cut and we cut over 80 tiles. This way we could cut on our own schedule. They have a wet saw by the same manufacturer at Lowe's with a less powerful motor and a smaller cutting blade for $44 but I don't know how well it works.

Pics

 

[Pliablemoose]

I need to go to our local Expo center, we found an 8X16 ceramic tile that looks like hardwood, we're going to do the children's rooms with it in a herringbone/square pattern. It looks awesome.

Looks great allisolm

 

[Tetsuo]

Go with smaller tiles, then you won't have to level out your floor so much. 6x6 are more than big enough.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: LAUST

And yes, I mix my own mortar also ... its not that hard.

It's not that it's hard, but it takes more time and what is the point when you just open a lid, stir it up a little and and it's ready for the trough right away. No powder to measure and mix, work before you begin to work basically.

Good site Pliablemoose

After re-reading this thread, I have a "revised" view when it comes to thinset for tiles. If you are doing wall tile, the pre-mixed Laticrete is some of the best stuff to use. It bonds really well and when you lay your first "course" on the bottom, you can start the second row shortly after the first without worrying about the weight pushing on the first row.

When it comes to setting tile on the floor, it's best to use the powdered thinset with an additive such as Laticrete "333". This will provided added strength above and beyond what just water and thinset alone would do.

Allisom, Nice work on that floor. Looks wonderful!