# Tiling a floor!



## JustMe2 (May 31, 2001)

Hey everyone!
We are trying to decide about tiling the floor in our full bath. 
First, there is a vinyl floor in there. i know that this must be removed. My questions is...do I remove the toilet and the sink and cabinet, and tile that area also? Is there some kind of special seal that should be but down around the toilet ring before the adctual toilet is set onto the wax ring? It makes sense to me to remove these items and do the entire floor! But as I've never tiled a floor before, I thought I'd ask!
Thanks much!
Crystal


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

I have tiled walls but not floors. So not positive.

But I think you need to remove everything and put down a subfloor to do it right.

That would require extending the flange for the toilet upward.

If you poke around doing searches I am sure there will be advice in detail. In the meantime Lowes has this to help

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/TileFloor.html


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## JustMe2 (May 31, 2001)

Thanks, Wacor.
Like you, I've done walls, but never floors! I tiled the entire back splash above my kitchen sink and counters several years ago. it was drywall and that was nothing but a mess from people doing dishes!
Just makes sense to me that the sink and toilet should be removed. We're on a slab, and the floor seems even, but I do plan on removing the vinyl and checking the level first. I'm thinking about doing the half wall tile in the bathroom, too! Be so much easier to clean!
Crystal


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

If you go to a flooring store and not a big place like Home Depot they usually have personnel that can give advice too. 

Doing a floor it is critical to do it right or you can have shifting and cracking. I would make sure you still do not need to put in a subfloor.


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## JustMe2 (May 31, 2001)

wacor said:


> If you go to a flooring store and not a big place like Home Depot they usually have personnel that can give advice too.


Now that's the best thought I've heard in a long time!!!
I think I'll do just that!
And speaking of Home Depot...we've also been pricing laminate flooring for out girls' rooms. HD is quite a bit more expensive than the other places we've looked!!!
Crystal


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

Going to a store that specializes in flooring might cost a bit more but the advice you get is going to be worth it. If the store you go to does not seem helpful then go to another one. 

Another thing is depending upon where you live there are radio talk shows for self improvement. also in the spring around here there are home improvement expos where venders exhibit and that can be helpful.

just be patient and get all the info and it should go quite smoothly i would think


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

You can cut the tile at the cabinet so no need to remove it but the toilet you do want to remove so you can tile under it and around the flange that your also have to replace so it is flush with the ne tile floor.


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## blues_harp28 (Jan 9, 2005)

Hi. is the floor concrete or wood?
If concrete..clean all floor area making sure it's level and dust free.
If wood..best to lay it's called hardboard here in the UK..thin board normally sold in 2x2 sheets..nailed to the floor.
Lay full tiles from door area working away from there.
You can tile around toilet base using a decent tile cutter and seal area around toilet with silicone..you should be able to match the silicone with the colour [note English spelling  ]
of the tiles.
As with wall tiling..lay full tiles first and then the tiles you have cut last.
As with most jobs they look daunting until you actually start the job.
Most important..enjoy doing it.

Should you remove the toilet base and the sink and tile under them you may have to alter the pipes coming from and to the toilet and sink..maybe.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Nailing to the concrete slab seems wrong here. I think you'd lay the tile right on the slab. Obviously, this is not something I've ever done, but I don't see the point of an underlayment on a slab.


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## blues_harp28 (Jan 9, 2005)

Hi JohnWill...my suggestion of nailing an underlay is only needed if the floor is made of wood.
Rereading post #3 the floor is made of concrete then as you say tiling straight onto the slab is the best route.


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## GoneForNow (Jul 22, 2001)

If you would like to extend the height of the toilet flange without having to install a new flange you could try this:

http://www.quickfixplumbingproducts.com/closet flange extenders.htm


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## JustMe2 (May 31, 2001)

Thanks for all the info! ( i knew this was the place to ask!!!)
Looks like I'm going to remove the toilet and sink. As soon as I decide about replacing or raising the flange! I'm going to replace the carpet in the girls' rooms first, (before allergy season kicks in for them), so I've got some time to decide! (and that gives me time to decide what tile I want on the walls too!  )
Crystal


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

You'll want to stuff something into the drain for the toilet and sink to keep sewer gases from coming up, since there's no trap when you remove all the plumbing.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Nice find there gbrumb because that would be the most easy way to extend the height of the toilet flange. Then when you reset the toilet get the wax ring with the plastic funnel built in.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/bath/fixt_repair/toilet/wax_ring/replace.htm


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## gurutech (Apr 23, 2004)

You most likely won't need to extend the flange on the toilet. If you have vinyl flooring in there now, and are replacing that with tile, there's only a 1/2" difference (tops), so the only thing you MAY need is a pair of longer bolts that seat themselves in the flange, and poke upwards for the toilet to be bolted to to floor. You will also need a wax ring to replace the one that is on the toilet now. You can pick one up at HD or Lowes for $5-$10. Just make sure you completely remove the old one first! (I learned that the hard way, had to go back and get another ring!)

As for the tiling, that's pretty simple if you've done walls before. Just start as far in the room as you can, so you are not kneeling on tiles to get the last part done. (Make sure you are outside the bathroom as you are laying the last few tiles down.)


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

Another thing to consider is the layout of the tiles. You want to make sure if you work your way from one side to the other that you don't end up with a small piece where it is visible.

It probably depends upon the size and type of tile. The pros I have seen will map out the layout first starting in the middle. That way at each wall there is the same size of tile all around. So you might want to dry fit a row in all four directions to see how you end up?


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## Guyzer (Jul 3, 2004)

If you do go ahead with the floor tile in the bathroom be sure to add a heating pad underneath. There's nothing better than in-floor heating especially just before or after coming out of the shower.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

Guyzer said:


> If you do go ahead with the floor tile in the bathroom be sure to add a heating pad underneath. There's nothing better than in-floor heating especially just before or after coming out of the shower.


Sounds interesting. I have heard of the towel heaters you mount on a wall and also hydronic heat you put under a floor but not a heating pad. How thick is it? Probably requires a ground fault interupter circuit.

Gee this is thread is a wealth of knowledge about people. I never would have dreamed a lawer and car saleman did tile work also.


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## Guyzer (Jul 3, 2004)

wacor said:


> Sounds interesting. I have heard of the towel heaters you mount on a wall and also hydronic heat you put under a floor but not a heating pad. How thick is it? Probably requires a ground fault interupter circuit.
> 
> Gee this is thread is a wealth of knowledge about people. I never would have dreamed a lawer and car saleman did tile work also.


All you ever wanted to know about it might be found here. It's the real cats meow.
http://www.flooringguide.com/how-to/related/rp001.php3


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

Thanks Guy,

I will definately keep that in mind if I retile my bathroom.


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## GoneForNow (Jul 22, 2001)

Guyzer said:


> If you do go ahead with the floor tile in the bathroom be sure to add a heating pad underneath. There's nothing better than in-floor heating especially just before or after coming out of the shower.


When it comes to heat I'd listen to a Canadian.....seeing as you need it 10 months out of the year.


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## Guyzer (Jul 3, 2004)

gbrumb said:


> When it comes to heat I'd listen to a Canadian.....seeing as you need it 10 months out of the year.


Not since I moved out to the wet coast. Now I have shares in a raincoat factory.


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## Cosmic (May 5, 2003)

Well I have done lots of tile floors. Used to be a general contractor.

It is best if you can remove all the appliances, including vanity. The less cutting the better. Being a cement slab there is not a super worry about leakage at edge joints, still the job looks better if the device can set over a fully tiled floor.

Strip the vinyl sheet. Clean the slab. Beware of using too much chemical type cleaners. Sharp thin blade scrapper and you can get a stone type sanding block, look in the cement products section of home centers. Used to smooth concrete work once the concrete is set. You want the cement slab to have some "Bite". 

Use thin set adhesive only. Be sure to know how to mix in the additive milk. Tile size can vary but in general the fewer grout lines the better. Beware using to smooth a surface tile, can be super slippery when wet. Cement slab can take the giant >12" tiles available. It is a matter of deflection in the floor that limits tile size. They can crack if the floor is like a wood joist system with too much give.

Do a dry layout to determine placement. Usually we snap a chalk line down the center (viewed from the enterance door) of the room getting that reference line totally square to the walls as much as possible. That line will move around as you decide on how the side cuts will be made. Try to avoid any cuts that are under a half tile width in any location. Difficult to explain but it is a matter of knowing what will look best installed. Shaving cuts to a full tile look better than smaller pieces.

Be sure to use floor tile grout only. Grout line spacing is a matter of taste. The larger the tile size, the larger the joints can be. Good placement use tile spacers to get straight grout lines.

Snap several reference lines lines once a good reference line is established. Go over them with a pencil to make them permanent. Set a full line of tile first, I usually like to start in the middle of the room going down the longer axis, using the reference line as the guide to set the edge of the first tiles. 

On larger tiles, >10" I usually butter the thin set on the tile, instead of trying to place it on the floor, just gets better results.

Using a waxless seal on the toilet can make any adjustment to the toilet replacement unnecessary. 

Read some of the tile DIY books. Pictures are worth a thousand words. They normally have all the basic steps spot right on. Somebody that does it for a living will have a lot of finesse tricks. Beware some of the advise in home improvement centers. Many have never done what they are advising others to do.

The funny part is most floor tile jobs will wind up getting throw rugs put over them.


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## JustMe2 (May 31, 2001)

Thanks for so much info!!!
We've thought about heating the floor...and we're still thinking! 
Everything's coming out except the tub when we tile the floor. (unless DH changes his mind between now and then!) Good thing is that I have found the tile that I want in there and it's a small room. No big fancy house for us!
Looks like this weekend is going to be spent pulling carpet from my 15 year old's room and replacing it with laminate wood flooring. She's been wanting that done ever since I put the stuff in our family room! She's actually emptied her room out over the past 2 evenings. That in itself is amazing!  Of course that means all her stuff is in my garage, which means my van is in the driveway.  Oh well!
Crystal


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

We just had to kibitz until a real expert came along.


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