Q:My husband ( yes...the one with the dents in his head from the cooker hood ) is fixing rustic tiles in my kitchen. He has done loads of tiling with plain tiles ( i.e straight edges!!) but we're wondering about spacing these with irregular edges. Very little advice on the web apart from to space them more widely which doesn't really help! Anyone done this and pleased with the result?

Boy Boy and Julie are right about these types of tile.. One thing they didn t hit on is the type of tile can make a difference on the spacing.The body type and the thickness will effect the type of grout you use and thus the spacing also..From experiance ( 20 years) I m guessing you ll need a sanded grout and a minimum of 1/8 inch spacing from the way you discribe the tile..If they have a rounded type edge keep the space to and 1/8 th inch since when you grout it flush that round edge will cause the grout joint to widen and look like 1/4 inch space..If there a square edge then you cal go to maybe 3/8 or 1/4 inch depending on the look you like and just how much outta size they are..GL any ?? e mail me

Q:Meaning, I was just wondering if you can lay a thin set of mortar then place vinyl tiles on it, and then grout it? This mabye a stupid question and most people would say why not just use real tile if your going to go through all that trouble, but just wondering?.Thanks

No. The thinset would squish out all over the vinyl tiles since they are so thin. There would not be enough surface for grout to adhere to either. Good luck with your project.

Q:never installed it before i am putting in mold free dry wall and new fixtures. want to put up tile instead of a surround wondering how hard it is to do thanks

I would suggest getting a good tile book at the book store or library and reading it. Despite what the first answerer says it is not quite easy. I have probably done 75 bathrooms and while it's not terribly difficult it does take some skill and some planning. Especially around corners and other transitions. As was suggested do not use drywall behind the tile in a shower. Study up and then make a decision. Good luck

Q:Bai Peng tiles origin? how is it?

You have not provided the brand we have tested, to provide you with the method of selecting the tile, I hope to help you. 1 election origin Almost tiles on the market come from two places: Guangdong and Shandong. Guangdong brick overall quality is better than Shandong brick, domestic brands of ceramic tile origin is also generally from Guangdong, so a simple choice of Guangdong brick. (Shandong bricks are also good quality, but more need to blink of an eye). 2 to see flatness Flatness is very critical, if the flatness is very poor, it is difficult to shop in the edge of each tile are not the edge of the gap, there is not only the impact of visual effects affected, serious and even cause Ge (gè) feet. Figure tiles flatness is very poor gap is too large Method one: the same paragraph of the two tiles on the face of the table, his hands pinching side, observe the other side of the tilt, tilt the smaller, the higher the flatness. (This method is suitable for fully flattened bricks that do not apply to antique tiles and bricks with special craftsmanship)

Q:I need matching vinyl tiles for my kitchen floor. they‘re about 18x18 inch. I only need about 6 of them. is it possible to have a company match the design of tile and custom make me new ones, or a company that can match them?

Vinyl tiles are very cheap, maybe you should consider redoing the entire kitchen floor instead of trying to match up discontinued tiles. But I know that if you bring a vinyl piece into a flooring store, they will try to match it the best as possible, and give you something very similar. Re-doing your kitchen floor with new vinyl won't cost much, and it's what I suggest.

Q:I have a few small pits (about 1/16 in diameter, very shallow into the tile) that have developed in some old ceramic tile in my foyer (it may be from some salt that was tracked into the foyer over the winter). Is there a good way to repair it?

I would try 'tile and grout sealer. These products are easy to apply and once dried are very hard. Go to your home supply store and look at a few different types and see what would work best for you application. Most people don't understand that tile needs to be sealed and re-sealed every year or two, especially in high traffic areas and where there will be a lot of dirt or water track across them.

Q:Or can I just start tiling over the painted wall?

No, you don't NEED backerboard BUT, I'll tell you from experience that it's much easier to work with, makes a better bond and you will have less trouble later on. I recommend the stuff with the little squares etched in (Hardibacker). Good Luck.

Q:I am putting in a wood stove and want to make a mural behind it - should I tile the board and then put it up, or tile it on the wall. I am using wall spacers and cement board. I want to make a mural of a tree - the wall is 8‘ by 3‘ - should I cover the whole wall or just the part behind the wood stove? do I need special grout?thanks for your answers

There is really much more to tile installation than a quick answer. I would suggest mounting the cement board first, then the tile, but for a first timer there might be special challenges to installing tile on a vertical surface if the tile does not have built-in tile spacers or you don’t use tile spacers. It also depends on what kind of tile you use. Hand molded tiles will be more irregular. Even Home Depot sells a great book on tile installation that is not very expensive and there are also videos out there. An oldie but goodie is Setting Tile by Michael Byrne. Also, people have a tendance to use the word grout as a generic term for the adhesive. The stuff you use to mount the tiles is very different from what is put betweent the tiles. You should use a cement based mortar to set the tiles (don’t use the cheap white mastic adhesive, it is not as strong!) You then use a grout for inbetween the tiles. Again, use a cement based grout as well. You do want to use a cement board such as Durock, not greenboard. You might also want to check out fire code issues before you install the wood stove. Check with the place you got the stove from. Then there are many types of grout sealers. You may end up with ash blackened grout if it is not sealed. I recommend a penetrating sealer, not silicone sealer. Then, how will you finish the edges? Will the raw edges of the tile show or do you have matching trim tiles to finish the edges? A lot of these home improvements shows show these really quickie tile installations, which look nice at first (actually I think most of them look cheap and cheesy) but I can guarantee the grout will be cracking within 6 months or the tiles popping up because not enough time was allowed for the mortar to dry before grouting. See, not to burst your bubble, I just think you should research this before you start this project so you end up with a very nice professional looking job you can be proud of!

Q:If i have 56 tiles in my bathroom that are 8x8 how many would i need at 13x13

22 tiles at a bare minimum. 8x8=64 s/inches 56x64=3584 total s/inches in the room 13x13=169 s/inches 3584 divided by 169 is 21.2 or 22 tiles. 4/5 pc for scrap so 26/27 total pcs. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL

Q:I just installed a backsplash in my kitchen. It is glass mosaics with slate - 1x1. Today I began grouting and after it sat for 2 hours ( as instructed) I began wiping it down with a wet sponge. After scrubbing it for about an hour there is still a considerable amount of grout on the tiles - especially the slate. I used non sanded grout which is recommended for my tiles, but it will not come off! What can I do to remove the grout off of these tiles without scratching them? Please help. Thankyou

no longer directly, in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, you're for all useful purposes arising a counter-top, so which you will could desire to handle it as such, complete with an suited backer cloth and side steel.