Q:I‘m having a small bathroom remodled. The floor isn‘t perfectly rectangular, there are some uneven areas because of the tub. I would like the opinion of a profession tiler (should there be one put there, somewhere)...should the floor tiles always be centered, or start lined up against a wall? Also, should the grout be completely dry before sealing it? Thanks.

Yes the tiles need to be centered ,but always dry lay them out to see what size cut you ll be getting at the walls left to right. If you end up with less than a 1/2 tile, shift tile over 1/2 of a tile at the center, this gives you a bigger side cut. I personally like to do a whole tile starting at the door way,I just think this is a better look , but there again you can start in the middle and dry lay them out. As far as sealing grout read directions on your particular sealer. Most silicone based sealers need the grout to cure for 30 days. Penetrating sealers ( which I suggest) take only a 72 ( 3 day) cure time. Silicone sealers wont last as long and need resealing based on your usage and what you clean with. Penetrating sealers last for years. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL

Q:I am really sick of my tile backsplash. It's small white tiles. Is there an easier and less expensive way to cover them up instead of removing them?

You can tile over them if you use a bonding mortar such as Flexbond you can get at any tile supply

Q:According to the Home Depot book I should NOT install on top of existing vinyl tiles but according to the Lowes website I can if it is smooth and in good condition(which it is). It would be easier to install on top but I would like to do it the way that is the best.

Yes, Vinyl can be installed over the top of vinyl. If it is sheet vinyl inspect for loose areas and cut a seam and reglue it down. If it is square (or similiar) tiles inspect each piece and if loose re-glue. There is no problem with laying over top of the old floor. I have renovated numerous homes and for mediocre money you can make a old floor look nice.

Q:How do you use tiles? I‘m sure it‘s easy, but I don‘t know how to use them yet. They look pretty complex. Thanks. I appreciate it.

Game Maker Tiles

Q:Looking to install ceramic tile over concrete basement slab, 12x12 or 13x13 tiles. Main question is how perfectly level/flat does the concrete need to be. If I put a tile down and there is some minor rocking is that no good or will the thinset adhesive take care of that.

Any rocking means the tile is hitting either a high spot or there is a low spot. Low spots can be dealt with the thin set. As long as its less than a 1/4. High spots usually needs to be ground down flat. So to answer your question , for ease of installation and the prevention of cracked tiles at a later date, floors need to be as flat as possible. If you have minor rocking with no thin set down, in some cases a larger sized trowel will do the trick. Each case is different and has to be dealt with differently. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL

Q:i will be laying tiles o my bathroom floor and i am wondering if HomeDepot or Lowes do the tile cutting. i dont want to purchase the wet saw. i will need to cut tiles for corners and things like that. Thanks.

You don't need a wet saw. This would only be necessary for really large areas, marble work, etc. Lowes or Home Depot sell a small manual tile cutter that runs $23 and will cut all tile up to 12. I have one of these and I did all of my kitchen counters, backsplash and island with ease. Even if I would have had a tile saw, I would still use the portable cutter. Here's the link. Good luck.

Q:I want to install hardwood in all my house, except bathrooms.I currently have ceramic tile flooring. I know removing it and installing solid hardwood will be expensive.Can I install floaring hardwood over the ceramic tile?? I went to Lowe‘s, and the flooring assistant recommended me to to that. With the correct underlayment should be not trouble at all.Have you install it that way?? WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE??

just installed a floating floor, since you have tile, buy LUAN floor covering very then word board in 4x8 sections apply construction adhesive very thinly1 or a thick spray on glue and lay them then apply your floor

Q:Remodeling the bathroom...How can i drill a hole in ceramic tile...What kind of drill would I use..or what kind of file would be best to make a hole in the tile to go around the shower faucet..Thanks for your input...

Which tile is it? porcelain or ceramic?? they are 110% different Porcelain tile you need to get a VERY high quality diamond/tunstencarbide drill bit/ holesaw. if it a small hole you need to drill then a simple glass bit will work, but use plenty of water For ceramic tile a a big hardware store sell an inexpensive holesaw for the larger holes and a glass bit will work fine on smaller holes

Q:tiles to be applied in tub surround and ceiling

Glass manufactres in all cases recomend using a white thinset mortar with additive for proper bond strench. Some suggestions include Custom Building Products megaflex Ultimate Thinset Mortar and Versabond Latex Modified Thinset.

Q:do everything and what thickness of mortar between the tiles and the floor should be observed

If the bathroom has timber floor boards with a covering on top remove any plastic tiles or old carpets and lay thin plywood on top screwed down to the floorboards as a solid base for the new tiles (you omit this if the bathroom has a concrete floor) then either buy some floor tiles adhesive (for plastic tiles) or mix some tile cement (for ceramic tiles) spread the adhesive /tile cement on the floor base using a slotted trowel that applies the adhesive/cement in rows, then follow the adhesive/cement makers instructions to leave for a period - then lay the plastic tiles edges butting or ceramic tiles with plastic spacers to allow for the grout to be added between the tiles, start from the back working obviously towards the door. You can unscrew the toilet pan and slide tiles underneath likewise the bathtub panels remove to fit the tiles underneath (note you will have to trim the bathtub panel so it can be re fitted over the tiles, you may wish to tile up to baseboards (skirting UK) or remove them and tile underneath. As you can see this job is quite involved -do you have good diy skills? Otherwise leave to a pro to tile it for you maybe you can buy the tiles and he lays them?