Q:We are renovating our bathroom and I don‘t want to take out the existing vanity just update it, we were considering tiling the countertop, can we go right over the existing laminate or should we remove the whole counter top, or is it possible to just take off the laminate?

I tiled over the laminate in my kitchen by sanding the laminate with coarse sandpaper....priming with oil-based kilz-it and then tiled and grouted. It's still in the kitchen for over 7 years. You could also remove the countertop from the cabinet and replace with 1/2 plywood topped with 1/4 cement board but you would have to cut out the whole for the sink. Tiling over it is much easier. Just figure out your tile layout. I used 12 tiles for my custom countertop in my bathroom.

Q:i‘m planning to change the tiles in my tub area. whats the right way of doing this? should i change the drywall to cement backerboard? and how do i fix the joint between the new cement backerboard and the existing wall and ceiling which is textured? pls help!

in case you're applying great 1ft sq. tiles, and your chum did a foul interest on the the mosaic tiles i does not propose doing it. the load of the tiles could loosen the the smaller tiles inflicting the bigger tiles to fall. this may be risky in a tub or bath section. The tiles could shatter leaving sharp little shards of tile everywhere, alongside with interior the flesh of everyone interior sight. i replaced into going to place sixteen x sixteen tiles in my bathe section, and a contractor suggested I greater constructive be useful the wall above the bathe is shelter because of the fact if one got here loose and hit me interior the top it does not be sturdy. I went with little a million x a million tiles on the ceiling with greater tiles on the wall. despite you submit is in basic terms going to be as shelter as what's in the back of it. in basic terms my opinion, yet for safeties sake, i could get rid of the previous tile and start up over. bear in mind, there is by no skill adequate time or funds to do it suitable the 1st time, yet there is often adequate time and funds to do it over!!!

Q:Okay so i live in an apartment and i cant EVER get mant. out here to fix this... the stuff thats between the tiles is missing and it looks gross and then the white rubber stuff that sits between the tub and the tile is coming off in random places.... what is this stuff called and would i be able to fix this junk myself???The white stuff that connects the tubs looks like that white stuff they use to connect the base boards to the hardwood floor...

The white stuff between the tiles is GROUT! Yes you can grout your own tiles easily! And the white stuff round the bath is silicone and you can do this easily too. Go to a DIY store and but the ready to use grout and apply it as per the instructions on the tub and the same with the silicone! Should not take too long and looks loads better when done! Also this protects against water damage to the walls etc. Good luck!

Q:What brand of tiles good? How to choose?

Choose the tiles to remember just a few, the other is not important: 1, look at the back of the swivel to see if the color is pure, the general pure color display for the milky white (partial white), can not be black, not yellow, Point no more, black hair to prove that the brick itself has impurities, impurities, the density of the brick is more determined to decline, usually in the course of practical problems prone to fracture, damage. But the back of the brick body can not be very white that is not normal, indicating that zirconium silicate raw materials used too much, the national test tiles have no radioactive one of which is the detection of zirconium silicate raw materials practical amount of zirconium silicate raw materials can make brick Whitening, but zirconium silicate is also one of the main killers of radioactive, be sure to pay attention. General manufacturers have a national test report certificate, you ask them to produce it, note: must be booked with the kind of color certificate book or product brochure behind the parameters that is not a copy of the inspection report, that thing is Can be forged. 2, to see the side of the granules of granules are fine and even, the granules are large, rough, then the brick body density crisp, the use of the process will certainly be a problem, give a simple example: you get the house is usually the embryo room, wall The surface is very rough cement surface, when you use the putty powder after the wall is relatively smooth, delicate, and you use such a standard to see just fine. 3, the brick stand up, hand tapping the brick body, the more crisp the sound to prove that the higher the density of brick, the better the quality, the more dull the tones to prove that the worse the density of tiles, tiles, anti-fouling,

Q:Specifically wall tiles in a bathroom

what kind of mortal mixture

Q:Sanding parquet floor tiles, advice please.My hall floor is covered in parquet tiles.The tiles themselves are made up on 1 inch by 5 inch sections, 5 to a tile.The tiles are laid so that the grain on the tiles is alternate and opposite its neighbour. So the grain on some go North-South, the next in line goes East-WestMy sander has a face larger than any one tile.Do I have to sand along the grain, in which case I‘d have to buy a tiny grinder, or can I just sand all over the tiles and not bother about sanding along the grain? Assuming I have sanded, how do I seal the completed job? Varnish?

complex stuff. seek using google and yahoo. it will help!

Q:after grouting a new tile floor (about 400 sq ft) and several moppings the finish is still somewhat dull. how do i clean the tile to bring back a nice glossy finish? Thanks

Rise out a sponge, wipe it gently across the surface with one smooth stroke. Flip the sponge over and use the other side for the next stroke. Then rinse the sponge off again and repeat the process until you’ve wiped down the whole area. Resist the temptation to rinse the sponge less often.

Q:I have a kitchen that currently has 20X20 tile The kitchen has 40 tilesWhat is the square feet of the kitchen?

Going by your tile count and size given only,( not including grout lines and tile isn t always the exact size , you have 111 s/f 20x 20=400 square inches 400 divided by 144 ( inches in a s/f) is 2.77 s/f per tile 2.77 x your forty tiles is 111.11 s/f THAT is the math But you really need a kitchen measurement for an accurate measurement Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there.. GL

Q:i have ceramic tile on my countertop and i do not like it and i was wondering if i could put a countertop on top of the tile? i just want to know what my inexpensive route will be. i do not have a lot of money to have things done. just want to know what my options would be.

If you are talking about laying a formica sheet down on top of existing tile, it is possible to lay the formica sheet directly to the tile if they are very secure but I think that the grout lines might cause gaps to exist between the tile and the formica sheet. This wouldn't be good. If you are talking about a new formica (or other material) countertop, then it would be easier to remove the old countertop (backing board and tile) and then put down the new countertop. This will allow everything to be squared up, fastened to other countertop sections as well as the cabinets.

Q:I want 12x12 tiles on the floor of the bathroom. But on the countertop (small, less than 6sqt) should I do large tiles, or smaller tiles of a similar style? And for the backsplash, should it be the same as the counter or the floor? Not so good with the design aspect. :)

All your tile selections should co-ordinate but do not need to match exactly. I like the big tiles on the floor but not on the counters and back splash. The large tile will make those areas seem out of scale. I'd go with a similar tile but in a smaller size on the counter and back splash and see if you can find some accent tile to work into your design of the back splash. All it takes is a band of something like natural stone, glass tile or a textured tile to kick it up a notch and by using the more expensive tile sparingly, you're not increasing your costs but certainly increasing the eye appeal.