Q:Laying 225 Sq ft of 18x18 tile on flat slab. Using Ultraflex II thinset (white) w/ 1/16 spacers. Cannot find a 3/4 trowel to apply just to floor...can I use 1/2 sq notch trowel if I apply to floor and back of tile as well when I set them???

luke has you covered, I'd lay one let it set up I have had natural stone change color after being put in a bed of thin-set

Q:We're remodeling our bathroom and looking for tile. Thanks in advance!

I have seen prices on the web and yes you can get some good prices. BUT Shading for what you see in a picture is vastly different then actual products.... What I would do is to look on line for lines of tiles from a wide range of manufactures and use their store locater to find a dealer near you.I ve seen the way tile is shipped from some sources that are not used to handling tile and you could possible end up w/ chips. Plus your local store has a vast variety of knowledge of trims and what you ll need.. I did my GF s mom s place and we looked at tile to get ideas for her and narrowed down to tiles she liked. The on line price was more expensive than what the store was and what we payed .Any questions you can e mail me. GL

Q:We had new ceramic tiles put in the shower. The tiles are large size (12x12) and the grout line is about the width of a pencil. After a few days we noticed very thin (hairline) cracks in the grout, especially around the shower bench and the corners of the shower. The tiles are all in place. I think the contractors mixed the grout too thin. Can I just sand those areas of grout down a bit and then put new grout on top of it over those areas?

Humm... this could be a couple of problems, the shower bench.... if the cracks are between the vertical tile (bench) to the wall tile... this could be that the contractor did not support the bench correctly... but this is not unusual... Do you heat the shower up with the water hitting the bench and not the wall? This will cause the bench to heat up and if you sit on the bench... it will flex with your weight... again this is not unusual.... the grout is cement... hard/solid... this will not give. The cracks will always appear... if you have the exact color of the grout you may get lucky and be able to purchase a elastomeric caulk which is used for flexible points in tile installations... example of this is normally used for bath tubs to tile installations where you have the expansion and contractions of the iron tubs compared to the tile floors/walls.... Heat from the tub will expand and the tile will not. It should be the responsibility of the contractor to repair the problem but not an unusual problem. If the contractor will not return... you may have the warranty issue. I would remove the grout and install the elastomeric caulk. At the home centers you may decide to get a grout removal tool to dig out the grout or there are power tools with the special bits to do it faster... but they have their own problems with scratching the tile edges... take your time if you do it.... Get the vendor information on the grout and check if they have matching color elastomeric caulk.... the original grout mixing is not the problem.

Q:How is the wax on the new tiles clean?

With water poured in a wax on the tile, the wax after melting by the heat floating in the water, until the water temperature drops, with a rag of a touch of water and wax with the erase.You try it, listen to others say. There is a dry wipes often paint, paint more than no, but it is very environmentally friendly, or you use a rag with a little detergent and other things will have the effect of this is a kung fu live, do not impatient! It is too troublesome to find a clean look over the whole!

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:Can I apply ceramic tile to my bedroom that is on the 2nd floor?My parents are saying I can‘t because the tile will weigh the floor down over timeIs there any danger in putting tile on a 2nd floor?

Weight is not an issue. Homes are designed to carry 40 or more pounds per square foot. Tile is not much heavier that other flooring surfaces such as carpet or hardwood so will not tax the structure at all. The current sub floor is probably not stiff enough for tile so adding an underlayment is probably a good idea. Whether this is a good idea is another matter altogether. Tile is a decidedly unfriendly surface for a bedroom. It is hard and cold. Drop something like a glass on it and you have a mess and nothing is colder to the foot except granite. I would not tile my bedroom and having it tiled is likely to make selling the house more difficult.

Q:I almost bought porcelin tile but I know ceramic tile is much more popular, what about the endurance factor between the two? I want to get something that will last and still look good.Does anyone know about flooring, and could tell me which is best?

a lot of porcelin tile has the look of some textures and colors but is really just transferred on. (if you look close, you can see the pixels) and they tend to crack more when they are being cut being they are more brittle and shatter, which can cost you some extra tiles. the transfer may disenigrate with time depending on how well it was made. ceramic tiles are hardier and tend to be painted or dyed instead of transferred. they are also easier to cut and dont crack nearly as easily if something is dropped on them. however, you can get a porcelin that looks like marble or granite whereas ceramic looks more rugged....

Q:My husband and I put ceramic tile floors in our kitchen, dining room, office, and laundry. We cannot seem to get them clean. I use to scrub them with a brush and bleach but can‘t with a small child and being pregnant. We have tried swiffers (wet jet and sweepers) a mop and bucket, a steam mop, nothing seems to get them very clean, just pushes the dirt around. I need something that will get them sparkling and be easy to do while pregnant, please help.

If you love having a very clean and shining floor, I'm sure both your hands and your knees are probably been suffering because of it. I use Lustro Italiano cleaner from Ciciliot which works best for me. you can find it in my source site

Q:my husband put in tile in the motel i work at and it is ceramic tile and some of the rooms are popping up up can you tell me why? by the way could it be the climate i live in florida!

I would say either the wrong substrate was used. Substrate is the material directly under the tile. Chances are he installed the tile over another floor material that was not suitable for tile. Cement board is the most widely used substrate, but it needs to be screwed down properly so it does not move at all. If the substrate moves, then the tile will also work loose after stepping on it which forces it to move up/down. If he applied thin set over existing ceramic tile that was not cleaned, the thin set probably did not stick. Pull up a pc. of loose tile - is the thin set or other adhesive still stuck on the back of the tile? Sometimes the wrong adhesive won't stick to the back of the ceramic tiles. Humidity won't affect the tile if it was installed correctly.

Q:how many tiles will it take

That is a VERY big kitchen!