Q:I have hot water radiant heat in a concrete slab that leaks occasionally so I can‘t put carpet on it. Do I dare put ceramic tile over it? Maybe the tile would keep the moisture down.

If you are positive it is leaking do not put anything over it. Fix the leak. It is not as bad as it sounds. If you know exactly where the leak is it is relatively easy to cut the concrete and repair the leak and then re-surface that area. Covering a leak with ceramic tile will only trap the moisture underneath it and eventually mold will develop in the grout joints.

Q:I have to remove the old tiles and install new ones. Please can someone who does this for a living guide me in the right direction?

Any okorder /... The wall tile install process is to involved to answer here. Get a pro to do it. Builder 30 years.

Q:I don‘t have a ton of money for my kitchen but I feel I can do some minor things. I) Orange countertop MUST go. I am seriously considering due the lack of counter space in the kitchen, what you see is my only countertop space, is move the fridge to the wall on the right, which you cant realy see in this pic, but there is an inside interior wall im going to set the fridge against, and then extend the countertop the wall, and put a base cabinet below it, and one above it to be the same size vertically as the one next to the fridge. A neutral beige-ish countertop, and then probably a range top thing for above the stove. Replace old sink faucet too.My question about making a tile backsplash for above the sink, would ie be more logical to measure it out, and put the tiles on a piece of plywood and screw that 2 the wall instead of grouting the wall and tiles affixed to the wall directly.

You must apply the tiles directly to the wall. Putting them on plywood would be terrible. Take the extra time and do it right.

Q:i stay in a moblie home and i would like to lay tile but a lot of ppl are saying not to cause within time the wood under it would give way is that true i dont want to put more carpet cause i have little ones and am tired of shampooing my carpet i have to do it about 4 times a yr and my carpet is a dark green i know but thats what it came with it look nice when it was new but the carpet is 3 yrs old now and not so good looking after so much cleaning .well let me know please

Tiles are OK for a change but which tiles? There are variety of materials offered in tiles like clay/ceramics, porcelain, PVC etc. You can segregate these into hard and flexible category. The wooden floors are semi-hard floors. They are neither rigid nor flexible but fairly closer to the flexible surfaces. Flexible floors can not take the hard materials like clay or porcelain tiles etc. they are fit for flexible materials like carpets, PVC, laminated boards or wooden tiles. For a mobile home with wooden floors carpets or PVC floors are the best. i will not recommend rigid flooring like concrete or ceramic tiling. You can easily find tile-finish PVC or laminated board flooring in variety of colors. Try some if you are fed up with carpets and looking for a change.

Q:Qingdao where there are Bode tiles monopoly

Qingdao Bode Tile Monopoly in Qingdao Laoshan District Liaoyang West Road Gaoke Park Decoration City Hall 1 A10-A14

Q:Is it better to use ceramic or vynil tile in the bathrooms and why?(example: how it feels on your feet if you live in a state where it gets really cold in the winter, how easy are they to clean, etc.)Thanks!

Vinyl is really only an option if money or handyness is an issue. Tile isn't difficult to install, but stirring thinset is tough (tore my rotator cuff). But for the money, the extra $1/sqft for the ceramic vs vinyl will pay off in 5 -10 years when the vinyl starts to crack and needs to be replaced or the toilet overflows and ruins the subfloor through the gaps in vinyl.

Q:I have tiles around all of my kitchen and would like to cover them. Can I skim plaster over them because it would take weeks to remove them? Is there any other way round avoiding removing them? Any ideas welcome. They are driving me up the wall, literally! HELP.

You can apply plaster to tiles but as they are non-absorbant you have to use a neat bonding agent first. Then apply the plaster when the agent is still tacky. Alternatively you can apply a slurry of 2 parts sharp sand and 1 part cement, mixed with 1 part bonding agent to 1 part water. Apply this with a stiff brush to give a stippled coating. When dry plaster over. Though I havent tried it I should think that using a builders adhesive you can stick plasterboard to tiles or why not tile over with new tiles. I did that in my bathroom with no problems.-just make sure tiles are cleaned of grease then tile in usual way. Hope this helps

Q:Balcony tile on the ground, do not know when a piece was made a small pit, but the brick has been posted for 3 months, is a cement paste, and now want to change that a brick, the location is in the middle of the ground, I ask any idea? anxious

Only 3 months on the issue .... either is the tile problem, or else is the time to cut corners

Q:hi we have old carpet on top of tiled floor in our dining room the carpet really needs replacing but I have no idea how to fix the grippers down onto the tilesany ideas how I can do this without pulling up the tiles?

The tack strip or grippers as you cal them can be laid over the tile just as you do on a cement or slab flooring with one exception. The use or a cement tack strip and some have to be pre drilled and a longer nail or screw used to attach them to a wood sub floor if your tile is over wood subflooring and a backer board over the sub floor . My guys used to also construction adhesive glue the tack strip along with longer nails or screw. Any questions you can e mail e through my avatar. GL

Q:How can I remove ceramic tiles from a bathroom wall without damage the wall itself, as I want to paint the wall. Would steam help loosen the glue used?

If you are just concerned about removing the tiles, and don't care if they are damaged during the removal, then chisel and hammer would work. However! If you are trying to keep those old tiles in tact, it's a much more difficult process. Secondly, you said the walls were plaster (and lathe behind that?) Once those walls are compromised, it's a lot of work to re-plaster. Other options: 1. Call a company who resurfaces old tiles with another colored ceramic coating, 2) Cut out those sections of walls and install other materials, like granite, abbatibi (sp?) , fiberglass sections, or 3) pull down the old walls, put up new greenboard and re-tile with the tiles of your choice. If you want an excellent result, I'd go with the third choice, but it is A LOT of work. A few weeks if you are working part time and really know what you are doing. If it's not really important to have it last for say, more than 7 years, I'd just have a company re-coat the tile. It'll take them 1-4 days and will cost equal to or less than the other options. Good Luck! It' an ambitious project.