Q:adhesive tiles, peel stick tiles

no, i never do it

Q:I am looking at putting the self stick vinyl tiles in my new addition. It has a concrete floor and I was wondering if the vinyl will have a hard time sticking to the concrete. Do I need some type of sub-floor? I am wondering this mainly because we live in iowa were is can get pretty cold in the winter and I didn‘t know if that would affect the stickyness.

Self stick tiles commonly loosen from subfloors, concrete or wood. They can be installed successfully over concrete but it is absolutely vital that your concrete be smooth and very, very clean. If you are concerned about adhesion it would be wiser to use glue down vinyl tiles which aren't much more expensive, rather than build a very expensive wooden subfloor which wouldn't guarantee the integrity of peel and stick tiles.

Q:I just replaced the riser rail in our electric shower, but the fittings were slightly different, so now I have 2 bare holes in the tiles. Should I be concerned about moisture getting into the wall, and if so what‘s the best way to fill these holes? Would polyfilla be enough?

Since this is now a hole you don t want to use any grout or thin set since these are cement based and will wick water through the hole. Tile caulk which you can get to compliment the tile or grout color is just ok to but I don t suggest these types of caulks. They are silicone and latex based and are water soluble. Best thing to use is a pure silicone caulk. Unless your tiles are white a clear caulk would look the best just to hide the holes . Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL

Q:I clean a church and all the cleaners I have tried on the tile floor, leaving it streaky.. Does anyone know of anything that would work? Thanks!

I agree, the half white vinegar and water cant be beat (except for the smell but that will be gone after a little bit). I talked to a person yesterday that used a swiffer on Travertine Tile and now it is dull and streaked and they havent been able to clean it off. I hear this a lot when it comes to the swiffer, but I personally havent used it. I have used an alcohol based cleaner before and it evaporates quickly leaving a streakless floor. But still, for the money vinegar and water cant be beat.

Q:I need to know if flexbond is the best stuff to use for this type of job for a do it yourselfer. I have never worked with this stuff. I have only used regular thin set mortar in the past. Is it hard to work with?? And to lay the tiles this large do I have to butter the mortar on or can I just trowel it onto the plywood floor?Thanks, Fran

Tile and use almost as a regular thin set. Flexbond like any stronger thin set will tend to set up a bit faster than standard thin set . This because of the added latex in the thin set. Mix a bit less than normal. Mix and let set for 5/10 minutes and mix again, being very important when using extra modified thin set. Although this is a stronger thin set and will bond to ply wood. But the minimum substrate thickness must be met to be able tile tile over. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there.. GL

Q:We grouted the tile, and also had a border tile up.. the border is decorative and has some texture to it.We did wipe off the excess as we grouted. The next day tho, my brother sealed it, before making sure all the dust was off.. now there is some grout dust sealed onto the border tile. I scrubbed with a toothbrush, and managed to get some of it off.. but not all.Is there anything I can do to remove the grout, or even the seal, without ruining the finish on the tile??

I okorder / I have never used the product but it looks like it might work. Have you tried hot soap and water and a green scrubber pad? Most sealers are water based and it might not be too hard to remove. Good luck Look under specialty products

Q:My new home has a kitchen with glazed ceramic tiles covering most of the walls.The colour is basically honey brown, but there‘s a hideous purple border (in the same tile size shape) running horizontally vertically all over the place - I‘d say that 20% of the tiles are this colour.I want to reduce all the tiles to one (new) colour.Two guys (both pros) have this to say:GUY 1: Cheapest solution (and least noisy/disruptive) is to use a ‘glass enamel paint‘ over the tiles. I went online and found several manufacturers of this stuff.GUY 2: Scoffed at this and said there was no other way than retiling the whole kitchen.Guy 1 is adamant that it can be done, and the job will last if enough care is taken in preparing the surface.Is he right?Has anyone tried this ‘re-enamelling‘ technique, and were the results OK?Thanks!

Ok yes you can paint them, and yes it will hold up, and yes i do paint and also install ceramic so i do know what im talking about.You need to clean them very good with TSP. Buy a good primer such as kilz but i think home depot has an even better one so check that out. After you prime it put oon a good interior enamal like Behr . Probable 2 coats for best results. A spong roller is best but if you can rent or borrowe a sprayer and get the best results. there about 40 dollars for the day to rent. easy to use. Just tape everything off and use alot of drop cloths.

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:Why the new tiles are double? What material, so good?

Process: Ingredients - Ingredients - Ball Pulping - Spray Powder Making - Pressing - Drying - Printing (Chemicals - Ingredients - Ingredients - Ball Mills - Burning → Polishing, Edging → Grading → Waxing → Packaging → Library

Q:What purpose does it serve? Is it safe to assume the tile will settle half of the trowel thickness? For example, if using a 1/4 inch trowel, will the tile settle 1/8 inch when set in place? Thanks for any help/advice!

The trowel is used to spread the thinset, and even it out to a uniform thickness.