Ceramic Floor Tile

Thank you so much for taking the time to write these VERY helpful how to's. I need to replace a broken tile and after reading this I think I'm going to try it myself.

Thank you!

Rather than using a grinder to remove grout, I suggest you try a Dremel with a grout removal attachment and bit. The attachment rests in the grout grooves, and the adjustable bit allows you to cut a grove in the grout without damaging the adjacent tile. After cutting the first groove you can use the Dremel free hand to remove the remaining grout up to the tile to be removed, and then chiesel out the tile. A grinder may be very difficult to control to avoid damaging the tile to be saved. The Dremel method requires patience, but works well. You may need more than one Dremel bit.

We recently renovated our home. We now have two porches, front and back of the house, second story. The builder put fiberglass decking on both porches. The surfaces on both decks were purposely left with a rough surface so ceramic could be added later. The builder stated we must wait for at least 6 months to a year before adding ceramic. Is this correct? Also suggestions on the type of adhesive utilized for putting down the ceramic tiles.

What is the best way to care for ceramic floors? How should they be washed?
Thank you.
Arlene

Hi Tim, I have a 250 sq ft area with ceramic tile that was sand grouted, I think they added some Portland Cement to the mix, the thing is they didn´t remove well all the excess of grout over the tiles and now that it is cured and dry the tile has a small grey surface that gives the tile a dirty appearance...I Want to make it look like new again, is there a way to fix this and clean it?? Thanks Tim.

DEAR TIM
I WANT INSTALL CERAMIC FLOOR TOWELS IN MY BATHROOM REAL SMALL BATHROOM BUT I DO NOT WANT TO REMOVE THE TOILET CAN I CUT AROUND THE TOILET AND WILL IT LOOK OK

WE HAVE AN OLD HOUSE WITH CERAMIC TILE IN KITCHEN, FLOOR UNEVEN , AND HAS CRACKED AND WE HAVE REPLACED , NOW WE WANT HARD WOOD OR LAMINATE FLOOR. DO WE HAVE TO REMOVE TILE COMPLETELY DOWN TO THE SUB FLOOR AND REPLACE? OUR FLOOR WILL BE TOOK HIGH AROUND DOORS TO PLACE ON TOP, ANY EASY WAY TO DO THIS LOOKS LIKE A NIGHTMARE

I cracked 6 tiles in our utility room while moving a full freezer. These are Daltile porcelain tiles. Is it possible to remove the same tile from another room & be able to save & clean enough to replace the broken tiles? I have over 160 in the other room & I plan on replacing them with laminate flooring.
Thanks for your help.

what do i buy to fix cracks in my ceramic floor tiles.?

Our 12" x 12" ceramic tile was installed over our concrete foundation 9 years ago. Now the tile has separated from the foundation and is buck up in the middle. How can I fix it?

We placed tile on a wood surfaced counter yesterday June 30, 2008, This morning I got up and grouted the counter and am currently letting it dry before I place the sealer on it tomorrow. I noticed that the tiles seem to have puckerd up and become uneven. Is there a way without going through the other step I can take to remove these and start over since it has only been a couple of days?

We are moving into an apartment building which is currently under construction.We would like to use ceramic tile in many rooms. There is a concrete base .Is there a problem putting ceramic tile on a concrete base?

Hi, this may be a dumb question but here goes. Can I put ceramic tiles on my kitchen floor in a mobile home? I've never seen it done before but I really like it and would love to have it. Thanks

In answer to Bell's question above: You will definitely want to take out the toilet, put in the tile, then put the toilet back in. It's just impossible to cut tiles to fit perfectly around a rounded toilet base, and you want the toilet to sit on top of the tile, not partly covered by tile. Turn off the water. Flush the toilet several times to drain it. Scoop out the last bit of water with a little cup and a toilet. Disconnect the water supply. Unscrew the 2 screws holding the toilet down. Pull up. There will be a yucky wax plug underneath. Scrape all the old wax out and go buy a new wax plug. When you're done tiling, put in the new plug, set the toilet over the hole, screw the screws back in, and reconnect the water.

Are there any tile places in the MI area that might carry out of stock ceramic tiles form the 1990?

I have ceramic tile floors in my kitchen. The grout is a very light tan. Can you suggest something I can use to clean the tile and grout on a weekly (or so) basis? I'm nervous about chemical affects on the grout especially. It seems when the floors are mopped up regularly (with water) they look clean but feel almost sticky when dry.
Thanks for any help you can give me.

Sharon,

Tim has a link in the article to Oxygen Bleach. He recommends it for cleaning ceramic tile grout. Might check into it.

I'm installing a tile floor in my living room and was wondering if it is harder to work with and cut procilen than ceramic tiles?

Are there any tile places in the IN/MI area that might carry out of stock ceramic tiles form the 1990?

what is the different between gloss&mat tiles?

Hi Tim,
I am totally refurbishing my bathroom and laying new ceramic floor tiles as well as new wall tiles.
The original bathroom floor was wood to which l have laid a damproof membrane. On top of this, l have laid a motar screed(newly bought materials)of about 3 inches to assist in levelling out the uneven floor. (Our house is very old with some slightly sloping floors). Now comes the question. The cement has "powdery" surface which makes it impossible for the tile cement to adhere thus, many of the tiles already laid have become loose and unstable. However, before re-laying the tiles, what do you recommend to overcome this "powdering" problem?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Best regards, Paul Marsh

I am installing 12x12 ceramic tile in bathroom and laundry room. Laundry has drain with slope down to it. How do I tile inside the sloped area?

tiling living area in rental house - dining area was previously tiled with Cotto "crete" 12x12" tiles from Home Depot. what could I use for living area which butts up against dining area to look decent?? what should I do to show two rooms. Ideally I would continue with same tile but I can no longer buy it. I will hire tiler but need to know what to tell him. thanks.

Hi tim- I had new 18" tile put down in my dining room and living room on the diagonal The rooms are in an L shape with the kitchen making the L a rectangle. Off of the livining room is a hall that is very visable from all 3 rooms. The kitchen and the hall have the same tile 8" I planned to complete the the kitchen and hall with the same tile. The tile is discontinued and I have searched everywhere with no luck. So what do I do now? My place is on the 1st floor in Florida, and I am very reluctant to use anything other than tile? What do you suggest I do? Debbie

Dear Tim....we are remodeling our kitchen and it already has ceramic tile floor but we are adding a cabinet that is larger than the existing one so I need to cut the tiles where the new cabinet is going to sit. Can this be done?

Thanks

I cracked a few tiles in kitchen and cannot locate similar tiles to correst the problem. These are porcelain tiles. Is it possible to remove the same tile from another room & be able to save & clean enough to replace the broken tiles.

My builder glued and screwed BWP plywood to an existing internal wall comprising of bare brick, uneven plaster and plaster board. The BWP was then covered in ceramic tiles using waterproof adhesive and grout. A few months later, cracks appeared where the BWP was joined amounting to about twenty 13" x 10" tiles in the horizontal and vertical. Our builder is claiming he has not done anything wrong and does not know why this has occurred. Your opinion would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ian

hi ,I want 2 take up the old tile in my bathroom 50 square feet and lay granite tile want to do it myself can you help me?Will I need a new foundation once all the tile is up and how do you level the floor before you start to tile?thanks

Is there anything I should do before applying 18" ceramic tile directly to a concrete floor. I understand that larger tile may crack easier than the smaller tile after installation. Any suggestions would be appreciated.