Let's Talk Tile

I am not going to give you a how to on tiling, one because I am not a professional, and two there is Google. What I am going to do is show how I did it and give a couple of tips that I found helpful, and ladies I want you to know I did all of this by myself, from Hardie Board on up. Sure it is a little nerve wracking, but you can do it.


The first thing I did was cover the floor with Hardie Board. Here is a work in progress picture.

You can see that tile laying there. My next step was to cut the trim around the door so the Hardie Board and tile would fit under it. I don't remember where I saw the tip, but it said lay the tile on top of Hardie Board for the height and the cut with saw. It worked like a charm.

I got done cutting the HB then screwed it in with a million screws that are made specially for HB.
After I was done with that step I did I dry run with the tiles and spacers to see the best placement for the tiles.

Luckily for me I didn't have too many hard tile cuts, but I was still pretty nervous about them. The first cut was for the heating vent--a rectangle, I figured it wouldn't be too hard.

I did some measuring, and this is where I learned a valuable lesson. If you mark your measurements in PENCIL then head out to the tile saw--the measurement will disappear the instant the water hits it--use permanent marker.

To cut, I made a lot of cuts then "popped" the cut part out. I don't know if that makes sense, but this picture can help illustrate.

Not too bad, I was pretty proud of the results. Sometimes measuring isn't my strong suit.
I did all my circle cuts the same way. When I do the next bathroom, I think I will get a tile nipper so I can be a little bit more precise, but I am happy with the results.

My next cuts were a little different. The water supply lines were running right through the middle of a tile. Rather than explain I will let the picture illustrate what I did.

I found this tip from a book called 100 Things You Don't Need A Man For by Alison Jenkins. It is a really lame title, but it does have some good tips in it. I bought it from the Goodwill for $1.

That was my last cut, after appropriate time I was ready for grout.
I went to a tile shop to find grout that matched the tile, and I purchased Grout Boost which is supposed to make the grout stain resistant with no sealing--ever. The sealer was $24 and the Grout Boost was $26 so I went for it. It is too soon to tell if it makes a difference, but I'll let you know.

Then I grouted and wiped for days! Not really, but it does take a while to get all the grout off your tiles.
Here is a shot of the "tricky" cut after grout. Looks pretty good, especially since it is under the vanity.

I am very happy and proud of the results. So if you are thinking about it--do it. It wasn't that hard, and it makes a huge difference in the room.

Lets talk expense, our bathroom is 30 Square Feet:

Tile Sandyridge Taupe from Lowes: $48

Mastic: $31 (I got the pre-mixed stuff)

Hardie Board: $15

Hardie Board Screws: $8

Grout: $16

Grout Boost: $26

1/4 Inch Spacers: $4

Tools that I needed to purchase:

Trowel: $8

Grout Float: $5

Sponge: $2

Bucket: $4

Total:$163