Apr 13 2009
Toilet Tiling Time for Retiree
Yesterday we completed one of those do-it-yourself home-improvement projects that does more to change the appearance than improve the value of a room in the house.
The master bathroom functions just fine, but after nineteen years of looking down at the same vinyl tiled floor, my wife decided ENOUGH! We need new tile!
The shopping part of the project, as always, was the worst part for me. We looked at so many different products, each one seemingly more difficult to work with and costing more and more. Ceramic tile, grout, adhesives, patterns, saws, chisels, and more hassle that I ever bargained for.
In the end, my wife discovered a product that is made of vinyl, comes in sheets that are 12 inches by 36 inches, has a base layer that overlaps each tile and contains sticky stuff that holds them in place. The finished product just lies on top of the existing tile floor–NO ADHESIVE NEEDED!! What holds the tile in place is the weight of the product itself and the fact that each 12 inch x 36 inch piece is staggered as they are laid in place, just trimming at each end, and contain a one-inch wide glue strip on two sides, that adheres to the next adjacent tile. The most difficult part of the entire project was removing the toilet and then setting it back in place.
I am going to include a couple of photos here, on the left is a thumbnail of the project in process and the other is a thumbnail of the finished project. Both of them will open up to large-sized photos.
We think the pattern and color of the new tile goes well with the paint colors and we are really happy with the project.
Happier still was I–that the cost was only $50 for 24 square feet. We ended up paying $150 for three packages and I did NOT have to buy any NEW TOOLS for tiling.
Even at that simplicity I don’t think I could convince hubby to do it. Our bathroom was the first tile ever for a young man. It was done with two-inch squares on a foot-square sheet. Even with that much help he couldn’t get them nice and straight.
I think of him now and then as I look at the uneven rows.
Maxie