I Am Covering Every Detail About How To Lay Tile That Could Arise,
I Have Used These methods For Ceramic Tile Installing for over 25 years .
I have put my personal contact information right on my website for you to see.
I know it's not the In-Thing to do , I guess you could say I'm a little old school.
I have lived in the same town for the better part of my 50 years.
And I know dozens of tile setters and contractors here.
Hello Randy,
Just a quick note to let you know I completed tiling and grouting my bathroom floor. I saved hundreds of dollars by doing it myself. Your tiling videos made that possible. Thank you... Matter a fact one of the estimates I received before I decided to do it my self was $500.00 dollars from a tile installer just for his labor. This professional installer was not even going to remove my baseboard molding! I have another bathroom and utility room that I will be tiling next. Actually im looking forward to start those jobs.
I'm very happy the way everything came out. I would like your opinion on my job if you wouldn't mind. On a few of my tiles, there not as even with the tops of the other tiles as I would like. My floor was level before I began. I used 12 X 12 mirror like finish porcelain tiles. My spaces were 1/8".
The trowel I used had the large spaces as like the one I think you used in the video.
With me being a beginner If you see a more forgiving way that I could do on my next job like tile, trowel, spacers or whatever please let me know. Like I said however, im very happy with the way everything came out.
I know practice does account for a whole lot. I know my next tile job will be even better.
Thank you again
Jeff
Randy
I would appreciate your expert opinion on a situation in our newly built home. In the shower stall we have ceramic tile. We have noticed that some of the grout on the floor area stays wet. This grout is over on one side of the stall in various locations. We have had an expert come out and measure the moisture level in the stall. To the right the level is normal - to the left of the stall it is extremely wet. This moisture in the grout is still there after 2 1/2 weeks. The contractor is saying this is normal. The installer of the ceramic tile does not know what it could be. This problem was first noticed after a home inspector turned on the shower to check the function of the faucets etc. The contractor has replaced the grout 3 times. The last time he replaced the grout after it had been left "open" for several days even though some of the areas were still wet.
Our past experience with cermaic tile is that it dries out after a few hours completely. We have not moved into the home yet and would like to get this problem resolved (I feel it is a problem and do not want to see wet grout all the time, once we move in and start using the shower each day.
No water has been found leaking under the house from this stall.
Thank you for your prompt reply Randy. We are waiting to get moved in.
Sincerely,
Patricia Griffin
Hello Patricia,
Congratulations on finding a home that you like,
I hope this shower grout thing works out ok.
To understand what is going on with your grout and your shower floor let me tell you this, shower floor grout is made of concrete or the old stalls are more of a plaster.
This plaster grout is used in the small grout joints and the larger grout joints gets the sanded grout both grouts are absorbent and will also stain.
being absorbent this means as you know that water will go through them to the surface below, in this case the shower floor pan will catch the water that absorbs and Carrie it to the floor drain into the drain weep holes and so fourth.
Before the tile is installed and grouted there is a cement bed installed on top of the shower pan then the tile is installed and then latter grouted.
This cement bed that the tile is installed on will always be wet,"always" If the shower is not used for weeks then the bed will began to dry.
If this bed has low spots then the grout will absorb the moister pulling it from the only source left after the rest of the floor starts to dry causing dark spots or wet spots in the grout.
This is not such a bad thing, I would just towel dry the floor each time you shower this will make the grout and the tile look new for many years,
Now, if the floor holes water and the grout is not only wet but you see small puddles this means that the ceramic tile was installed unlevel or with a dip in the floor and the floor holds this water till it dry's.
That's not good.
Your grout will mildew and start to decay in a few years.
But that's not a large problem and can be fixed now or then in about 2 hours.
You should check for leaks in the shower by looking at the floors and walls that join this shower floor.
Look for wet carpet or wood that has been wet even the sheetrock close the floor base.
If the shower is upstairs look at the the ceiling below the shower.
