DIY tiling?

[StephMK]

Anyone try it successfully on a floor? Would you do it again, do you regret it? We also have that clearance going on & I'd love to re-do our ugly 30 yr old beige scuffed kitchen floor. However, since it's a floor, I'm scared I'll try it only to have it crack, not sit flat, etc. We'd have to scrape up all the old stuff so I would think it'd be flat since we don't have any issues now.

However, I'm still nervous to try. We could also try for just a small bath. That ($*$()$&$ tile is in all the baths too. Just curious what type of experience anyone's had as a DIY project. Or is it worth it to just pay someone? If so, how much did you pay? Thanks!!

 

[MMmomto5]

We did it this in Feb. in our bathroom. We did the floor and halfway up the wall. The hardest part of the floor was finding the center of the room since our bathroom is an irregular shape. The actual laying of the tile and grouting was very easy. We haven't had any cracks or uneven spots. We would do it again, and in fact are tiling our laundry room and downstairs bath next month.

 

[NVDisMom]

Tiling a floor is actually really easy! The hardest part is preparing that floor for the tile. Your concerns about scraping the old flooring up and getting the subfloor even are warranted. We had an older cabin that we tiled the baths, kitchen, and laundry room in. The sub floor was horribly uneven. We went to our local home improvement store and asked what we should do. We were given two options. We actually ended up doing both. For the spaces we trully wanted tile...we used a thin set, self leveling cement. You mix it up, spread it out and it levels itself. Allow it to dry per the directions and WAHLAH a level floor that is a piece of cake to tile. For the rest of the house (bedrooms and living spaces) we knew we did not want carpet (snow+kids+animals=yucky carpet) but we didn't want to thinset the entire space. Heck, we couldn't up stairs because it would have run thru. Anyway, we chose a Pergo type product. You roll out the sheets of foam and snap or glue it together (depending on the brand and type). It was really easy. Plus, the level of the floor is irrelevant. And, they have very convincing tile patterns. We chose wood for our cabin and the real tile was terra cotta (now THAT I would not do again!). If we had chosen regular tile it would have been fine, but the terra cotta is irregular. Pain in the you know what.

 

[oldbay]

The tiling itself is pretty easy. I agree with the previous poster that the big thing is to fix the subfloor. You will have to either use the self-leveling thinset or use cement backerboard (sold at the home stores) and put that down before the tile. The backerboard is relatively easy if your subfloor is level. You just screw it ontop of your existing plywood subfloor. Remember that either choice and the tile will raise the level of your floor. This may be an issue in any space because you will have to possibly change the heights of doors so they can open or trim moulding down. In a bathroom, it might affect the toilet height, for example. (I take toilets up and tile under them)

I do think the finished product is so worth the effort and definitely a good first do-it-yourself type project!

Good luck.

 

[kellia]

It really isn't that hard, we did it a couple times at our old house. Buy extra, though, because you will cut some wrong when it comes around the edges!

And, make sure you seal the grout properly when you are done! Our kitchen is tiled and the previous owners did not do that... grrr! Made for a smelly mess for us to go back and clean it up and re-seal.

Our kitchen is the large 12 inch square tiles, they also made a back splash between the counters and the cabinets with small pieces of the floor tile. I actually like it since it's very neutral and super easy to clean if something spills.

 

[disneymom2003]

Check out this website. They will give you great advice.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/flooring/

 

[homedad]

I've done it twice on bathrooms. Hired out last job and felt it was money well spent. It's not hard, just messy and time consuming.........

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Dh did ours. Not rocket science,but as others said, prep's the key. Make sure you have the right equipment for cutting the tiles as well. (You can rent a saw.)

Check the workshops they have at Lowes and Home Depot. I think they both offer a free how-to on tiling. You could go to one and get an understanding what would be involved. Then decide from there.