Any idea on the cost & procedure of replacing a tile kitchen floor?

[MELSMICE]

A few weeks ago DH & I noticed a huge crack in our tile floor in the kitchen. We lived in our house almost 12 years & while there are some minor cracks from settling this is a large one that literally just "appeared".

Last week I asked DH if he thought we should call our homeowners to see if we could file a claim through them. He said he didn't think so, but he called anyway. The adjuster came out today & he actually said that he thought he could work with us to get our floor replaced.

The flooring area is pretty big. It goes from our front foyer, down the hall & all through our kitchen.

If this does come about & we are able to get it replaced, does anyone know what is actually involved & the price of something like this? Do they have to remove cupboards or anything like that (we have an island). He said it would be replaced with comparable ceramic tile, but we have no idea what the original tile cost. We bought a model home.

 

[Robinrs]

My sister got an estimate for her kitchen last week. She was told $500 just to remove it and her kitchen is small.

 

[Sorsha]

We installed our own. So I can give you some idea of the procedure, but not necessarily the cost.

Installing is easy. You start with a clean, dry surface, and you spread on a thin layer of the "mud" - the adhesive cement you will be using to put the tiles down with. You use the edge of the spreader with the grooves on it, so you are leaving a not-smooth surface. You go away, and let this dry.

After it has dried, you come back and figure out how you want to install your tile. First you snap a couple of chalk lines on the floor so the intersect in the exact center of the floor. This gives you a way to be sure your tiles are centered in your room. Next, lay the tiles out on the floor in the pattern you would like, always starting from the center. When you get to the edges, measure your tiles and cut them to fit if necessary (you would have to rent a tile cutter, a plain old saw won't work). Next, pick up each row of tiles in the order you laid them down, so as to preserve the design you have created.

Now, spread more mud on top of the layer you have already put down and also on the back of each tile as you lay it down. Be sure to start at your chalk lines and lay those tiles first, so you create an absolutely straight line to work off of. You will need to purchase these little plastic clips that you put in between each tile, so you leave the appropriate amount of space in between each one.

When you are finished, go away for 24 hours and let it dry. When it is dry, come back and remove the little plastic clips, and apply the grout in between the tiles, as per the instructions on the bag.

I have never taken up old tiles, but my DH says its just like you see on HGTV... you use a pry-bar to break them up and chip them off, then you have to scrape and scrub the floor till all the old mud and grout is off and the surface is clean and bare. Pretty straight-forward, if hard work. Might be worth looking into, if it will cost $500 just to have it removed!

As for if you would have to move your cupboards or your island, probably not. Ours only have tile up to the edges of them, not underneath them. Would just depend on what your current situation is though.

 

[Sorsha]

In this picture, you can see that we have spread a layer of mud and allowed it to dry, and we have laid out our tile so that it is centered and straight.

Here you see DH spreading mud and installing the tile. You can see the chalk lines he worked off of to keep things straight, and the little clips that hold each tile in place.

More installing. You can see, along the walls and cabinets, where tiles had to be cut to fit.

HTH!

 

[Sorsha]

Here's the floor when the tile was finished, but not yet grouted.

Here's DH grouting the tiles - looks messy but all the excess goop gets cleaned off nicely.

Close-up of finished tiles

Finished floor

Ok, I will stop posting pics now.

 

[MELSMICE]

Sorsha - that looks great.

We would not be doing it ourselves!!!!! The only tools my DH owns are a screwdrivers, a hammer, pliers, a saw & maybe a few other things. I think my pencil case is bigger than his tool box!!!!!

We would need to hire someone. I laugh even at the thought of my DH being in the room when something like that is being done. He can write the check & that's about it (I love him anyway!)

 

[AKL_Megs]

This whole thread makes me so nervous now about dropping anything on our kitchen tile! We have a large kitchen, and I thought I was paranoid... wait now!

Sorsha, great kitchen!

 

[dis-happy]

Wow, Sorsha, can I borrow your husband?? That floor looks great!!!!!


Not sure of the cost, but my next door neighbor had her kitchen ceramic floor taken up and replaced with a different tile. What I remember most about the project was how much dust it all created throughout the entire house even though the area was sealed off.

 

[Sorsha]

Thanks everyone!
Sure, dis-happy, you can borrow him. He's pretty handy. We built this house last year, and we actually did almost all of the work on it. He hired sub-contractors for more technical things like electrical and plumbing, but we did pretty much everything else - even ran all of the lines for the in-floor radient heating system. It was a very educational experience, but not one I am likely to want to repeat any time soon...

On top of it all, the man builds and installs cabinets for a living...

 

[MELSMICE]

This whole thread makes me so nervous now about dropping anything on our kitchen tile! We have a large kitchen, and I thought I was paranoid... wait now!

Sorsha, great kitchen!

We didn't even drop anything on it. Seriously, this giant crack just appeared on day.

Sorsha.........you have a very talented husband. He's the kind of guy my husband would pay a bundle to do work around here!

 

[emma'smom]

We had our kitchen done with ceramic tiles, installed and sealed, for about 2000.00 from a local flooring place. We didn't have to have any tile removed since they laid it over the existing vinyl flooring. They didn't have to take the cabinets out, but did move some of the appliances (fridge was in our family room for 4 days) and they pulled the dishwasher and stove out.

Have you considered seeing whether the cracked tiles could be chipped out and reinstalled.

 

[Sorsha]

We had our kitchen done with ceramic tiles, installed and sealed, for about 2000.00 from a local flooring place.

Oh yeah - sealing. I forgot about that part. We used a little foam brush and dabbed the sealant all over the grout. It was VERY smelly.

Have you considered seeing whether the cracked tiles could be chipped out and reinstalled.

Yes, I believe this is a possibility, if you like the rest of your floor, AND if the same tile could be found/purchased.

 

[dis-happy]

Thanks everyone!
Sure, dis-happy, you can borrow him. He's pretty handy. We built this house last year, and we actually did almost all of the work on it. He hired sub-contractors for more technical things like electrical and plumbing, but we did pretty much everything else - even ran all of the lines for the in-floor radient heating system. It was a very educational experience, but not one I am likely to want to repeat any time soon...

On top of it all, the man builds and installs cabinets for a living...

You are a lucky woman!!!! Wow!

 

[MELSMICE]

We had our kitchen done with ceramic tiles, installed and sealed, for about 2000.00 from a local flooring place. We didn't have to have any tile removed since they laid it over the existing vinyl flooring. They didn't have to take the cabinets out, but did move some of the appliances (fridge was in our family room for 4 days) and they pulled the dishwasher and stove out.

Have you considered seeing whether the cracked tiles could be chipped out and reinstalled.

I don't think the tiles could be replaced - actually the insurance adjuster said the same thing. While they're white, they do have a swirl pattern in them & I doubt they could be replaced.

If insurance is going to pay for it, I'm not overly concerned about the price (I know that sounds horrible, but that is why I pay homeowners). We would just have to pay the deductible. I would obviously want to make sure that the insurance payment is enough to cover the cost of materials & labor.

 

[Seahunt]

We didn't even drop anything on it. Seriously, this giant crack just appeared on day.

That's pretty scary - you might want to have someone look at it and tell you why it happened. Of course, I'm down here in FL and when that happens here it's usually because of a sinkhole opening up , hopefully you don't have that problem!

We just had tile guys lay a 10 x 18 deck and a front walkway and it was $1000 just for labor, if that helps at all.

 

[IDoDis]

I've been wondering the same thing about the cost of taking out old tile and replacing it. Our house is 11 years old. We have a couple of spots on the tile where there a chips missing. Once from the time DH dropped the glass sugar bowl and the other from a time when a guest dropped a full glass of water. There are some other hairline cracks that aren't noticeable. I only see them when I am scrubbing the floor on my hands an knees.

Those chips really look bad to me though and I think the tile is getting a little outdated, so I'd love to replace it someday, but the cost seems scary! Unfortunately, the kitchen counter has a chip missing out of the side of it from the time DH and a friend were moving in our new couch and clipped the side of the counter with it. So I need new counters and a new floor!

 

[PixieTopaz]

We laid tile over our vynil tiles(which were perfectly flat-no cracks)
Tile was about $2 a square foot
Labor for a 12 x 22 room was about $800