Tile do it yourself?

[dreamin_disney]

Update:Well we got an estimate for the tile. The guy told us $1400 total for hallway, kitchen and diningroom . Price also includes tearing out the tile and the carpet in the dining area. We are doing 16x16 diagnol pattern and the dining area will have a border. We opt to buy the grout, sealer versa bond
our flooring is 440 sq ft but dh said we need extra so 500sq ft. I'm so happy. It would be nice to keep the $1400 in our pocket but I had a bad sinus infection and allergies for the last two weeks and still battling it that Its best to pay them to come and do it in 4 days vs. dh and I doing everything and longer to finish. Plus I dont need to be around the dust. My dd is also battling her allergies uugh!
Tlie break down
tile demolishing $250
hall and kitchen $650 (included in price )it was only .25 more for diagnol pattern
dining room $500 (included in price )it was only .25 more for diagnol pattern and no extra charge for border

total = $1400




Dh and I would like to have our kitchen and halls re-tiled. We sold some stuff at a yardsale and planned to use that $$ toward paying someone plus using some of our tax money. Dh's co-worker got his tile done but will charge us more. We thought the cost would be $1500 but dh said more like $2000 or more(cash only). Dh is thinking about doing it himself. He's never done tile before. Is it something we can do or is it better to have a professional do it? We liked the diagnol design but that might be to complicated. We saw a tool on youtube that looked like it would make it easier -its called the measure right pro (tile rightdot com). If anyone has used it is it worth it? Any tips or advice?

We were thinking of getting tile from lowe's or home Depot when they have the 12 months or 18 months 0 interest

tile size 12'

 

[MichelleinMaine]

What is his DIY experience? DH figured it out to tile our bathroom and later entryway fine. (He has done alot of other DIY stuff.) He says the cuts are the worst and diagonal is tougher. (He used a wet saw for one, and tile cutter for the other, I think they only have guides to hold the tiles straight, not an angle.)

Lowes and Home Depot often have Saturday how-to workshops. Check the schedule for a tile one and have himgo to get a better idea what's involved.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

I agree, if your DH is a diy-er it's really easy. DH did it for the first time in our house, 2 bathrooms and part of the kitchen. Between youtube, DIY network and Lowes how-to workshop he didn't really have any problem. The cutting is the worst part, but not bad if you are used to cutting other things. It seemed a bit frustrating at the start. The small bathroom was done first and it was very difficult.... but that was because we knew NOTHING about tile, we chose a porous white tile and had black grout... it was a mess!!!!! The other two things he did went EASY. He tells everyone thinking of doing tile that it's easy to do, not to hire out.

 

[lucyem]

My DH (with my help now and then) has tiled quite a bit over the years. He would say as long as you are somewhat handy go for it. His best advice is to stick with larger tile and the less cuts the better. Spend some time watching youtube videos, asking at the hardware store for advice and making sure you have the right tools. Oh and start in the space the least likely to be seen so you have a chance to get the hang of it.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

we chose a porous white tile and had black grout... it was a mess!!!!!

Best decision we made (doing the tile and for it's continued upkeep)- tan tile with tan grout. It's a pretty faux stone sort of tile, but "dirt colored" tile matching "dirt color" grout was a wise choice for us, lol.

 

[Mickeymick1967]

I just finished an overhaul on my small bathroom, replaced vanity (Maple) replaced countertop( granite) and sink, tiled floor (full bodied porcelain), accent tile around wall(travertine) plus painted and replaced toilet, did it all for $365.Do it your self can be real easy, thanks to the internet

 

[elgerber]

Agreed, if your dh is handy, tile is actually very easy. It can be a bit time consuming, but it's pretty simple. My husband has done several tile jobs in our houses throughout the years.

 

[MickeyManiac]

Go for it! Just spend some time doing the research. DH and I have become quite a tile laying team. We've done our kitchen, dining area, a bathroom (shower included) and a hallway. Now we're getting ready to do our 2 bathrooms. We are completely self taught and all the jobs look really good. I actually set the tile while DH does the cuts. Once you get the hang of it, it's not that hard.

Someone mentioned the bigger tiles were the easiest but I tend to disagree. We did 18" tiles in our kitchen and dining area. We thought the same thing about fewer cuts but it turned out that the cuts we did make were a little more difficult because they are so big. I also thought it was harder setting and leveling them plus they are heavy, You have to use more thin set (wider notched trowel) for the big tiles. I just think the 12 or 13" tiles are easier to handle. That being said...I LOVE how the big tiles look and they are definately my favorites.

I don't know if you have a Harbor Freight Tools in your area, but we bought a tile saw there for about $60. It has made it though all our jobs and we loaned it out once. Best investment we could have made.

Don't hesitate to ask questions at the tile store. We found them very helpful. Google "tile laying" and just spend some time reading. It's definately a very managable job.

 

[elcodfish]

It's not that hard if you are handy in general. Call your local hardware stores and see if they have any demos going on soon, or look up videos on the internet.

 

[kelcoppens]

Small bathroom tiles are easy. Ceramic floor tiles are not. It takes a special saw cutter plus you have to know what your doing or else your tiles will crack. I am speaking from experience. Good luck because you are gonna need it.

 

[MissAndrea]

I agree, do it yourself! I (30 year old woman) did our bathroom and fireplace last year. We were going to be putting our house up for sale and needed to do some upgrades. Hubby did help me with the cuts though because I'm scared of saws. I did use a tile cutter for a lot of it (straight cuts) but some were a little harder (like cutting a corner out). For those, I believe he just used a dremmel tool with a diamond blade on the end. I didn't watch him do it though. I would just use a pencil and draw out what I needed cut on the tile and he'd go in the garage and do it. We did some online reading and watched a lot of youtube videos!!!

 

[Swimalie]

As long as you and your husband are handy, you can do it. My husband and I did our rather large kitchen ourselves, including taking out the vinyl and putting in backer board. We added decorative trim to separate the eating area from the cooking area, even. It took us about 10 half days to do so. We borrowed the tile saw from a friend and bought the tile from Home Depot (18"). It turned out really well and now that we are in a new house, we plan on doing it here.

 

[Brer Shay]

I'm a DIYer, and, in general consider laying tile to be a fairly easy thing. However, here are a few points to consider. What type of tile are you considering and what substructure is required? If you're doing ceramic and vinyl composit groutable tiles, they are super forgiving and can go over almost anything, plus they are a breeze to cut. If you are doing straight ceramic tile, you'll need to have a completely level and clean surface to work from, either mortarboard or sealed, leveled concrete. You'll also need to rent a wet saw to cut the tiles. In terms of pattern, the more there is, the more effort involved. Not the end of the world, but a point to consider. As others have said, go to the workshops at Lowes/HD and watch the videos. They are a huge help in any project you haven't done before. Good luck!

 

[soonerfan2008]

I'm a pretty small woman, and the hardest part of laying tile is hauling the heavy boxes! I helped on the first job at 16 years old, and since then, I've laid tile in maybe 12 rooms over the last 15 years. The easiest job I've ever done was 18 inch tiles in my kitchen, and my mom and I did set them diagonally. Other than a few odd cuts (like notching a single tile to go around a door frame), that job was soooo fast because of the huge tiles.

I hate doing bathrooms.

 

[MikeinBoston]

It can be done! Watch the youtube do it yourself videos. I just completely re-did the bathroom with new toilet, vanity, sink, walls, flooring, lighting, plumbing, electrical, I had no prior experience. Learned it all from youtube and it turned out great!

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

Best decision we made (doing the tile and for it's continued upkeep)- tan tile with tan grout. It's a pretty faux stone sort of tile, but "dirt colored" tile matching "dirt color" grout was a wise choice for us, lol.

Yeah, learned not to use a porous tile the hard way!! Should have seen him running around trying to figure out how to get that black grout out of the dumb tile!!!! I tried to put a coating of some sort on it AFTER he got it installed, supposed to keep it from getting stuff in it, easier to clean... doesn't really work. Makes it even worse that it's the "boys" bathroom.... DS4 is very messy! So once he gets bigger we'll redo that one

 

[katied]

DH has done lots of tile work at our houses over the years. He is very handy, and does a great job. Our favorite is also tan with tan grout (the darker grout colors are great, because otherwise they always look dirty).

One key is to plan out how the tile will layout before you start, so that you're happy with the ending spots in noticable areas. DH will draw out a basic grid using chalk lines, etc to make sure he stays on track (esp. important for larger areas).

DH does have a wet tile saw. He has done straight plus diagonal - but diagonal is alot more work.

Las comment - it is back breaking work to be bent over like that for hours on end. After this house, DH is exiting the "tile business" we'll sell off his equipment, and just hire work done if we need it. He doesn't recover like he used to, has back issues, and may need back surgery down the road, so the cost savings are no longer worth it to us.

 

[seven dwarfs]

My husband and I have tiled our kitchen, bathroom and utility room. We also did my salon. If you are handy and in shape it can be done yourself. It is very important you follow the directions. If you do not lay enough glue, use the right board underneath or mix the grout wrong it can cause major issues like cracked tile or even the grout coming apart. I felt as if it was a lot on my body to do the work too. It is the one job that I told hubby was worth every dime the people charge to do it. If i had the money, I would pay someone to do it. If broke, I'd do it all over again...I think.

 

[Frannie115]

We've done a lot of tiling ourselves, too. Make sure you use the right saw. The grout was the worst part for me. What a mess to clean up. Also, we once tiled our hall with natural stone tiles which were porous and the grout stained the tiles. It was horrible. Got most of it out with CLR but still did not look right. Learned the hard way!

 

[dreamin_disney]

What is his DIY experience? DH figured it out to tile our bathroom and later entryway fine. (He has done alot of other DIY stuff.) He says the cuts are the worst and diagonal is tougher. (He used a wet saw for one, and tile cutter for the other, I think they only have guides to hold the tiles straight, not an angle.)

Lowes and Home Depot often have Saturday how-to workshops. Check the schedule for a tile one and have himgo to get a better idea what's involved.

Well dh was a welder and will weld once in a while. People ask him to make stuff and he will.
I must give him lots of credit. He did our front bathroom. Our tub had a crack in it and he removed the entire tub, put whatever went under it and put a new tub in. He also put anolium(sp) looking tile, he tore out the old cabinet and sink and put a new one in. He covered up the medicine cabinet wall and closed it off re-doing wall area. He never had dont this type of work before(tub). He said it was the first and lasttime-lol!
The 2nd bathroom he also did the floor and new cabinet and sink.

His 2nd big job was redoing our kitchen cabinets. It took a LOT of work. He sanded everything down and re stained. The chaninets look beautiful. Everyone comments on our ne kitchen and are surprised he did it all by himself, they look professional. That was the 1st and last time he said he would do that-lol!

He will take on a task and take his time. He's great and taking things apart and putting it back together. I think he couldnt do it but i know its a big job. I even told him i would help. He probably wouldnt want me around-hehehehe.

Best decision we made (doing the tile and for it's continued upkeep)- tan tile with tan grout. It's a pretty faux stone sort of tile, but "dirt colored" tile matching "dirt color" grout was a wise choice for us, lol.

I do want a tan or sand color with matching grout to hide the dirt. I have white now and HATE IT!

I agree, do it yourself! I (30 year old woman) did our bathroom and fireplace last year. We were going to be putting our house up for sale and needed to do some upgrades. Hubby did help me with the cuts though because I'm scared of saws. I did use a tile cutter for a lot of it (straight cuts) but some were a little harder (like cutting a corner out). For those, I believe he just used a dremmel tool with a diamond blade on the end. I didn't watch him do it though. I would just use a pencil and draw out what I needed cut on the tile and he'd go in the garage and do it. We did some online reading and watched a lot of youtube videos!!!

WOW! Awesome you did it on your own. See theres hope for me-lol!

As long as you and your husband are handy, you can do it. My husband and I did our rather large kitchen ourselves, including taking out the vinyl and putting in backer board. We added decorative trim to separate the eating area from the cooking area, even. It took us about 10 half days to do so. We borrowed the tile saw from a friend and bought the tile from Home Depot (18"). It turned out really well and now that we are in a new house, we plan on doing it here.

He's handy, i'm crafty - hoping the two work together

Yeah, learned not to use a porous tile the hard way!! Should have seen him running around trying to figure out how to get that black grout out of the dumb tile!!!! I tried to put a coating of some sort on it AFTER he got it installed, supposed to keep it from getting stuff in it, easier to clean... doesn't really work. Makes it even worse that it's the "boys" bathroom.... DS4 is very messy! So once he gets bigger we'll redo that one

Dh said ceramic tile. I'm not sure what porous tile is.


We wanted diagnol but if its to hard then dh was thinking about staggard look. What are your thoughts on that???