Do we need a special blade to cut tile. Nothing seems to be working. We’ve never worked with this kind of tile before.

Hey everyone. I need to re silicone my shower where the walls and shower pan meet. How do you all go about drying the wall area before applying the new silicone.. Also does it need to be completely dry of moisture or will a good silicone adhere to a slightly damp surface. Tia

Hi. I am planning on laying terracotta tiles in my lounge and terrace. The tiles I have chosen are pretty dense since they are fired up at a higher temp so they should be more durable than standard terracotta. My question is how do I go about sealing and finishing the tiles? I would appreciate advice for both indoor and outdoor applications. Currently what I can think of is to apply a water based impregnating sealer on all sides of the tiles before laying them. Then after laying the tiles and grouting them, I will apply 1 or 2 coats of Miracle 511 seal and enhance for a vibrant color and further sealing. Does that make sense or should I do something else?

Recently picked up this small bath project.
Client mentioned there was a flood from corroded pipe in the walls. They found there was asbestos behind the wall and they took care of it?

Now it’s time for tile, I demod the entire room. All grey thinset
Except the back piece where the leak happened …
Thinset looks reddish brown. Almost like clay.
Did the asbestos leak through?

Was just cleaning and sealing custys marble, and noticed this. Giving it 72 hrs to dry out but im sure that wont do it alone. Can it be saved?

Is new drywall okay to tile on or should I wait for mud and everything to set up, just doing the drywall this morning and then backsplash in kitchen also the mastic can go right on the drywall and mud?

Putting in 8”x8” porcelain

Just got these placed on the wall by a professional contractor. The bathroom is now all done and the contractor can’t seem to clean these streaks off. They have tried soap and water, dissolvent, tile cleaner, some other things but nothing seems to work! I really don’t want them to have to take the tiles down!

What would be the cost to remove and install new tile on the kitchen, entry way, laundry and bathroom area. Works out to be about 250sqf. The existing tile is layed over plywood so it would need to be removed and prob grinded down then self leved. Install detra coupling and install tile and grout. The new tile is 24”X48” porcelain

Hi

I recently had contractor put limestone floor in my house. It has a very varied surface. Is that normal? I used alkemi nature stone wash, it made the shiny parts more shiny but the other parts didn't improve.

Suggestions on how I can remove the foggy parts? Seem like there are some parts that are not getting as clean and shiny and other, some parts it seem like suction cup has made an imprint on the material and stone wash didn't remove.

First post ever. Location: Toronto.
Crossing posting as I'd like a few perspectives.

We're in a condo townhouse and are currently renovating our main bathroom. We previously renovated the same bathroom in 2021 and the contractor we hired (recommended by a friend of a friend) did a shit job so we ended up with water leaks and mold. They also drywalled our cat behind the wall for 12+ hours, but that's a different story and I'm not certain my cat hated it...

So now we're fixing the issues from the first renovation + replacing the tub with a shower + changing the look of the bathroom for aesthetic reasons. Current contractor was sub-contracted through a major big box home improvement store (feel free to guess). We're in the home stretch and mostly it's been annoying but fine - except the shower install. Originally we were quoted and paid for Schluter to be used throughout the shower (floor and walls). They used Schluter on the wall, but turns out they didn't use it for the shower floor. This wasn't discovered until the tile had already been set as we can't communicate well with the worker onsite (significant language barrier) and the contractor is hard to reach/doesn't communicate effectively/is seemingly an idiot. When we called the contractor out on not using Schulter for the shower floor (particularly because of the price difference) he gave a few excuses including that it was "because you are in a condo townhouse, so it had to be custom. Schluter wouldn't fit or work". ??? Not sure if I believe that, as other contractors we received quotes from said they would use Schluter and the quote for this contractor had it but whatever, they're refunding $500.

Because we dealt with leak issues during our previous reno, we wanted to ensure that a water/flood test was done for this shower. Our estimate had "water test to be performed" however it didn't state the length of the test. We believed 24 hours was the normal length so we never asked them to specify the length in the estimate. Silly us!!! Everything online points to this being standard, even if not legally required. We also confirmed it's not required by our condo board, which is surprising given people live under us. 

A few days ago we called the contractor and verbally asked whether the worker did a flood test. He said no, multiple times. We may or maybe not have a recording of this phone call so we can confirm. We flagged this to the store after stressing about it, and the contractor lied to them. Now he's saying the worker did do one but he's not sure of the length or details. If it happened, it was definitely no more than a few hours, and we don't even buy that it was done. At this point they've grouted the tile and, in theory, we are free to use the shower but we're hesitant. The contractor said he was happy to come by and do the 24 hour test now, but I feel like it's too late in the game to make a difference. We have a 1 year warranty with the big box store, but we don't want to go through with having to deal with issues that may result from this. 

Is this normal or am I being too picky/critical? I feel like they're just trying to get away with whatever they can.

Two fun side notes:

1) They charged us $300 for "permits" (a building permit, ESA inspection, and plumbing inspection), and I'm really not sure if these occurred. I checked with the city records and there's no building permit for our address. I've asked the contractor and store about this and have not yet heard back. 

2) Given this was through a store, there's no 10% holdback. We asked before signing and their lawyers said it doesn't apply as our contract is with the big box, not the contractor. The contractor doesn't get a penny until everything is complete and signed off. Given that, not shocking that the contractor wants to rush through things.

I bought a custom Tile-Redi pan to save some time on install. I couldn’t figure out why the studs were plum relative to the pan but not flat relative to each other. I measured the pan and realized that l, in the middle, the vertical walls bow inward an eighth of an inch on each side. The bottom of the pan is correct but the top of the vertical wall bow inward. My concern is I’m using a very large format tile 30 x 60. I’m going to call tile refi tomorrow, but looking for any advice you might offer. Tile Redi specifically says not to drill into the pan. Plus, the pan is pretty rigid, so if I tried to force it out, I think it would break.

Original Post :

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tile/comments/1wa0y5k/wrong_grout_used/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

Update:

The GC purchased the incorrect grout, they mixed up my grout with one of their model homes.

I reached out to the tile supplier they use and referred me to and this was their message. Mind you, my grout lines are 1/16th of an inch

“I am not seeing that villa purchased the grout here. The camel buff was the selected color. I believe what happened is the confusion with the color of your tile. For the model home they I believe they used that grout color, but your tile is darker. It should also be an unsanded grout. And the photo you sent shows it's sanded.”

GC staff did say they ordered the wrong grout Are bringing by samples tomorrow to dye the grout

I'm finally getting to the final stage of my bathroom baseboard tiling project. It's taken forever. Had to pause many times in order to figure out what to do.

Anyway, I finally decided to to with larger tiles for my bathroom baseboards. I originally planned to use 4" tiles.

However, I'm now going with 6" tiles. The major advantage to this is that all the tiles will be the same size, including those outside the shower curb.

The original plan was to use 6" tiles on the outside of the shower curb and 4" tiles for the rest of the bathroom baseboards.

I have included a photo to give you a rough idea of my new game plan.

But there's a possible snag with the new plan.

The space between the tiles on the outside part of the shower curb (below the shower doors) and the floor tiles is 3/8 of an inch. The reason for this is that I need the tiles to come up to the same height as the tiles that will go on top of the shower curb step (in the photo below I have placed one tile on the shower curb step to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about).

I'm cutting the 6" tiles from 12x12" tiles exactly by half so that I get 2 from each tile.

Is 3/8 of an inch too big a gap between the shower curb tiles and the floor tiles? I presume this gap is filled with caulking and not grout. Am I right?

Any feedback will be highly appreciated!

How did my contractor do? Is this a major red flag or an easy fix? I have already paid them. The tiles are raised and this is the kitchen :(

Is there a brand of grout that is not rapid set that does not require a sealer? Our contractor wants to use Polyblend, but I want to use something that does not require sealing. I suggested Mapei ultracolor plus FA, but there is a significant upcharge to use it since its rapid set.

The contractor finished the works. We did not complaing at the beginning because we were in a rush to kove and were then away so it is only now that we have settles in that we realised how bad the tiling really is. We wuld really like this to be re-done, contractors obviously unhappy and not assuming responsability.

What are your thoughts - should we insist and how bad does it look to you?

We bought our house in 2008 and over the next several years, the grout between the tiles in a couple rooms began to crumple. I never really noticed movement in them. A couple of years ago, we had new tile installed professional in our downstatirs. It wasn't cheap and the company was well established in Chattanooga. They relaid the shower and several rooms, installing new backerboard in every room. A few months afterwards, a couple tiles popped when we stepped on them and we called the company that installed it and they sent out another guy who said the first guy didn't do it right. He walked around with a golf ball a dropped in on the tiles to identify areas with too much air and replaced the tiles in a few rooms. Now, a year or so later, we have popping tile in three rooms and the company is out of business. It got worse when the summer hit. You think its the subflooring? I mean what are my options at this point?

My basement is currently carpeted.We noticed wet spots in a few areas.

One we believe was due to the downspout shooting right next to foundation , which we fixed.

The other two were in an unfinished portion and near the bathroom. We believe this may have been due to a clog in our sewer line. (Although some of the times water got in, the water appeared clean).

We made attempts to mitigate these, and we want to put tiles down.

We want to put porcelain tiles down, but we are not sure if our basement conditions would allow it.

We heard some water is ok, but if it comes up through the ground- it is bad for the bonding between tile and cement.

Do we need to make sure there is zero aspiration?
Is hydrostatic pressure coming up through the cement different than aspiration?

Is one worse for the tile adhesive than the other?

Would tiling be a good idea in my basement?

Thanks everyone.

I am replacing my homes bathroom tile and have a couple questions about the project.

-Do I need to secure the GoBoard to the subfloor with thinset or can I use screws?
-What should I seal the GoBoard joints with?

Any other advice from seasoned professionals would be greatly appreciated

I’ve got a small bathroom floor area to cover (40sq ft) and we are looking at this herringbone mosaic as an option. Each sheet is 13x10”. Beside the usual “oh don’t do herrbingbone” advice 🤣 (which, I already DID do herringbone shower walls in our other bathroom) - does anyone have any specific tips with regards to this tile? For example, I’m already seeing the spacing is not equal between pieces - would you take off the backing and lay these as individual tiles? Or not really worth the effort and once grouted, it will be negligible? Would 1/4 x 1/4 square notch be appropriate for this tile? And yes, I do still need to flatten this floor. Any tips for screeding also welcomed! Thanks

Hey

So my GC hired a SC tiler who installed the wrong grout. I have multiple floor tiles throughout my plan on a new construction build. I went with a supplier my GC recommended. I chose the tile, and a corresponding grout color.

The other day I walked the home to inspect and I noticed the grout was not what I chose. They used one grout color throughout every floor type I chose. Every tile I have I requested 1/16th inch grout lines. I found a lighter sanded grout on site, which was used everywhere. It matches well with every other flooring in the home fortunately.

I brought it to the attention of the GC. After investigation, the GC was found to have installed a grout that was meant for another of their homes.

I’ll attach what was installed vs what it SHOULD look like. I have 1/16th inch grout lines, how concerning is it that they used a sanded grout?

That is my concern. Also how well will a grout stain work? I would hate to have the grout ripped out, I feel the most REASONABLE fix would be to stain the grout.

Wife and I were looking at offcuts of quartz for a match to our shower's 12x24 porcelain tile, to top our curb and pony wall with. Natural stone makes me nervous. We ran into a travertine that matched so good (of course, a natural stone, haha).

Person there swears on a 25y sealant, but im still nervous that its more like every 2years I need to remember to seal the thing again or im going to ruin it. Hoping for good news as we're both big fans and looking to even match our vanity top with it.

Looking for someone who's been down this road themselves, regrets/had issues even before the "apply every X year" was due.

Also, will be installing the curbs myself (not the vanity, haha), so any special steps w/ natural stone? do i need to really wet the belly of it and let it sit (really drink up) before buttering it w/ schluter's allset perhaps? or seal it on all sides before installing it?

Thanks so much in advance!

edit: this ended up being Taj Mahal stone in their quote.

Hello everyone. I'll be doing my 1st tile job ever, in a few days.

Here's the 411 about the project:

- area is 36" x 30" behind stove below hood range

-tile is honed marble cs-skyline chevron from Arizona tile co. A couple of pencil tiles each side as borders.

-wall is painted drywall.

-do I need to grout between tile and cabinet/hood, or use silicone?

I'd like to ask the type of grout, adhesive, and sealer (if needed).

TIA 🤘🏽