Our first tile project

Okay, so as promised, here are some more before & after pics of one of the many projects that we have going on right now. I have been unhappy with the master bath tile floor since I bought the house 6 years ago. It was installed poorly and the tile itself was sterile and unappealing to me. I don't think enough space was left between tiles either which meant the grout didn't have anything to grab onto. As a result, the grout has been chipping out from between the tiles over the years. We knew we wanted to replace the tile to improve this bathroom, so we picked out a natural stone look tile that would be warmer and more appealing. We also picked a grout that was close to the color of the tile. We thought this was a great way to minimize the appearance of dirt and to create a more fluid look. Below is a picture of the old tile.


So first we (or rather Dave) had to demo the old tile floor.



The next thing we had to do was lay down a layer of cement backer board. It's pretty easy to cut to fit the pieces according to Dave. Again, I didn't have any part in this step except for moral support and photography. :)


The next step is to lay your new tile pattern to find the most sensible fit with the least cuts. Here's Dave contemplating the most visually appealing layout.


Once our lines were marked, we began mortaring our tiles in place. We selected a tile available at Lowes that has 12 1x1 inch tiles on a grid.
The picture above shows some tiles already set. And then below there's me troweling on some thin set mortar. This step and grouting are enjoyable for someone who is good at cake decorating.


Twenty-four hours after all of our tiles were set, we started grouting. A lesson in mixing grout: Only mix what you need as leftover grout dries in whatever container you've mixed it in regardless of air tightness. We ended up having to throw out a brand-new 5-gallon bucket.


Here's me enjoying the grouting.

And finally, here's the finished floor! Now I'm painting the walls. As you can see, the old color was sort of poo brown. The new color is a nice cream color. I'll post those pics later.