New Tile for Two Bathrooms- Before and After

At the beginning of the week I started a new project replacing the flooring in two bathrooms with tile. When I started, there was some 4" white tile in the wet areas around the shower and toilets. The rest of the rooms was carpet. The homeowner wanted it all replaced with new tile and I was happy to help her out with that.

After removing the old flooring I installed 1/2" Hardibacker throughout each room over a layer of modified thinset. This gives us a good foundation for the tile to rest on. I also removed all the baseboard and shoe moulding which would be replaced later as well.

I installed 13" tiles in the larger master bath. They are 'glazed porcelain' tiles which is a type of ceramic that has a glazing that makes it repel stains very well. As you can see in the picture there are quite a few angles and cabinets in the master bath to work around. Around cabinets I try to cut the tile so that I leave a margin between the cabinet and tile that's approximately the same width as the grout lines. Then, I grout this to match the rest.

With all those different items to tile around, I spent some time upfront to consider the layout so that I would minimize the small pieces around the perimeter. I always try to stay away from having pieces smaller than half a tile if I can help it. This layout worked out great with the only small pieces being behind the toilet where they won't be seen much anyway.

I also re-tiled the guest bathroom down the hall. It was much smaller so I used a 6 1/2" tile that matched the tile in the master. I think the smaller tiles feel more appropriate for a smaller room like this, but I guess it's just a personal preference.

It was fun to see the transformation in these rooms. I was quite happy with the result.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com