Although considered the second most important room in the home, the bathroom is often the last to get attention when it comes to remodeling. If you have an outdated bathroom that wants to create a more current look, new flooring would be one of the key elements. As with all rooms, the options for bathroom flooring are quite vast. For instance, you could choose natural stone such as limestone, granite, or soapstone, as well as concrete, linoleum, engineered wood, and even carpeting. However, the option that remains the most popular is ceramic tile.
For starters, ceramic is an excellent material for bathroom flooring. Tiles made from ceramic are natural, made from clay, water, and minerals pressed into desired shapes and sizes. Next, the ceramic would be fired at an extremely high temperature, and depending on the look you wanted, you could choose glazed or unglazed tile. You will also find that ceramic tile is extremely durable and strong, not to mention available in hundreds of colors, designs, sizes, and textures.
For instance, glazed ceramic tile is commonly used in homes and comes in wonderful selection options. These tiles are also sold in various sizes, although tiles measuring 12×12-inch and 18×18-inch are still the most popular. Along with the base tile, you could also purchase gorgeous borders, medallions, and other complementary tile pieces to complete your desired look.
Although you could use smaller ceramic tile for bathroom flooring, we recommend the two sizes mentioned because you would have fewer grout lines. This would make cleaning and maintenance easier than with the smaller-sized tile. In addition, rather than go with the standard white or off-white grout color, we suggest gray or taupe. Again, dirt and scuff marks would be less visible, so your new bathroom floors would always look brand new.
Ceramic bathroom tile comes with another advantage over other materials – price. While the cost of this type of tile would vary depending on demographics and the store from where the purchase is made, if you shop around and watch for sales, you can sometimes find ceramic tile that initially costs $2.00 per square foot and upsold at a discount, often as low as $1.00 or less. Of course, the most important consideration, in addition to the style wanted, is to ensure you buy quality tile. That way, your bathroom floor would last for many years to come.
Based on your final selection, your new ceramic tile floor would completely change the aesthetics and even the mood of the room. If you wanted a room with depth, something dynamic, then you could go with a unique floor pattern. If the goal were to create a bathroom that looks and feels warm and homey, then you would need to stick with earthy-colored tile. Regardless of the overall looked wanted, you will quickly discover that the greatest challenge is narrowing your choice down from the huge variety available.
Remember, while pattern, size, and texture are important factors when buying ceramic tile for the bathroom, color is by far the most important consideration. After all, the color would be what other bathroom elements are based on. Therefore, begin with a budget, followed by color, and then the other characteristics, such as pattern, texture, and size.
Tips for Tiling a New Bathroom Floor
When remodeling or updating a home, whether for personal enjoyment or to add value before selling, the two rooms that deserve the most attention include the kitchen and the primary bathroom. Unfortunately, many people think projects for these rooms are too costly or difficult to accomplish themselves, so instead of ending up with changes, they do nothing.
Although you have a long list of projects to consider, focusing on the floor is always a good option. We wanted to show you how easy it is to tile the bathroom floor, creating a room that looks amazing but also a room that now has value-added. And you will discover that the process is easier than you might imagine, and being able to do the job yourself means taking pride in a job well done.
For starters, you need to gather all the required materials and tools. For this, you need to measure the bathroom to purchase new tiles according to the total square footage. You will also need tile adhesive, a cement bond, a screwdriver and screws, a tape measure, a pencil, spacers, and a notched trowel. Additional items include tile nippers, tile scorer, float, sponges, needle-nose pliers, grout, and a wet saw. This type of saw is specially designed to cut tile. You could purchase a portable wet saw for less than $100 or rent one from a local equipment rental company.
The first step would be to remove the old flooring so you end up with an exposed subfloor. Then, the cement board would be attached using the screws. Now, measure the width of the floor, deduct the number by 50%, and draw the line at the point directly onto the cement board with the pencil. For the length of the bathroom, follow the same procedure. When done, you would see two lines, with the point of intersection being the center of the room.
Before putting adhesive down, put a corner of the first piece of tile down so it sits flush at the point where the two lines intersect. Moving along the line, you would center the other tile pieces, keeping about one-quarter inch between them for the grout. The goal is to position the tiles in a way that would require the least amount of cutting in that this process step is the most challenging, although not overly difficult. You would then use the pencil again, marking the location for the additional tile pieces. When done, stack the tile and set them aside.
The next step for installing a new bathroom tile is to apply the adhesive according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. The easiest type of adhesive to work with is mastic, but no matter the choice, it is highly recommended that you only work in a three-foot area at a time. With the notched trowel, the adhesive would be spread over the work area. For the next step, the first tile piece would be placed in the adhesive following the pencil marks you made earlier. Spacers would be placed between tiles for the grout to ensure the right amount of space is left between tiles for the grout.
Continue laying the tiles until you reach the wall. Then, measure the width and length needed for the tile pieces to fit flush to the wall, and remember the one-quarter-inch grout line. You would then use the tile scorer to score the tile at the place where it would be cut. The tile score weakens the tile so excess can be broken off easily. Using the nippers, apply pressure carefully along the scored line, breaking off unwanted tile sections. However, if using a wet saw, you would cut the tile according to measurements without scoring.
After completing the three-foot section, move to the next section, repeating the process. After all the tile has been placed, the adhesive would need to dry according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Once dry, the spacers would be removed with needle-nose pliers, followed by the grout being applied afloat. We suggest you purchase readymade grout in the color of your choice, making the application process easier. Allow the grout to settle for 15 minutes, according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Now, moisten a sponge and wipe over the grout lines to remove residue from the tile pieces. Be sure to rinse the sponge frequently while going through this process so all the residue is cleaned up. Again, it would be easiest to work in small sections after wiping the grout residue several times. You could then go over the sections with a clean, soft cloth. After going over all the tiles, you can look at the beautiful new bathroom floor, knowing that you did the installation on your own.