Bathroom Tile
The yellow linoleum from 1982 had to go. I decided to try my hand at ceramic tile, even though I had no idea what I was getting into
If you’ve never removed old linoleum before, I highly recommend getting a heat gun or a good scraper. You’re going to need it.
After what seemed like days, the floor was finally scraped bare.
At this point, you put down a layer of Thinset. I used 1/4″ cement board on top of that, and screwed it down with the special Hardie backer board screws.
At this point, you’re ready to let the Thinset dry and prep for the ceramic tiles. If you’ve never done this before, I recommend a spacing of 3/8″ (more forgiving if you need to tweak it a little), and I’d also recommend NOT taping / mudding the seam before you’re putting down the tile. I had a big ridge because I taped and then let it dry before working with the tile.
Make sure you take the time to dry-fit and cut everything before you start laying down Thinset. It’s going to take you longer than you think to get everything positioned perfectly. You do not want to be cutting tile and racing against the clock before the Thinset dries up!
I tried a few different methods to cut the curve for the toilet. I ended up making a template out of cardboard (using a string and a pencil as a center-point), and then I bought a special cut-off wheel for my 4.5″ grinder. Don’t even bother with the jigsaw blade, or anything like that.
The grouting has got to be the easiest and most satisfying part of the whole project. Almost there!
The baseboard is in!
This project was approved by Shadow!