# Bathroom Remodel...any handymen out there?



## M1Tanker (Mar 3, 2008)

Well the winters are long up here and that usually leaves time for home projects.

This winter was project #3 for our house and that meant we left the hardest for last...the bathroom.

Over the course of 5 weeks I have managed to replace a bathtub, bathtub surround, replace the galvanized pipes with copper, tear up the old single sheet floor, prep the floor with a skim coat of levelling compound...then came the sticky back vinyl tiles.

I followed the instructions to lay chalk lines and find the center of the room and go from there.

Here is my issue...the four walls are not square!!! Sooo...when you sit on the throne and look at the vanity, the tile line is straight with the vanity, however, when you look from the door the tile lines running parallel with the door and tub appear a bit crooked.

Any advice on re-laying tiles?

Would I be better off getting some single sheet without a line pattern and try to lay that? I have shyed away from the single sheet because I have heard it is more difficult than the sticky tiles.

If there are any handymen out there who have felt my pain, I would appreciate some words of advice.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I've laid thousands of square feet of tile. Most of it ceramic but I've done a ton of VCT also. (Vinyl Composition Tile) Generally that's how you start the layout process by finding the center of the room. You'll find that RARELY is a room ever perfectly square! Generally you mark your center lines and square them up. This is where you start. If you laid everything from those lines, you would end up with pretty much even cut tiles on each wall. The only variation would be for the amount that the room is out of square. Generally I take those starting lines and move them one way or the other to get as close to a full tile where it will be the most noticeable. I like to leave at least a half tile at each wall if at all possible. If you use a very narrow tile on the last row and the wall is too much out of square it will be much more noticeable. If you move your starting line the other direction to get a larger piece up against the tub you won't notice the difference as much. Then the smaller piece will be against the wall that you don't see. This can get a bit confusing until you've done it a few times but it's fairly easy once you get the hang of it. When it comes to tile work, a good layout is as important as the quality of the installation. You can do a very good job of installation but if the layout isn't done correctly the job just doesn't look right. Basically it comes down to trying to hide cuts under cabinets and in areas where you can't see them.

John


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

You could also try laying the tile in a pattern, Diamond patterns may help. Or, use some of the cool stone tiles out there that are smoothed off natural pebbles, find a tile that doesn't have a geometric pattern, something to take your eye off the not-so-squareness of the room.

Dry fit some of the tiles to see what works best once you figure out the center point of the room.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

I did the tile squares for my first job and was not happy after a very short period of time. Bathrooms collect dirt like crazy and will show in the seams really quick. I'd go 1 peice or ceramic. What about Pergo wood finish ?


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## RDS-1025 (Dec 1, 2008)

I think vinyl tiles in the bathroom are a bad idea mostly because of moisture. Expansion and contraction, humidity, etc. As far as looks go you have to decide where the out of square effect will be the most out of sight for the most part if your tile does not hide it well. One piece is really not as hard as you might think if you learn the little tricks. I have laid ALOT of tiles and quite a bit of sheet flooring and I would much rather do the sheet any day.


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## UNREEL (Jun 8, 2007)

Sticky down vinyl tiles are a bad idea anywhere.

Dont know why people spend all the time and effort on the remodel and go cheap on the finished product.


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## tedshunter (Dec 27, 2004)

UNREEL said:


> Sticky down vinyl tiles are a bad idea anywhere.
> 
> Dont know why people spend all the time and effort on the remodel and go cheap on the finished product.


I agree especially in a bathroom where it is going to see alot of wetness and moisture.Ceramic or linoleum is the only way to go in a bathroom I.M.O.


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## hellbilly (Aug 17, 2008)

Vinyl tiles suck. The littlest bit of water and their done sticking. Just make the cuts so it looks even, or square up at least 2 walls and go from there,


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## oncorhynchus (Oct 1, 2001)

If your set on using the vinyl tiles, preparation is everything!!! Just like with sheet flooring, it has to be SMOOTH or the vinyl will sink in the cracks, screw heads, etc...
Also a coat of Latex additive (or primer) will make them stick and stay stuck!

Good luck with your prject!


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

Man, don't use that crap. Any moisture that gets under the seem of the tiles will seperate and will let the tile move around, and come off. The best for a bathroom is porcelin tile or full sheet linoleum. You can get a reminant cheap if it's a money thing... heck I got a nice big roll of special order linoleum that I was going to actually buy, but I lucked out and got it for 150 bucks where it would have cost me well over 500 for just what I needed for one bath..I got enough for 2 standard sized bathrooms. (yeah, champaign taste and beer pocket book) If you have to... use the glue down tile instead of sticky back.

Also, don't use pergo or other laminant flooring in the bathroom. They are not rated for wet enviroments. Eventually the particle board will swell and delaminate and warp and look like crap... for the cost, time and effort, idealy, tile is the best. Use the underlayment (I like the cement board) The cost for the tile and cement board are worth the cost for duability and longevity. (ceramic is not as good as porcelin tile, don't use ceramic if you can help it. It's more porus and tends to chip and crack easier.)


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## Atchison (Feb 18, 2009)

Vinyl tiles are a bad idea, and really not that much cheaper, get some clearance ceramic tile and find someone who knows how to lay them (its actually very easy) 

A guy taught me by starting the first 8-10 tiles and I did the rest of my basement and had never done it before and it turned out great!!


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## Formula31 (Feb 17, 2009)

Alright someone from Gwinn. I hunt off the Hamilton-Homestead Road. I'm sure you know where that is. Just north of Rock. In a bathroom or any high moisture room I wouldn't use any kind of place and press or VCT tile.Knowing how cold it gets up there I would not use ceramic or porclean tile unless you put a heat blanket under it or some throw rugs by the tub and vanity areas. If you get large ceramic tiles it will show less of the out of square problem or use a darker border tile with the field tiles lighter. It tends to draw your eye away from the border because all the field tile is square. There are also other tile patterns that will hide the problem(pinwheel with two colors herringbone etc.) Just look under tile patterns on the web. Hope that helps.


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