# Tiling questions with pictures.



## J187 (May 19, 2006)

I am putting down 13" Ceramic tile in my bathroom. Tiling over the existing tile which is level and solid. I am using 3/8 spacing. I have a couple of questions

1. I want to leave the same grout line around the floor between the tiles and walls as I have between them, right?
2. When I tile up to the side of my bathtub, I am thinking I should not leave the full 3/8 space between tub and tile, rather just about 1/8" or so for caulking, correct?
3. The threshold - Where the tile comes up to the door, the old marble threshold was taken out. I have a big space there. I've been told to tile to the middle of the threshold, but the existing tile stops at the door edge. Should I fill in the space a little with something to tile over or just stop the tile where the old one stops and put in a big threshold? If I should fill in the space, what to use and how? The interesting thing is, if I do go to the middle, and I do leave a 1/8 gap at the tub, it will work out to be full tiles in both directions exactly - no cutting except a small corner, weird, huh? If I do not go to the middle of the threshold it just means cutting about 3 inches off a 13" tile which is no biggie either. Thanks. 

Here are some pics to help.
PS, the carpet is getting pulled, and there will hardwoods underneath - so I'll need some sort of height adjusting threshold no matter what.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

The comment I would like to give you is: do not make the mistake of thinking tiles can fit in without cutting at both edges... This is hardly the case as there is no perfect right angle in the world... You should really make sure you layout your tile so that there are more than half tiles at all the edges, if possible. 

If you rely on fitting tiles without cutting, some minor adjustments here or there such as gap was a bit bigger here or there will make you, potentially need to cut a little bit of tile which is hard to do, or leave you a 3/4 inches of gap somewhere you cannot put tiles in like the one with the wall the other guy post in other thread..

the other questions you have such as how close the tile to the wall, I say, is pretty minor, the caulking will cover them anyway, so making it a bit closer doesn't harm, I suppose, mind you, I am an individual who have laid tiles only one time in my life for my kitchen wall, which turn out to be a success experience though.


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## R&D Tile (Feb 6, 2006)

I would install another marble threshold at the doorway.

Install backerboard under it first, 1/4 or 1/2", don't install it directly on that wood.

Have you tapped on the old tile?, if any sound hollow, even one, rip it all out.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

R&D Tile said:


> I would install another marble threshold at the doorway.
> 
> Install backerboard under it first, 1/4 or 1/2", don't install it directly on that wood.
> 
> Have you tapped on the old tile?, if any sound hollow, even one, rip it all out.


I have tapped on the old tile yes. No hollow sound anywhere. Its level and strong. It was professionally done w/ a mortar bed and done well. The only concern I have with a marble threshold, is that the hardwoods and the tile are not going to be anywhwere near the same height. The only reason the old tiles matched up is because on the other side of the threshold there is a really thick carpet on a really thick pad. Plus, the the floor in the bathroom will now by even higher by the amount of the new tile. Won't that cause a problem for a marble threshold? That's why I'd have to use wood or whatever I thought. If I did do a threshold, marble or otherwise, should I stop at the edge of the existing tile or still try to get closer to the middle of the door? 

Thanks for the reply!

KUIPORNG, thank you as well for the advice. Please understand, I am trying to get away with not cutting the tile. I snapped my chalk lines and did a complete dry layout and the tiles happened to end up exactly at a 3/8 distance from the across wall which is the exact size of my grout lines, and they end up either pefrectly in the middle of the door, or need to be cut SLIGHTLY back to the edge of the existing tile - only 2.5 or 3 inches from a 13" tile. Thank you.


OH and one other question - what's the cheapest/best way to cut the tile if its only a few pieces.


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## Bonus (Aug 25, 2005)

I assume you're taking out the baseboard first? If so then any gap of 3/8 will be covered by that. In any case you don't want to grout up to the wall. An 1/8" next to the tub sounds good.

The 'proper' way to do a transition is under the door so that when the door is closed the transition is invisible, but it's your house, do what you wish. As you say, you're going to have a height issue either way.

Rent a cutter, or you could likely take the tiles to where you bought them and they will cut them for you. If you mention the HUGE kitchen you're about to tile with their tiles they will perhaps not charge you for the service.:whistling2:


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Good idea about the kitchen, I may try that. As far as the baseboard goes, there is no baseboard in the bathroom. The wall tile just meet the floor tile at a grout line right now. So if I don't want to finish with a grout line, what do I want to do at the wall if there is no baseboard? Do I tile up against the wall or do I grout up against it in this case? 

Thanks.


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

Base on your pictures, looks like your wall is built after the tile being put in, as there is no trim wood on the bottom of the wall on the right hand side, I assume all other walls are similar, this is unusal to me, for your new tiling, you probably need trim wood to cover the edge... It will be extremely difficult, even for professional,otherwise, to show a beauty edge without trim... except for meeting the bathtub which you need grout and caulking..etc. Well if you can really get away from cutting the tiles, may be you can, but I really doubt you can get away cutting tiles...

Another thing, cutting tiles is really a piece of cake, and I think is one of the easiest part of tiling... If your tiles is not marble, which I saw it isn't, you really should not worry about or try to get away from cutting tiles,... I think company who help you cut tiles also charge per cut, may be 50 cents to one dollar per cut, ... with all this hassel and expense, I would prefer to buy a cutter set at the big store, for one time use, you do not need to buy the expensive one, When I did for my kitchen, I bought a set which is twenty somthing dollars and use it in two separate tiling projects before it broke...

For marble threshold, I am not sure if you can find those round edge threshold which can resolve your height difference...


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

KUIPORNG said:


> Base on your pictures, looks like your wall is built after the tile being put in, as there is no trim wood on the bottom of the wall on the right hand side, I assume all other walls are similar, this is unusal to me, for your new tiling, you probably need trim wood to cover the edge... It will be extremely difficult, even for professional,otherwise, to show a beauty edge without trim... except for meeting the bathtub which you need grout and caulking..etc. Well if you can really get away from cutting the tiles, may be you can, but I really doubt you can get away cutting tiles...
> 
> Another thing, cutting tiles is really a piece of cake, and I think is one of the easiest part of tiling... If your tiles is not marble, which I saw it isn't, you really should not worry about or try to get away from cutting tiles,... I think company who help you cut tiles also charge per cut, may be 50 cents to one dollar per cut, ... with all this hassel and expense, I would prefer to buy a cutter set at the big store, for one time use, you do not need to buy the expensive one, When I did for my kitchen, I bought a set which is twenty somthing dollars and use it in two separate tiling projects before it broke...
> 
> For marble threshold, I am not sure if you can find those round edge threshold which can resolve your height difference...


 
I'm not sure if the bathroom needs baseboard, it looks fine without. The way it is now it is grouted to the wall edge and it looks very good, except for the color of tiles. I never ever considered trying to avoid cutting the tiles. I have absolutely zero problem getting a cutter and cutting tiles. I always expected to do so, it just worked out that the tiles against the far walls are full. I still have a corner to cut. I saw the $20 saws at my local HICS, I may pick one up. Thanks.


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## floorman (Mar 21, 2005)

Hey sometimes you get lucky you know?If you dont have to cut tile u dont have to, groovy:thumbup: .
You could use some durock and build it up at the doorway using that and then a piece of sclhuter reno tkto transtion there at the door,it will reduce that somewhat so it isint that much of a heighth difference.
I would consider using trim for the floor line though,just to give it a good clean edge.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Hey thanks for that link, thats just what I was looking for! At first I didn't even think that was english, but those look very good. Yeah, I'm starting to think the people who built this house didn't like tiling and built the house around the tiles...  I vinyl tiled my laundry room this weekend and AGAIN, no joke, full tiles across both directions!! How strange is that? 


Anyway, I have one last question. Unfortunately, since I begin this project, something happened. Along the edge up to the tub, two of the existing tiles broke about half way across - a friend dropped a mini sledge hammer down on them - luckily she missed my new fiberglass tub w/ it!!!! Anyway, how should I proceed? Should I fill the space in with something or should I try to replace the tiles w/ new tiles before I tile over them? It happened before I took the above pictures, so it is visible in one of those - tiletub.jpg


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## Bonus (Aug 25, 2005)

That's the 2nd and 3rd tile to the right of the single new tile, right next to the tub, they're broken for about an inch? Clean out any loose material, make sure the rest of the tile(s) is not loose. Fill the space with a floor levelling compound first and then go right over it. You could probably get away with putting extra thinset there but I'd fill it first.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Thanks, I thougth about the extra thinset, but thought it better to be a little safer. Floor leveling compound it is...thanks.


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