The Softer Side of Ceramic Tile Flooring

or

the Woman's Point of View

The Handyman did all the work, but I did the shopping:) Isn't that how it ought to be? I don't like shopping as a rule, but when I shop I am fiercely serious about it. I weigh the options, look at cost comparisons , do research on the choices available... all before I hit the stores... sometimes visiting over and over until the decision process winds down. Of course in my case I get the "what ever you want, Honey" from the Handyman. Yeah, right. Whatever I want as long as it fits his taste, his idea of the right cost, etc, etc.... Although I don't complain too much ( but some!) because he has a fairly good sense of taste and I am just way too eclectic. I like lots of things and styles... and don't mind mixing. But sometimes you need a sense of order and editing to get a good result: Handyman has that.

For the tiles I knew I wanted a certain look. I like organic, the more like real slate or stone, the better, for me. I like other things too, but I had reduced the look to this choice for the kitchen... if I had the money I might have tried those pretty Portuguese picture tiles in between Mexican quarry tile... but, um, where was I? Oh yes, the final choice turned out to be a stone-look 14" porcelain tile from Home Depot. It was terra-cotta color with sparkles of mica looking stuff subtly flecked in. I still love that choice. In fact, the refrigerator delivery guy commented on what a good-looking floor it is. And it is! :)

I have shattered a number of plates and glassware on it, though. It drops, it's gone. Unlike the cork flooring that we put into the remodeled back part of the house. The other day I accidentally dropped a ceramic incense burner, and it bounced! I was sort of surprised, but then I remembered that is one asset of cork flooring. Cork isn't highly recommended for the kitchen, like hardwood, though, because of all the moisture. Some people choose those types of floors, anyway; you just have to weigh the options for what you most want from the material.

What I like about ceramic tile is the that it is durable and good looking, it is cool in the summer, and easy to clean. The part near the heater retains heat in the winter- sort of a cozy place for the toes in the winter... but not that I stand in one place in the kitchen... it is just a pleasant sensation when passing through ;)
It is hard underfoot, but a kitchen rug in front of the sink ameliorates that. Overall, I am completely happy with the choice- as I say over and over- I just love my kitchen.

When my son lived in Phoenix his house was entirely tiled with ceramic floors, the smooth type (except for a carpeted living room). It was perfect for that climate and very easy to clean. I have just always liked tile, and I think it should be used more as it was in the Craftsman era. The artistic possibilities alone are amazing.

Cost is the only limitation. I fell in love with many beautiful tiles at the tile place where we purchased the counter tile, but, alas, the budget wasn't big enough. I did make a concession to my desire by buying enough Italian tiles to intersperse in the surround and above the stove. Their expense was totally worth it. A set of five different tiles all with pictures of different urns or containers. I will take a picture of that,because it is difficult to describe properly... and you know what they say about pictures and words!

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Kitchen Ceramic Floor Tiling

SubFloor (Structural):

In preparation for laying the new 12x12 glazed porcelain floor tiles (1/4" thick), I utilized the existing 24" on center 2x8 joists. To increase the structural capacity, I installed additional 2x8 joists to change it to 12" on center. To increase the support (due to the original oak joists not being exactly on center) I "sistered" additional 2x8 joists onto these.

SubFloor:

• Before installing the sub-floor, I ran all my plumbing/electrical/insulation while I had easy access to the crawlspace. One this was in place I used 3/4" T&G subfloor plywood - glued & screwed down. On top of this I placed 1/2" thick Hardy tile backer board (Durock could have been used also). This gave me a subfloor that was now 1-1/4" thick, supported by 2x8 joists spaced 12"o.c. Utilizing the original joists actually gave me a double joisted 2x8 every 24" (essentially becoming a 4x8). This has resulted in a floor that feels so solid it seems like a concrete slab.

Tiling:

• Now that the subfloor was in place I could begin prepping for laying the tile. My plan was to install the tile in the entire kitchen area BEFORE the cabinets were installed. This would result in a contiguous tile floor with no adjustments needing to made for dishwasher clearances, etc. Also, since the tile is also under the cabinets, etc., there was no need to custom cut the tile to fit against the cabinets, nor have to worry about moisture, etc., getting under the cabinets into the subfloor. Thus, my tile extends from wall to wall, and the cabinets/dishwasher, fridge, stove, etc. all sit on top of a uniform, contiguous floor.
• After laying out my lines, I used Thin-Set mortar to set the 12x12 tiles in place. For tiles over 6x6 thinset mortar is recommended instead of Type 1 adhesive. The thinset mortar is easy to use. You mix it with water in a bucket and trowel it out using the proper v-notch trowel just like you would the Type 1 adhesive. The main difference is that it sets like concrete, providing a very solid base, eliminating the likelihood of the larger tiles breaking.
• After the tile had set for 24 hours, it was now time for grouting. I used a tinted sanded grout with an additive. The additive gives the grout additional adhesive strength and seals it better. The downside is that it is harder to clean the grout off the tiles during the clean-up period. The porcelain tiles we chose were somewhat textured (but glazed) which made cleaning the grout off the tile surfaces somewhat more difficult. On a smooth tile it would have been less of an issue. You need to be careful when cleaning off the excess grout that you do not overdo the grout lines themselves. Otherwise, you will "leech out" the pigment in the grout. I consider the floor grouting (with sanded/additive added grout) the most stressful part of the job.

Results: We now have a beautiful, solid kitchen floor which will stand up to anything. The advantage of a ceramic tile floor is that it is very easy to maintain and there is no wear & tear on this type of floor. The only disadvantages are that if you drop something on it, that item (if breakable) will break, and (unless you have underfloor radiant heat) the floor retains the ambient heat - which to us has not been a problem.

Next: Kitchen Cabinets and Countertop

Small Projects::Big Returns

According to CNN Money the D-I-Y person can make upgrades in these areas: tile, cabinets, bookcases, lighting, and shower doors.

Most of us know that certain projects have more value than others, like kitchen and bathroom remodels, but we oftentimes don't account for some of the smaller projects.

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Here's A Project to Talk About: The Kitchen Re-do

I think both the Handyman and myself would agree that the most rewarding project was the Kitchen remodeling. It was more than remodeling, really, it was a complete, from the studs, changing doors, totally re-built project. But it turned out to be one that our family has most benefited from and with which we are most satisfied.

I'm happy that the DH (AKA "Handyman"...and I have to explain DH to him here...it stands for "Dear Husband"...that is right "dear" ;)- because he will ask. He isn't really techy online, although he is very techy with the Handyman D-I-Y stuff. Anyway, as I was saying, I am glad He is here on the blog because he can tell you what this involved from his perspective.

From mine, I did the easy part: helped plan it out and did cooking and dishes out back in a storage room for the duration. Remember those days? And the house was open to the outdoors for awhile when the door was removed and the sliding doors in the dining room put in. We made lots of visits to Lowes and to the ceramic tile outlets. Lots of them. The floor choice ended up being tiles that looked liked stone with a terracotta color and glints like granite. I am very happy with it. The drawback is the fact that tile gets cold and everything breakable that drops on it will break. Shatter is more the word..into myriad teeny-tiny pieces. It is death to dishes. But easy to clean, undamaged by the wet conditions of a kitchen, and beautiful.

We used 4x4 tiles on part of the counter and above the stove- it continues as a border across the top of the formica countertop. DH isn't sure he liked the choice of formica, but we had to cut costs somewhere. I am very happy with it- it is in a harmonizing color with the tiles and blends really well. We bought some Italian art tiles to intersperse and create interest above the stove. I love them- they fulfill my desire for something of art in the kitchen.

I'll write more on this topic later.... after I let Handyman know about the topic and give him a chance to tell you more of the nuts and bolts of the project.



Technorati Tags: kitchen,

Bathroom Floor Choices

This isn't a major essay- just a little conversation about choosing a type of flooring for the bathroom. It used to be that you had a few kinds of things you chose, but they have some new products out that widen the choice range.

I've lived in houses that had the usual vinyl flooring, but living in older houses also meant the baths had some of the older types of flooring that you don't always see now. One was little rubber tiles that were laid to mimic the favored ceramic style of the day: 2x2 squares in contrasting colors. Cobalt blue and white, in my case. The fact that they lasted so long and still looked good is a testimonial to that part of rubber tile's benefits. The official info on rubber floors is that "Rubber flooring is also a long-life product (20 years) and is derived
from a potentially sustainable source (trees). ~Walls, Ceilings and Floors..., Stepping Stones, No.64 (December 2001) http://www.naturalstep.org.uk/steps_64.pdf"

They are comfortable underfoot and were easy to clean. I used Murphy's oil soap and Pine Sol on them.

I've often had ceramic tiles, but they are a little cold underfoot for northern climes. I love it in my kitchen [a granite stone look]! But for our bathroom we went with sheet vinyl flooring, though we did use ceramic tile on the walls and in the shower surround. My husband installed everything, and the flooring made him nervous. He really doesn't like working with sheet flooring, although it turned out well. Usually they recommend you get a pro to do the job ...which is probably for good reason.

In our latest project we found something new at The Anderson's Store: click together floor panels that look like ceramic tiles. Very realistic, but warm underfoot and less likely to mean sure destruction to things dropped on it (another drawback of ceramic, marble, and other hard floor choices).

Speaking of marble. When I visited Hungary I stayed in a home entirely floored in marble. The bathroom had it on the walls as well, and though it is beautiful, cool and lovely underfoot, it is also very slippery. The lady of the house was in a cast because she had slipped on the stairs while cleaning. Just saying.

My son also had shiny marble tiles in the bathroom at his house in Phoenix, along with ceramic tiles everywhere else. That is a great choice for the desert climate, easy to clean, and the coolness is an asset there. But when you have cold winters those kinds of floors feel pretty chilly on the old feet.

So far I'm sold on
laminate flooring,the click together ceramic look tiles, rectangles of 4'[foot] long tiles that are made to look like they have 4x4 inch tiles. The style we chose looked exactly like some German made tiles (real ceramic) that we used on the kitchen counter top[link is to the actual store we went to, but not the tile choice we used], so that guaranteed that I liked them! They were put together in a snap and I use a Swiffer to clean them, although any simple mopping keeps them clean. It is hard to say how long they will look nice, they do seem capable of chipping, but for now, they seem pretty durable and we're happy with them.



Technorati Tags: floor, bathroom