It can be a nightmare laying any kind of tile. An even bigger nightmare when that tile is in the bathroom. Laying bathroom tile is more than just buying a few boxes of tile from your local home improvement store and putting them on the floor at home.
First, you must prepare the floor. This means first removing the toilet from the bathroom. In order to do this, shutoff the water supply and empty the tank. Remove the bolt covers and bolts. Lift the toilet straight up and take it from the bathroom.
Next, remove the baseboard shoe molding. It’s time to also remove the existing floor. Vacuum or sweep away any grout, caulk or adhesive that may impede the laying of the new tile. You’ll need to measure and cut the tiles with a wet saw before beginning to lay down the thin set mortar.
Now, mix and apply the thin set mortar. It’s best to do this in a large bucket with a mixing paddle attached to a drill. Tip a notched trowel up to a 45-degree angle to get uniform rows or ridges of mortar during application.
Set the tiles into the mortar, pressing down firmly in a slight twisting motion. Remember to use tile spacers to make the grout lines uniform and straight. Once all the tile is laid, you can remove the spacers.
Once the spacers are removed, mix the grout. Force the grout into the joints using a rubber grout float. Once the grout is in the joints, tilt the float 45-degrees and draw corner to corner across the tile. This avoids scraping any newly applied grout out of the joint. The grout needs to set until it is firm to touch.
After the grout has set, clean off any excess by pressing lightly with a damp sponge.
Finally, reinstall the toilet and wall trim.