In my experience, tile seems to be one of homeowner’s favorite weekend projects. Sure it looks easy when you see it on TV, mix up mortar, set the tiles, grout and you’re done – right? When it comes down to it, tiling requires a lot of work before you ever set a single tile and there are many things to consider when deciding to tackle this one on your own.
In the coming weeks, we will have several posts about DIY tile and what to avoid; there is simply too much to cover in one post. Perhaps before we get into specific problems, I should make a quick note about the perils of tile problems. The major risk with DIY tile is when something isn’t right, you often won’t know for some time, when major damage appears such as leaking water. By then, your beautiful handiwork must be completely removed to allow for proper repair.
That being said, these problems can be avoided by keeping a few things in mind. Planning is always key to any project and that includes the materials you are going to use. It is very important, especially if you are ordering your tile, that you add 10% to the square footage you calculated to account for the waste attributed to cuts and layout challenges. Imagine laying a beautiful tile floor and you just need 3 more to finish your bathroom but you run out of pieces and it takes 4-5 weeks to order more. You can’t grout or continue until you’ve got that. Then if the color variation is off in the new lot, those 3 tiles sitting right next to each other will stick out like a sore thumb.
This is easy enough to avoid, it just requires proper PLANNING, which is the foundation of a great DIY tile job.
In the next few posts we will visit layout, underlayment, grouting, and proper bonding. Let me know your triumphs and tribulations on DIY tile jobs!
