The biggest challenge when you decide to lay a floor in the bathroom is what type of material to use. There are many different materials that you can use. We will be looking at the 3 most common ones.
The first is sheet flooring. Sheet flooring is more difficult that say tile because it requires multiple cuts. You make a mistake and it can ruin an entire sheet. So you must be careful and pay close attention to detail.
Ceramic and vinyl tile is the most common used. They are suitable for bathroom floors. Each is installed in much the same way. It all starts with sound subflooring and underlayment.
Ceramic tile is more durable than vinyl but you have the extra step of grouting to fill the seams. After deciding on which material to use let get started. You divide the room into roughly four equal quadrants.
The project then begins by quadrant and and the last quadrant is the one next to the bathroom door. You can lay tiles in rows or diagonally similar to the way you would use it on walls. You have the option of not laying any partial tiles around the perimeter until you have used all whole tiles.
Most tiles have spacer hug that assure joints of equal width. If you purchase tiles without lugs you will need to also get spacers. Go with tiles that are not thicker that the toilet flange. Also, it’s a good idea to purchase extras for practice.
When working around the bathroom door you can you can use real or synthetic marble if the tiles are flush. If they are not then you can shape the underside of the wood threshhold to bridge the two levels.
When laying tile on particle board or concrete use mastic – a thin layer of fiberglass backed by rubber to prevent little cracks due to shifting. Attach the layer with mastic then use a thin set adhesive for the tile. If using any other surface you can use a thin set latex adhesive to bond the tile.
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