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With some leftover tiles remaining from our last project, upgrading our kitchen floors, I considered returning the remaining tiles. However our middle washroom on the second floor is outdated and worn out. The floors are the original from when the house was built. By changing the tiles to the same ones as what we have in the front foyer and kitchen, there is some consistency throughout the house.
I asked my partner whether it is possible to use these tiles for the middle washroom and just buy the extra, since that is all we need to upgrade the floors. The answer was yes. We only needed to purchase an extra 8 tiles to complete the washroom floor. However, at the time we bought them, they were being discontinued.
We went back to the store to see if they have any more. They had been brought them back two weeks prior to our visit. With only a few boxes left, we picked up the remaining tiles, (buying some extra) and worked on this project throughout two weekends.
Additionally we already have all the tools to make the job possible. As this is also mentioned in renovate your front foyer floors.
You can read up on upgrading your front foyer floors and upgrading your kitchen floors to learn more about the transition from the original floors to the new ones. With the price on sale at $1.99 a sq/ft. this job cost us very little. This small project alone could have cost us up up $1000.00 to have someone come in and redo the floors.
Even though this kind of work is fairly new to us, the results are impossible to tell that it was not done by a professional. Such an invaluable skill makes a major difference in our wallets.
What you need for the washroom floor tiles
The following tools are what you need for this job:
A hammer, knife, cordless drill, square notched trowel, grout float, pry bar and wet saw. Please read upgrading your kitchen floors on any additional tools used for that project.
Remove the old flooring. Screw the subfloor down to reinforce it. Create a layout specific to the tiles you choose. Cut your tiles accordingly. Do this before you begin placing the tiles down.
sweep the floors and have the area clean before laying the tiles
Mix up the thin set mortar according to the instructions on the bag.
numbered tiles waiting to be placed
Apply it to the floors with a square notched trowel. Additionally, place a thin coat of the mortar on the back of each tile (aka back buttering) as you place them down one by one.
Lay your tiles using the levelling system. Let it dry. Clean it up.
Apply your grout. Afterwards, clean it up and let it dry.
upgrading the middle washroom floors
You are finally done.
The switch over to the new tiles takes two weekends. The upgrade to the washroom is significantly better.
After-upgrading the middle washroom floors
At the total cost of $50.00 to complete and two weekends of labour we save a lot of money. Additionally, at the end of this job we had leftover mortar and grout.
The price of getting home upgrades continues to increase. However, with the skills and tools available, everything changes. Not only is the price to complete this task so low, but because of this simple yet significant upgrade, we helped raised the value.
In summary, this is the beauty of doing it on your own. You can choose the best price, do the labour, save a lot and reap the rewards.
October 28, 2021
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