DIY Tiling: Opinions Please

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Ratpuke

Ratpuke

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I'm tired at looking at the torn up and stained carpet at the foot of my basement stairs. Last summer Lowenbrau and I gutted the basement bathroom and he put in tiles with underfoot heating. What I want to do is to extend the tiling out from the bathroom and run it up the stairs.

Here's are a couple pictures to show you what I'm looking to do.
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IMG_0006.webp
 
That's embarrassing to show :frown:

Anyway, what I'm wondering is whether to attempt to tile the stairs and lower landing myself or whether it's in my best interest to hire someone else to do it and save myself some frustration? I've never tiled anything before.

I'm not one to back down from a challenge but I also don't want to open a can of worms if it's likely going to turn out being crappy. Also, with the shortage of labour up here I'll likely be overcharged for a less than stellar service. I bought the tiles already and have access to Lowenbrau's tile cutter....

Any suggestions or advice?
 
1st question. Is the doorway floor, opposite the bathroom level or is it raised.
2nd": is that carpet pad on the floor and stairs
3rd: what is the floor and stairs, Plywood, concrete or?
Can give some instruction if I can get a better description
 
Plowboy said:
1st question. Is the doorway floor, opposite the bathroom level or is it raised.
2nd": is that carpet pad on the floor and stairs
3rd: what is the floor and stairs, Plywood, concrete or?
Can give some instruction if I can get a better description
Click to expand...



1) It's supposed to all be the same level. Right now the tiles in the bathroom are higher than the concrete and the carpet is slightly higher as well.

2) There is a little bit of padding under the carpet.

3) Under the carpet at the bottom of the stairs the floor is concrete (similar to the gap between the carpetting and the tiles in the bathroom). The stairs are made out of wood/plywood.


Thanks. (Hope that helps clarify things a bit).
 
ok, If backerboard was used in the bathroon you will need to put backer on the floor first. Use thinset. New tile can be layed directly on the concrete using thinset. Check the gap between the tile in the bathroom and use the same size tile spacers. Probably 1/4 inch. The stairs will require something like handi-board or other cement board cover. Once you remove the carpet coat the plywood with thin set, put down the backer board and screw down. You will need to do the face and the step. On the step you need to use a bullnose tile. The bull nose will need to be flush at the edge of the face tile, not over hanging. Over hanging causes chips. Let the tile set for a day before you grout. Stairs can be a little hard to do because you have to use them to get back out. I usually do every other step. One set one day and the other the next day, when you can step on the already laid tiles. Check the dr;y time for the thin set you use. Will let you know when you can walk on the floor.
 
Plowboy - Thank you very much for the input. I'll pick up the tile cutter this weekend and look into your recommendations further. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Arya - I've thought about this but considering the alternatives (Ih8carpet) I think tile is the best way to go. The carpet actually doesn't get wet. It looks like it does - the dark parts shown on the carpet is the result of my dog clawing up the carpet one day when I penned her in the basement temporarily and the other marks there are from muddy boots and misc. other destructive activities.
 
Just finished my first tile project in our guest bathroom. Don't waste time or money on a scribe tile cutter, all I did was break tiles. Best tool that worked for me was an angle grinder with a 4.5 in. Stone, Masonry blade, it cut curves and straight lines very easily:beer:.
 
BGarcia88FJ62 said:
Just finished my first tile project in our guest bathroom. Don't waste time or money on a scribe tile cutter, all I did was break tiles. Best tool that worked for me was an angle grinder with a 4.5 in. Stone, Masonry blade, it cut curves and straight lines very easily:beer:.
Click to expand...

If you're going to be doing lots of tile work, it might be worth it buy a used wet tile saw (10" blade). Do you projects and sell when you're done. Renting a tile saw can add up real quickly. You can also buy a small 7" wet tile saw from HD for $99 for small tiles.
 
imho i would run carpet on the stairs,

and buy yourself a good tile saw if you plan on tiling the stairs. worth their weight in gold,
 
Arya Ebrahimi said:
I would be slightly concerned with using tile on stairs only because they can be slippery when wet and it looks like the carpet gets wet at times. Just something to think about.
Click to expand...

Glazed tile is slippery when wet. there are tile designed for wet surface. Looking at the picture of the bath, it would appear to be a noslip textured sureface.

". You can also buy a small 7" wet tile saw from HD for $99 for small tiles."
I purchase the 7 inch HUSKY wet tile saw from HD about !99 Cut 18 inch floor tiles, no problem. Also didkitchen and bath tile. Looks like you have 18 inch on the floor now.
 
Plowboy said:
Glazed tile is slippery when wet. there are tile designed for wet surface. Looking at the picture of the bath, it would appear to be a noslip textured sureface.
Click to expand...

I know(I'm a general contractor), but I've yet to meet a tile that was as anti-slip as carpet when wet. It was merely a suggestion as I hate slippery steps. :)
 
As a contractor I too would vote no on the tile stairs. You can however tile the toe board (vertical surface), then buy prefinished wood stair treads. I did this in the house I built for myself, and I think it looks good.

Install all of the whole tiles that you can, then rent a good wet tile saw to cut all of your special's. The cut quility is much better with a good saw (less broken or chipped tiles). I can usally get away with a four hour rental with a helper.

Good luck
Albee
 
Stairs are fine with the right tile....

there are also etching products available that will not discolour the glaze but make a tile non slip.
Make sure that stairs are solid, 0.5 mm of movement in floor will cause tiles to crack, using a "flexible" adhesive will help counter this.
A professional scribe cutter will cut almost anything you put on it with none of the dust and dirt of a saw but is not worth the investment for a one off job.
Do your upstands on stairs first and then treads.
Flip your tile top to bottom and mark the back is the easy way do cuts into walls etc.
Let me know if you have any others Q's


BJ60NZ
5th generation tiler with 18 years exp.
 
Hi Charla, I don't like putting tile on stairs. You know how they always squeak, that is movement in the stairs and will cause the tile to break loose or crack. If you think the stairs are virtually movement free then by all means tile. I would recommend a metal (or wood) nosing though.

The edge of the stair gets the most foot force and the sharp edge of the tile can do serious damage if you fall on it. The edge is where the tiles most often break and crack. The metal nosing gives good traction as well.

When ever I have tiled stairs I will do one side at a time and do the other the following day. I like the every second stair trick as well.

You could also do the stairs in vinyl flooring with the metal edge. That is an easy DYI.

p.s. nice write up on AK Trek
 
Thanks everyone! I'm still undecided as to what I will do. For now I'm focusing on getting the exterior doors replaced and building a new fence. I imagine I'll deal with the stairs this winter instead.
 
Well, it's been a little while...

Been meaning to post up pictures showing the finished stairwell. Bruce and I did the tiling last Spring....and not surprisingly, a bit of scope creep entered the picture. We set out to tile the floor and ended up ripping out the ceiling :confused::doh: In order to do a good job the door frame at the bottom of the stairs had to go and the light in the ceiling was crying out to be centered. Anyway, the stairs were reinforced to minimize movement. So far nothing has moved or cracked. I've done quite a few projects around here, but I haven't despised a job nearly as much as I did this one. I'd do it again in a second though because I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Thanks for the advice! :bounce2:
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