I’ve said it before, progress on the bathroom is slow. We’ve got a million and ten projects we’re working on, some more pressing than others. First removing the water heaters to make room for the geothermal. Then installing a new dishwasher. And a whole house fan to keep us cool. All necessary things that have taken focus off the bathroom. Such is life, I guess. In the video tour, you caught a glimpse of the newly installed floor tile. So here’s how we got to that point.
Before we could install the tile, we had to determine the layout. We knew we wanted a brick pattern and preferred the look of it running parallel to the door. Then, Ben measured the distance between the wall and the bath tub. Centering the middle of the first tile on this portion looked best, instead of centering the first tile over the entire room length.
More of the room is this width, not the full 8 foot span. Ben marked the center of the tile with a pencil, making it easier to line everything up. After nailing that down (figuratively, of course) Ben measured and cut the rest of his pieces.
Including this hole for the floor vent.
Sometimes tiles are finicky and break while cutting. Well, not these. Ben said these tiles are crazy strong and a dream to work with. A happy Ben means a happy tile job and very little complaining. And, this is his best toilet cut out to date.
Turns out a paint can is the perfect template. Knowing this is a small space, Ben pre-cut and fitted his tiles before mixing the mastic.
Install was crazy quick because of this. Seriously, I watched him set the first few, walked down the hall to clean up a few things, came back and saw this:
Sure it helps that the tiles are 1 foot by two feet, but it went fast.
The following morning, V helped me pull out the 1/16 inch spacers and I got to work cleaning the floor. Wetting the mastic with a rag makes clean up super simple. Then I used a utility knife to scrape the higher sections of mastic out of the grout lines.
Bring on the grout! And a toilet, please.
sarah
/ May 17, 2012love the color and size of the tiles… what are they?
Kristen
/ May 17, 2012Looks great so far!
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication
/ May 17, 2012I noticed the tile in the video yesterday. I LOVE it! It looks really good!
Heather {ModernMealsforTwo}
/ May 17, 2012I really like the size of these tiles. The floor looks great so far!
Robin
/ May 17, 2012What a perfect tile job! Those cuts look as good as can be. This bathroom is gonna look great.
Amy @ a new old house
/ May 17, 2012This looks great! You’re giving me hope that we may be able to handle diy-ing our bathroom floor tile!
(Right now hubby is home replacing the plumbing stack- fingers crossed it’ll be functional when I get home from work!)
cindy
/ May 17, 2012What are the specs on the tile? I love it. Where did you get it?
ourhumbleabowed
/ May 17, 2012Hi Sarah! The tiles are made by Arizona Tile: http://www.arizonatile.com/CEBU-P736.aspx We used ‘Moka’ for the shower surround and ‘Aqua’ for the floors. We love that these are a through body tile, which means the color is the same throughout. Hope that helps!
Thanks, Kristen!
Hi Ashley, Thanks! We love them too.
Hey Heather! The size is really cool and different, while still being easy to install.
Hi Robin! Didn’t Ben do a great job?!? He was so happy with these tiles.
Hey Amy, I think it’s totally do-able. Especially if you get a tile that’s easy to work with. Some are very fragile and make cutting difficult, but these were great. Good luck!!
Hey Cindy! Here’s a link so you can see everything: http://www.arizonatile.com/CEBU-P736.aspx Pierce flooring, a Montana based store, carries these. Check out the ‘locations’ tab at the top to see if there’s a carrier near you.
Thanks!
Amanda
loveandrenovations
/ May 17, 2012I love that tile! It looks fabulous in there!
Sallyhp
/ May 18, 2012You’re making so much progress! And the projects you took timeouts for are definitely worth it. It’s such a great house!
abfchgirlx
/ May 18, 2012I love this! How much did the tile cost?
ourhumbleabowed
/ May 18, 2012Thanks, Loveandrenovations!
Hey Sallyhp! We had to take those breaks. Here’s to hoping we make bathroom progress this weekend.
Hi abfchgirlx, Thanks! The tiles are regularly listed at $4.30 or so per square foot, but Ben got contractor pricing so it cost $3.60 per square foot. Right around $500 for the tile in the bathroom, including the shower and we’ve got extra if we need it.
Thanks!
Amanda
Susan M
/ May 19, 2012wow. I can’t believe all you’ve accomplished already! I can’t wait to see the changes – you guys are so handy and willing to tackle any and everything – it looks great!
iheartorganizingjen
/ May 22, 2012That floor tile is so incredible, I am in love! We would only need like three tiles to do our whole bathroom
xoxo,
Jen
fhfrances
/ August 10, 2012This ain’t your conventional tile flooring which you just put on the floor. The DIY touches which this project has made it look a lot more unique and eye-catching! I can’t wait to see the finished bathroom.