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DIY Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile can be a great Do-It-Yourself project. Knowing how is the key...

Welcome to our DIY Tile Zone

Ceramic tile offers nearly infinite choices for design and decorating in your home. We'll talk about styles and methods here, and offer tips from around the Internet for working with tile.

What makes tile fun? It's like Lego! You can install ceramic tile one piece at a time, and the tools required aren't too intimidating. Done right, the results can be stunning!

Are you a Tile Pro? Consider applying to be a co-editor of this zone. Have a great tile article you'd like to see highlighted here? Leave a Comment, and I'll get in touch.

Let's make this zone a collaborative effort. Love to have your input!  ~Jim

Do you have a question about repairing or installing tile?

If you'd like answers to tile questions please stop in at the Home Repair Clinic. If I can't answer your request, I'll find someone who can!  ~Jim

by Jim Bessey

What's more fun than doing a tile job? - choosing the tile! Shopping at tile stores is a sensory experience. So many shapes, sizes, textures, patterns and colors to choose from; it's enough to make y...More>
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Featured Tile Tip

USE SPACERS:

For perfect layout every time, with uniform spacing of your tiles throughout, use Tavy Spacers to separate tiles. These simple and reusable plastic tile spacers help you achieve professional-quality results on floors and walls.

Choose grout line sizes from 1/16" to 3/8." Different sizes use different colors to help prevent mistakes. Tavy Spacers are sold at Lowes and most pro-level tile retailers. Bags of about 100 (plenty for most jobs) sell for just under five dollars.

How to install ceramic floor tiles next to wood flooring

by Jim Bessey

Ceramic tile floors form a natural complement to hardwood floors. The trick lies in how you transition from tile to wood. Since the two materials are so dissimilar, they expand and contract at very d...More>
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by Rachelle de Bretagne

Tiling comes in so many different shades and sizes these days that you really can update the look of a bathroom very quickly and attain a professional finish with a bit of thought and care in the proc...More>
9 articles  Write NowWrite

Do you DIY Tile?

Would you consider doing a ceramic tile job yourself?
Yes, of course
No way, not happening
Maybe, if you help me
I'm afraid of the wetsaw!
Puhleaze, not if it means my hands will get dirty!

DIY

by Debbie Robus

I have nothing against interior decorators. I enjoy perusing magazines that highlight their work. I ...More>
25 articles  Write NowDebate It

Hire

by Susie Brown

Hire Hire Hire! Not only do I believe you should hire the professional; if you want to insure your p...More>
11 articles  Write NowDebate It

Jim's tile blog

on Jan 18, 09 at 09:09 PM

Foyer powder room floor is small but eye-catching

Our very latest DIY tile job was one of the smallest floors I've ever done, for our brand new powder room.

We used left-over ceramic tiles from a couple previous jobs, blending them for a unique effect. With less than 16 square feet to cover, this project called for simplicity. We hoped to achieve a touch of elegance, while blending this new tile floor into our existing tile foyer.

Each area uses shades of brown and tan, and features large (12" square or 13" square) tiles accented with much smaller tiles. The foyer pattern uses two accent tile sizes in a symmetrical diamond pattern - much too busy for the new powder room.

We thought at first to make a basic inset border using the brown tiles. Even this was too much, so we opted for an asy

by Duane Craig

Tile evokes a feeling of permanence and luster. More and more it is considered an upgrade to other materials and it is easy to care for. Whether you are tiling a wall, a shower or a floor the process ...More>
1 articles  Write NowWrite

by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

A Primer : How to Install Ceramic Floor Tiles: A beautifully-finished ceramic floor tile is elegant, easily maintained, and will last many years if installed carefully and correctly. Many colours, e...More>
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A flash of tile slideshow

by Sharona B

Ceramic tiles have been a popular material for interior and exterior decoration for thousands of years. They come in all shapes and sizes, different colours and glazes and can be used plain, decorate...More>
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Shower walls in 6x6 slate

Famous Quotes in Tile History

* "Give me a tile floor, or give me death" contributed by Glory Lennon

* "Ask not for whom the tile breaks; it breaks for thee"

* "I regret that I have but one tile floor to give for my country home"

* "We're gonna need a bigger tile saw!"

Do you have a famous quote to contribute? Use the Comments form below.

by Keith Fant

There's a lot of ways to do tile floors it's so easy you can do it yourself your basic tools are a tile saw which you can rent one or you can pick a small one up for about $20.00 bucks which is cheap...More>
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by Jim Bessey

Ceramic tiles and kitchen counter tops don't always mix well. There was a time when the idea of covering your existing laminate tops with lovely tiles was very inviting. After all, it's a manageable D...More>
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by Rachelle de Bretagne

Tiling a kitchen floor is quite simple and can be managed by most Do it yourself handymen and women if the job is given thought. Calculating the amount of tiles that you want is pretty easy. Simply me...More>
5 articles  Write NowWrite

by Scott Scott

You've had it. You have finally decided to stop looking at that boring concrete floor, but what can you do? Ceramic tile is a great choice to dress up a concrete floor and to help make any room more ...More>
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by Jim Bessey

When you accent your bathroom with tile, you can add instant pizazz. Paint gives you color choices, and wallpaper offers patterns. With tile, however, you can create exciting artistic designs using co...More>
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by Kimberley Heit

Selecting a bathroom floor tile is an important decision, not only does it have a strong influence on your bathrooms appearance, but once laid it is a semi permanent fixture. You need to consider the ...More>
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Zone Manager

Helium member since Aug 20, 07
Company:
D'Zyne Construction
Title:
Owner
Education:
Finger Lakes Community...AAS Business Administration
Number of Zones: 9

Comments (1 to 10 of 24)

zteve t evans
Nov 25, 09 at 08:51 PM
Jim, This is really helpful and informative. Thanks!
Glory Lennon
Jul 18, 09 at 01:19 PM
"Give me a tile floor or give me death?" I'm pretty sure that's how it goes, isn't it? Great zone!
Ethel Smith
May 23, 09 at 06:28 PM
Good job Jim. Need to point Hubby in this direction but not as a pro as a learner :)
Nan Keltie
May 04, 09 at 02:52 PM
Enjoyed visiting your zone, Jim. Great layout!
Jim Bessey
Apr 26, 09 at 01:58 PM
Great to see you, Ray -- it's been too long. Thanks for stoppping by!
Raymond Alexander Kukkee
Apr 20, 09 at 09:39 PM
Handy and helpful zone, Jim! Great topic for DIY'ers !
Jim Bessey
Apr 19, 09 at 03:27 AM
Thanks so much for dropping by Carlie, Ken and Molly! Did you know you can ask questions and get answers? Here's the group link for the Home Repair Clinic: http://www.helium.com/groups/groupshow/26
Carlie Lawson
Apr 18, 09 at 02:17 AM
Jim, what an awesome Zone. I have to grout my bathroom eventually. Now I know what to read first.
Ken Bradford
Mar 26, 09 at 11:38 AM
Great job, Jim. I have a bathroom to do and may need some help.
Molly O'Shea
Mar 20, 09 at 02:36 AM
Jim, yet another fantastic Zone. If I ever get ready to do something about the faulty grout in my floors, I'll know where to start looking. I bet you know something about that, too. Well done!

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Featured Tile Pic

Foyer Faux Mosaic Tile creates dramatic entry

Helium executive Andrew Ressler sent us this photo from his most recent DIY tile project.

He wrote: " The tile I bought from Home Depot. I put it on over cement board also from Home Depot. I used a color-matched grout to really make it look nice. I used a 3/16" grout spacing. I think it looks better than the 1/8" that the store recommended. "I put two coats of sealer on the grout just to be sure. The tile was porcelain and didn't need a sealer.

"The biggest challenge was cutting the tile on the edges were it met a wood floor. I didn't want to cheat with an overlaid piece of wood. Just one more thing to trip over. So I used a tile saw that allowed you to move the tile tray to get more accurate cuts than one were you move the tile over the tray."

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