Half Bath Renovation: Setting the Tiles

With all the tiles dry fitted and cuts done, it was time to mix up a batch of thinset and place them in. Oh, if only it was that easy.

When all the pieces were definitely where we wanted them, I decided to label them with blue masking tape using the numbers 1-25, as there were that many pieces used. To make sure they were all placed where they needed to go back after piling them up and moving them away so the thinset bed could be laid, I drew up a simple guide with grid paper. I didn’t have to refer to the grid, but that is probably because I drew one up. I’m certain the results would have been disastrous had I skipped this step!

So while I piled up the tiles, my partner mixed up the thinset, wearing the proper personal protective equipment like goggles and face mask of course, and then I vacuumed up the floor well to get rid of any dust, hair, dirt, flakey thingies that might be on the backer board and cause adhesion issues. Once everything was prepped, it was time to start spreading thinset onto the backer board. This process shouldn’t be that complicated, but somehow I managed. You see, the space is small, and I mean very small, and there are obstacles and hazards at every turn… literally. I only got ten tiles put in while I was physically in the bathroom before I had to move out of it to continue because there wasn’t room enough for me and the sink, which I don’t even know why we still had in there because the plan is to replace it, but then again, it came in handy after I put in the first tile and needed to wash the excess off quickly so I could wipe down the tile that had thinset fingerprints all over the top of it. And of course, this would also be the perfect time for the toilet’s shut off valve to decide to start leaking! Brilliant! Actually I believe my exact words were, “That’s just great!” as my partner can attest to because I said it at least a hundred times.

Okay, so, to get the best adhesion possible and to even out the tiles, I spread the thinset and notched it using the notchy side of the mortar trowel, and then spread thinset onto the back of the tile itself, trying to fill up thin areas before laying them down. Let’s just say, this works well in your head, but had varying results in the real world. I had to keep telling myself, this is only the half bath and not a large area and is practice for the laundry room and kitchen and main bath so don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Which, well, let’s be honest… it is far from perfect. I mean, it’s difficult to make perfect grout line areas when the tiles are not perfectly square! Oh well, that is the charm of slate, and the results will not be that noticeable as we are using 1/8” spacers for that thin of a grout line. Our original plan was to simply butt them up to one another, but everything I read about that in a bathroom or kitchen was that it caused mold and mildew to form between the tiles, and with all the issues we’ve had with those fungi in our house, we decided it would be best to not encourage them to find new hiding places.

With all the tiles in place, and my hands now covered in thinset, we now have to wait for a couple days to ensure enough drying time. I believe the plan is to go to Coco’s Fine Tile and Marble and get some sealant and grout so we can finish the project. Well, the tiling part of it anyway! This has all been a learning experience so far, and things I’ve learned from thinset so far, is next time I tile I’m wearing gloves because my fingertips, after a thorough scrubbing with lots of hot soapy water, feel like they have a million tiny shards of glass embedded in them, which, of course, they probably do! Oh, and one more thing; while I did have knee pads on, they should come with a warning that in order for them to stay on your knees while doing a project, they have to be tight enough to cut off circulation to your legs, feet and toes. What the hell is that all about?