Home improvment--re-tiling?

[minnie-mouse]

Does anyone have experience with tiling a bathroom? We currently have the small 4x4 standard tiles all over our master bathroom and are looking to get ceramic tiling done and the floor and in the shower. But we have no clue how much something like this will cost, or what types of tile will be best. Any ideas? Weare definitely leaning toward something that looks nice, but is on the cheaper side, maybe 6x6 ceramic tiles or something. Nothing too fancy.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

[DizneyRox]

Quotes I've seen indicate about $4-5 a sq/ft for just the labor to install tile. Add that to the cost of the tile, and possibly the backerboard. If you are retiling, I would bet that you're going to have to go right down to the studs and start from there. It's get costly pretty quick.

Don't skimp on tiles. It's a pretty big investment and saving a couple cents a tile just doesn't make much sense in the grand scheme of things.

[RenDuran]

I tiled our kitchen counters and backsplash about 10 years ago. I've been wanting to do the bathrooms since, but with kids I don't have that kind of time to redo entire rooms.

Anyway, do your homework before you get started. It's not a hard job, but you want to make sure you get everything right the first time. I didn't cut one tile right and I'm still looking at it, 10 years later, thinking that I'll have to cut it out and fix it one day!

[Dakota Rose]

My husband and I own a tile installation business. If you're looking for an inexpensive way to re-tile your bathroom, here are a few suggestions.
1. Choose bigger tiles. 12 and 18 inch tiles look very nice and are usually cheaper to install. A lot of installers won't tell you that they charge more for the small tiles, but they often do because it's as much work to install 4" tiles as it is to install 12" tiles but there's more to be installed. Make sense?

2. Buy the tile yourself from a home improvement store instead of going through a specialty store or design house. Make sure your installer tells you how many tiles to buy including 20-25% overage for mistakes or breakage.

3. Do the tear-out yourself.

4. Often you can get a better rate for jobs scheduled in the winter or paid for in advance.



Hope that helps. :)

[DizneyRox]

4. Often you can get a better rate for jobs scheduled in the winter or paid for in advance.

Never ever give a contractor complete payment up front. Chances are, you'll be waiting a lot longer for a finished job than paying when it's done. IT's possible you never even see them again.

If they are providing the materials, then it IS customary to pay up to 50% down at the start, then the rest upon completion, but never the whole amount prior to any work getting done.

Too many bad contractors out there that spoil it for the good ones.

Also remember, at least three estimates, AND make sure they know you're getting others. DO NOT tell them who, just that you are. And if you're willing to do it on a cash basis, that might help keep costs down. But remember, it's a cash discount, not a check, not a bill me later, cash on completion.

[minnie-mouse]

I guess we will just have to meet and get some estimates and go from there. I had no idea about the bigger tile being cheaper, I love the 12x12, but thought it would be too expensive. Thanks for the advice!

[kaerbear178]

I am a sales consultant for a large distribution company on the west coast and a semester away from being an interior designer. I do tile design ALL DAY LONG. I completely agree about the 12x12 tiles it makes the space look much bigger. The other benefit is that you have less grout lines to clean! Look for a procelain tile, they are better quality than ceramic, especially for the floor. Also try to get a tile that comes with trim pieces. A lot of cheaper tiles don't come with bullnose and your installer will send you on a wild goose chase to try to find something to go with it. For the shower pan you will need nothing bigger than a 4x4 so keep that in mind when looking at tiles. 2x2's are nice because they come on a mesh backing. Let me know if you have any more design questions!

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks Karen. About how much do you think I am looking at having to spend to do a retile job? I have no clue just yet. Do you think 12x12 tile be too big for a bathroom floor of about 4'x6'? I love the idea of less grout. Would that mean I should do 12x12 in the shower as well?

[kaerbear178]

Tara,
12x12 would be fine on your bathroom floor. Try to do it on the diagonal - it costs a little bit more for installation but looks nicer and makes the room appear bigger.
Do you want to tile all the way up to the ceiling? A nice look is to do 12x12 straight lay up the wall to about eye height, then do a border above that, and 6x6 on the diagonal at the top. You could also do it all 12x12 staight and still have a band of something that goes around. The best way to get an inexpensive liner is to buy something that is on a mesh like a sheet of 2x2's. They can be cut into strips so you get a lot more liner for your money.
I'm not sure what you will spend on the actual tile job itself since we don't do any installation and things tend to be a little pricier in San Diego. For tile at my store the average is $4-$5 per square foot. We tend to sell higher quality stuff but you can find less expensive tile that is still nice.
Let me know if you have more questions!
Karen

[magicofdisney]

On a home improvement show I saw recently, they poured some sort of cement mixture over the sub-floor and then textured and designed it, giving it the appearance of tile. It was really nice looking. I think the costs were comparable to tile installation. You can get a multitude of colors and designs. I'm thinking of going this route when we get ready to pull the carpet on our first floor.