Hello,
I am a homeowner whose tile setter has disappeared. He set the tile (although he used the improper setting material) and has left me with the grouting (and filling in some big gaps where he didn’t put narrow pieces). The two biggest issues I have are these: 1) the far left side of the fireplace face has a gap of about 1/2″. The 12×12 tile (and the plywood he used as the backer board) end and then there is the “open space.” I can fill this with grout, I guess, but I need to put something behind it to give the grout something to lay on. Can I cut a very narrow piece of plywood, slip it in the slot and glue it to the concrete that is slightly recessed behind the space? This sounds confusing, so I will post a picture of this (and the second issue) at http://photos.yahoo.com/jegrayson. There is already a folder there for fireplace.
The second issue is on the far right side of the fireplace. The 12×12 has been set (for about 2 months) and when I went to grout that area, I noticed that the tile is cracked to bottom. I have extra, so should I remove it? It is a honed marble. The additional complication is that the tile should be trimmed every so slightly to make room for grout where the tile meets the wall. I don’t have a tile saw. At the moment, the cracked tile is flush to the wall. If I leave it in place, can I conceal the crack somehow? Should I bother trying to get grout in between the wall and tile?
Many thanks in advance.
Jocelyn (aka disheartened homeowner who loves her tile but hates the way it looks)
Edited 11/17/2004 1:07 pm ET by jocelyng
Replies
Your tilesetter should be shot. Yes, the right side cracked tile should be replaced ... it is way to visible. Take your replacement tile to Lowes, they will cut it for about 50 cents. The Lowes near me does that.
In the left side picture, what's all that crap slathered on the blue tape?
That lefdt side gap is too large for grout. Well, you could do it, but it will look bad. Are there any scraps of tile left that could be cut to fit there? It's a little late, but the tile setter should have done a better layout job, and that would not have happened. Looks like he should have started with a half tile.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Hi Ed,
I will call Lowe's and see if they will cut tile that I didn't buy there. I heard HD won't do that, but hopefully Lowe's will.
<In the left side picture, what's all that crap slathered on the blue tape?>
Well, there was a gap at the top of the 12x12 (below the cabinets on either side of the firebox). I thought I should fill that in with a little mortar (since I was re-mortaring the glass tile that he had installed with silicone...) so that the grout had something to lay on...There is the same gap on the right (not really visible from the photo), but I didn't put anything there because of the cracked tile issue.
<Are there any scraps of tile left that could be cut to fit there? >
I do have scraps. I assume I should have a short narrow strip that stops where it hits the baseboard molding? What should I put behind the strip to support it?
Many thanks.
Jocelyn
P.S. I agree about shooting the tile setter. If only he would come by so I could do it!
Edited 11/17/2004 2:52 pm ET by jocelyng
Ok, you say you're using mortar. Are you using thinset, or brick mortar? Really not much of a difference I guess, but mortar is usually used for brick and block, whereas thinset is used for tiles. Anyway, I hope you cleaned off the excess mortar while it was still wet. If not, you will be posting a new question here about how to clean dried thinset off granite tiles :)
I forget what you said in the original question ... how deep is the void you're trying to fill? You could use sanded grout up to about a half inch or 3/4" deep. If it's more than that, pack thinset into the void, leaving a small gap near the surface. When it dries (overnight) top it off with grout.
My mind is wandering ... sorry. If you can get Lowes to cut a piece of tile to the right width, fill the void with thinset and maybe butter the back of the tile with thinset, then press it intro place. If it goes too deep, pull it out and add m ore mortar. You may need to use masking tape to hold it in place overnight until the thinset hardens. Be sure to leave a little space for the grout ... if the thinset oozes out around the tile, wipe it off and gently dig out a little groove for the grout.
My daughter worked in Lowes flooring dept for a while, and they would cut anything that customers brought in. I was amazed at the quantity that some of the people would bring in.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Thanks much, Ed. As you correctly point out, I am using thinset. Sorry for the lack of precision. I will fill the void on the left with the thinset when I go back to re-set the new tile. I did call Lowe's and once again you are right. They will cut the tiles for me. Speaking of lack of precision, there is some excess thinset left on the top of the tile. (Here it comes) Can you help me with how to get that off? Can I use mineral spirits?
Thanks so much for your help.
Jocelyn
Oh you poor girl. You have been left with a real piece of crap by the tile setter. Once the thinset (and the grout) set up, not much will remove them. They contain cement, the same stuff that's in concrete. Do you suppose mineral spirits will dissolve the sidewalk? That's why it's important to clean the grout and thinset off unwanted areas while it's still fresh.
If you have thinset or grout globs left on the face of the tile, you can sometime carefully chip it off with a stiff paint scraper. Sometimes one of those green scrungie scrubbies from the kitchen sink will work. You can try a grout saw, which is a small hand tool sold at HD and Lowes for about $5. It has a plastic handle and a small blade that looks like coarse sand. Very useful for removing grout from between tiles, and can be used for all kinds of scraping. Be careful, you might scratch the face of the tile. Soem folks might suggest muriatic acid ... I have never had to do that, and I understand that it's dangerous stuff.
If I remember correctly, there's only a half dozen or so tiles on the front of the fireplace, at least in the area with the problems. I would seriously consider removing all of the and starting over. For one thing, you can do the layout correctly so there's not a real narrow rip on one end, which just screams "hack job". You can also just chip off all the errant thinset and grout and do it cleanly. Laying tile is not hard. And for an area this small, it would be a good place to learn.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Edited 11/18/2004 2:43 pm ET by Ed Hilton
There are nine tiles across the face of the fireplace, but there are also tiles along hearth. (There is a good shot of what the bottom looks like at http://photos.yahoo.com/jegrayson - first fireplace photo). You can see the gap a little bit from that picture. If I take out the tiles and line them up better, they will not be lined up with the tiles on the bottom. I will then be left with re-doing the entire fireplace. Since there isn't any money in the budget for that right now, is it your advice to wait and not bother grouting until I can redo the whole thing?
Jocelyn
Edited 11/18/2004 4:30 pm ET by jocelyng
Tough decision. One thought would be to leave everything as is until you can afford to tear it our and re-do it properly. Seeing th mess everyday would remind you. The other option is to grout it with the intention of doing it at a later date ... like right after you organize the Christmas card list, or after you clean out the file cabinet that's overflowing etc.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt