Bathroom Progress: Patched Tile Floor

By Kate Riley March 27, 2012

Slowly we’re making progress on the hall bathroom remodel and last week’s job was patching the tile floor.  Since we did some demolition a few weeks ago and later reworked the vanity adding a new base with furniture feet, it was necessary to patch the tile on the floor underneath.  Thankfully I had a few pieces leftover from the original tile installation four years ago – finally my home improvement "we might need that later” hoarding paid off. 

We learned after the demo that the vanity was sitting on the subfloor so the first step was adding ½” backer board to ensure the tile installation was even.  Exciting shot, isn’t it?  One of my best! 

backerboard

 

The process for patching the tile floor was basically the same as when we installed the tile kitchen backsplash last year. 

steps to patching floor 1-4

1) Spread tile adhesive with notched edge of trowel and install tiles in a grid pattern on top, using spacers to preserve even spacing between tiles. 2) Cut any pieces with a tile saw to fit edges to cover floor. 3) Allow adhesive to dry for a day, then mix sanded grout and fill in between tiles with smooth edge of trowel. 4) Sponge away excess grout and allow it to cure until solid (1-2 days).

And here is our floor a few days later – all patched and ready for the vanity’s return.

patched tile floor

 

We brought the revamped vanity with its new furniture feet back upstairs – it’s only been primed and still needs painted but I’ll get around to that soon.

new vanity hall bathroom

 

I stacked a few rows of the 2” x 4” glass tile I chose to see if I’d love it and so far I do.  Those rows of offset tile are held up by a sample of Bondera tile mat temporarily stapled to the wall but not permanently attached.  Anyone used this product to install tile on your walls?  I’m curious if it’s as good as classic thinset in both application and durability.  Your opinions please.

offset blue glass tile

 

What’s left to do in the bathroom remodel:

  1. Repair and retexture walls
  2. Fix door trim and baseboards
  3. Choose, order, and install countertops
  4. Rewire electrical on wall for two sconces
  5. Install glass tile backsplash to ceiling
  6. Paint vanity cabinet
  7. Paint walls
  8. Hang new mirror, sconces, and ceiling fixture
  9. Install new sink and faucet

 

I’ll keep you posted as we progress.  Next up, the big countertop decision.  I’ve had little success finding affordable marble or CaesarStone remnants in the vicinity so I’m leaning towards white quartz.  Who’s installed it, where did you get it, and how do you like it?  Any other solid surface bathroom countertops you recommend?  Do share your experience cause I need to make a decision quick!

.

54 comments

  1. Looks fantastic so far! After tiling downstairs at my place I realised tiling is such a hard job but well worth the effort when you get a finished space on a budget! I’m dying to have a go at remodelling my own bathroom so I’m looking forward to seeing the results of yours :) xx

    Anna (My Design Ethos)

  2. Love the tile so far and that cabinet. Look forward to seeing the bathroom complete.
    Enjoy your day!

  3. Looks great so far! We’re working on our only bathroom, so I can completely empathize with the process. Have to say, I’m a little jealous that you have another bathroom you can use so you could completely redo this one! LOL!

  4. Oooh, it’s really looking good! I love how the glass backsplash looks with the vanity and the floor tile.

    Funny — we’re in the middle of a bathroom remodel, too, except we just (I am embarrassed to say) ripped OUT tile that we had put IN just a couple of years ago. I have a foot injury that makes it hard to walk on tile/concrete/etc… Can you believe it? I never thought I’d rip it out so soon.

    Can’t wait to see how it all turns out!!

    ~Angela~

  5. Looking so wonderful so far!!..My home is 7 years old and I want to change out all the tile!!…The glass tile years ago was so pricey as that product was fairly new…but it has certainly become more affordable now, so I hope there is some glass tile in my future…

    Thanks for the update…anxiously awaiting the big reveal!

  6. Love the vanity!!! And the tile… and the existing blue tile you had on the floor… I’m sure it will look just lovely when you are done!!

  7. I am in love with the greenish-blue subway tile back splash! So pretty!! And what an upgrade the little legs made to the vanity…smarty pants.

  8. I love how the vanity looks like a piece of furniture with the legs added,so simple but such an impact.I used the tile mat instead of a traditional thinset in my boys bathroom and loved it!I did a glass tile on the wall behind the vanity also and it couldnt have been easier.It has been up for a year now and the tile is holding just as well as a thinset application.It was so easy to cut and apply to the wall,and held the tile up perfectly til I was ready to grout.Cant wait to see the room finished,it will be gorgeous!

  9. We just got new granite countertops for our kitchen. We went with a local shop (WAY cheaper than the big stores!) and the guy we worked with recommended granite over quartz. More durable and cheaper. I was surprised by that. I walked into his store knowing which Caesarstone I wanted. He sold me on granite and I absolutely love it!!!! You can see our counters here ~ http://lindahwmh.blogspot.com/2012/03/counter-top-o-morning-to-me.html

    Can’t wait to see your finished bathroom. Sounds beautiful!! ~Linda

  10. With more and more health issues being linked to radon in granite,my husband and I are re-thinking our choice for countertops in our current bathroom renovation. I’ve sourced out recycled glass countertops and have found them to be beautiful AND affordable.

    Good luck with your reno. You’re so creative! I love to see your transformations.

  11. WOW – I love how you have taken your original cabinet and given it new life – it looks great. I love the glass tiles. Your bathroom is certainly going to be centsational!!!

  12. I love the feet on the vanity and the glass tile. I’ve been thinking about a ‘spa’ look for the main bathroom but wasn’t sure how the glass tile would look. I’m impressed.

    We had porcelin tile installed in the kitchen 12 years ago and the grout needs help, pieces have chipped out and I don’t like the pale color, it stains too easy. Any tips on how to change the color and patch?

  13. Looks great so far. I’ve used both the Lowe’s Bondera and the Home Depot Simple Mat (backsplash, fireplace surround, walls in laundry room) Hands down, I would go with the Simple Mat. Bondera was an exhausting, sticky, mess and we ended up having to go back and fix it with thinset. Simple Mat was a breeze to use – would definitely recommend. No – I have no affiliation with with product or store – I’m just really opinionated.

  14. I love what you are doing with the bathroom, Kate. Those glass tiles are really going to make the space. Some friends installed quartz in their kitchen a couple of years ago. It looks absolutely beautiful, and has a lovely silky feel when you touch it.

  15. Your bathroom looks fantastic, I love the vanity and the colours are going to be so pretty. As far as countertops go. I know that everyone is all about the solid surface, granite, quartz, etc., but honestly I still love laminate. It is the most durable, easy to install, inexpensive product out there and it comes in the best colours and designs now that look just like real stone. I previously had one that had a granite look and I loved it, had it for many years and it never showed a mark. Now, I am renovating my kitchen and am again going with laminate. Belanger makes a new product now called 180FX, it is fantastic and mine is called Silver Travertine in the Marabella profile. I don’t have it yet, but you can take a look at it here http://www.belanger-laminates.com/pages/EN_comptoirs.html. There are a lot of great things being said about it by designers etc. Good luck!

  16. Kate,
    Love all of your projects. Regarding the tile mat, I can share my experience. We used this on our kitchen back splash last year, which is regular 3×6 subway tile, and it holds up great. When install, make sure you measure and cut the mat precisely, once you place it on the wall, it sticks real good, hard to make adjustments. Same goes with placing the tile on it, don’t press until you’re sure, or you will pull the adhesive out with the tile. If needed, cut strips of the mat to patch up little areas. Your tile is small and light enough, the tile mat will works perfectly. I didn’t see any tile slide off from where I placed them, even before the grout. If you’re lucky your wall is flat enough so there’s no noticeable curve, unlike traditional thinset, it is harder to make up for the uneven wall using the tile mat. I had to layer the mats gradually to remedy the wall issue. Good luck! I’m sure it’ll be amazing when you’re done with the bathroom.

  17. I have used the tile mat to put up a glass tile backsplash in our kitchen, and I think it was great! It holds VERY well! The disadvantage, I feel, is that because it is so sticky, you can’t really move the tile around if it isn’t perfectly straight like you can with thinset, but i think for time and messiness factors, it is awesome!

  18. I love it!! All of it. I have a vanity similar, wall to wall. Question, how hard was it to get the vanity out and re installed? You are an inspiration!!

  19. It is looking great! Ceasarstone is the best, (we have it in the kitchen)…granite is also lovely…
    I have heard that the little stores have remnants that you can get almost for a song….
    Our remnant (for the bathroom) was “cheap” to buy, but the cutting and installation ended up costing quite a bit more…
    Nancy

  20. I had a Cambria quartz countertop installed in my kitchen less than a year ago. It’s fantastic. Very easy to live with and maintain. We have onyx in our bathroom now and it’s all discoloured from water stains. As far as I can tell the quartz is virtually indestructible. Reno is looking great so far, keep up the good work!

  21. Kate, I love how the bathroom is transforming so far. I can completely picture that gorgeous glass tile on the whole wall. What a great statement in a bathroom. Love the look. And the cabinet update is really awesome. Love the feet on it. What is the technical term or name for those feet? I have an old piece of furniture from my Grandma that I want to redo one day and I would love to put new feet on it and I think this style would be perfect. Thanks! You must be so excited with this bathroom remodel. I for one can’t wait to see that wall of glass tile go up. :)

  22. I’ve used bondera for a kitchen backsplash project and hated it. It is definitely cleaner than thinset but difficult to cut, get off your fingers, etc. I think I would go with Classic thinset or maybe even thinset spray before I did the adhesive tile mat option again. We have silestone quartz in our kitchen and we really like it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with so I can imitate it for my master bath renovation.

  23. Thinset any day over Bondera. I just used some Bondera for part of my kitchen backsplash. You can see the black grid through the glass tiles on the edges after grouting (my glass tiles have a backing to keep the color true). I’m finishing the rest of my tile job with thinset. It’s just as time consuming unless you want to grout in a hurry.

  24. the color of the tile looks nice. have you thought about turning the tile pattern vertical i.e. so it would look like bamboo shoots close to each other. just like the pic(vertical tile with black vanity) you’d incld with your original inspiration post for this bath.
    Keep the countertop light & not too much veining if it’s stone you pick. quartz is a good choice. have it on my kitchen countertops. They have more uniform color & lighter colors are easily available. even ikea(kitchen) sells them & see if you can get a good deal there.
    best of luck & will look great when finished.

  25. Recently used Bondera to install a backsplash in my sister’s kitchen. I have no doubts about the durability b/c that stuff is STICKY. What I found it lacked because of this was the “wiggle room” you get with thinset. Literally. Anything that is not perfectly set the first time is really hard to adjust. We found this left us with some not-quite-perfect joints that really showed once we grouted the tile. So durable, yes. Ease of use, no. Hope that helps!

  26. I’ve never commented before, but I thought I would add my 2 cents on the Bondera question since there were only a few comments about it. I haven’t used that specific product, but I have used SimpleMat and LOVED it!! I don’t think I would ever tile without it. I was sceptical about it and the price is a bit higher than traditional thinset, but the time it saved was well worth it. It also allowed us to work on our backsplash over the course of a few days without too much hassel. The one downside, as other commenters have said, is that once you place your tile, it is pretty much stuck. So, a steady hand is key. I loved it so much I even convinced my father to use it when I helped him install tile in his own home.

    Thank you for your wonderful blog!!! I love reading about all of your projects!!

  27. Our carpenter did our kitchen backsplash tile with a similar type of sticky tile mat, although I don’t know if it was Bondera. We found it at Home Depot and he said he was willing to give it a try. After finishing the job he said it had been difficult to work with and he preferred thinset. But it turned out looking great anyway.

  28. Hi Kate, love the site! You have inspired me to begin DIY. In my kitchen and bathroom last year, I used Hanstone Quartz “Specchio White” which has a white base, and tiny mirror and greenish glass fragments embedded in it. It sparkles! I loved Cosentino’s Eco line, but it was $40.00 per square foot more. I’m in Canada, so that might have also been a factor. I LOVE my quartz counters, they are virtually stainproof. I managed (just barely) to remove black Sharpie and longwear deep red lipstick, both courtesy my children, with a little elbow grease and baking soda. It is easy to clean and looks gorgeous.

    • Thanks so much Rose (and everyone) on the countertop recommomendations! So glad the Quartz is easy to clean like you said… important with kids :)

  29. Nice work on the bathroom re-model! We are in the midst of a bathroom over-haul also so I can relate to your project. I love the glass tile you chose for your backsplash – we chose the same tile, just a smaller version. Can’t wait to see how it turns out! :)

  30. I am totally intrigued by the Bondera business. We’re tiling our shower/tub alcove and perhaps this will make it easier…or at least less messy!

  31. So I gather from the comments that Bondera is harder to use than regular thinset – but does that apply to people who have used neither??? I’ve never tiled ANYTHING, but would like to tile by kitchen backsplash (that isn’t that big). I don’t know anything about buying/mixing/prepping for regular thinset, but it seems like I can just slap up the Bondera and get to work. Hmmmmm…….

    • Hi Keri, the Bondera is designed to make things easier, but the tile is only as strong as the bond to the wall with the product, and that’s what I don’t know yet!
      Kate

  32. Recently did my kitchen in Cambria Quartz. I selected the Torquay which is white with gray and tan veining. Looks like marble and I love it. Cambria is made in the USA which is nice to support a domestic product. Good luck.

  33. I’ve got Caesarstone in Misty Carrera in my kitchen and it has performed beautifully for about 6 years. I’ve been very, very happy with it. No stains, no chips, no maintenance, super easy to keep clean. I’d love to try recycled glass in my bathrooms, though…if we ever get to the bathrooms!

  34. love your choices so far, everything looks great! next time you are grouting use a grout float instead of the metal trowel, so much easier and you won’t scratch any tile. Sold at any Lowe’s or Home Depot for less than $10…

  35. Do you remember what paint color is on the walls? I love it. It’s so soothing.

    • Hi Angie, the color is Behr’s Mountaoin Creek, it’s almost the same color as the tile!
      Kate

  36. @ tammylee: thanks for the info about the grout float for using with flooring tile. I have 2 boxes of leftover ceramic tile from when I did my hallway bathroom. I’m presently working on renovating my back bathroom when time & money permits. I’ve got plenty of the first one, not so much of the second one! LOL !! I’ll definitely get one of those grout floats you mentioned next week. I’ve got a bag with my supplies inside that bathroom, so nothing is getting lost. I’m working on trying to get the wall patched b/4 I put up the new medicine cabinet. Thanks again for the tip!

  37. @ Kate [CentsationalGirl] ~ when I had my hallway bathroom tiled with ceramic tile, the people that did it, told me to get some “Grout Sealer” that comes in a small bottle that you can get at either Lowe’s or Home Depot. The bottle comes with 2 sizes of applicator tips and you just roll it down the length of the grout. I’m told this step should be done about 1 week after the grout has dried. It helps to “waterproof” the fresh grout. Hope this helps you too! I’m new to your blog and find your projects very inspiring, informative & helpful. I know you revamped your old vanity cabinet and it looks like real wood ~ looks great by the way!! ~ where did you get it at? I’m looking around for an old dresser or an old cabinet [real wood] that I can “trick” out to become a new bathroom vanity. I like to re-purpose things if possible, but also have my eye on a vanity combo that I’ve recently seen. I’m not as far as you with my renovation, so can’t comment about any type of counter tops. Sorry.

  38. My fiancee and I are in the middle of a house re-model, which includes a bathroom re-model…and we found a FANTASTIC countertop at one of Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Stores. I’m sure you’re familiar with them, but check it out if you aren’t. They’re kind of hit or miss…it’s like a thrift store (oftentimes with unused items) for houses. Our countertop was a special order item that had apparently been made incorrectly, so what was once priced at $500+ is ours for only $15. Happyme.

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