What brand and kind of grout for floor and shower tile? Thinset?

3 years ago

Unplanned budget item since some of my marble floor was damaged moving the plumbing. NOT the plumber's fault at all! I needed a tile ASAP, and had no time to wait on a better quality tile, so we bought it from Lowe's. All bought from the same lot. Since I am laying it myself, I need some advice. I know porcelain is more difficult to cut than ceramic. I have mostly installed and cut ceramic tile. I installed one porcelain tile in a laundry room.

I will either remove the old marble and build the floor up with concrete backerboard, then add new tile, My bathroom has a 1"-1.5" step down from the hall.

I will put concrete backerboard (??) on top of the old marble tile, then add new floor tile in my bathrooms.

Here is the tile (all of the same lot.)

I will use 12" x 24" tile vertically in the shower. This picture shows 12"x12" tile also.

Lowe's doesn't have the small subway tile in the picture below, but I could probably find a mosaic that would work.

Website says:

Glazed Porcelain for floor, countertop, backsplash, shower walls, fireplaces, etc.

Fully submersible

Stain resistant

No sealer required

Looks like Carrara marble

Matte finish - Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF) > 0.42

Edge type - pressed

Install with thinset mortar

Recommended 1/3 staggered, not 50/50

Recommended 3/16" or 1/1" grout lines

I know to watch for lots, and to mix the tiles from boxes and dryfit to make sure of the colors.

Now, for my questions about tiling the floor:

1. If I use concrete backerboard, does anything go under the backerboard? Or on top of the backerboard? I have never used concrete backerboard before. How does it get attached to the floor? Does anything need to be done to the seams?

2. I know that I will use a wet saw for most cuts. What kind of blade will I need?

3. How do I make curved cuts for the round toilet flange? Half the reviews say this is a hard tile to cut because it shatters or cracks. Half say it was easy to cut. I have never cut tiles for a toilet before.

4. What kind and brand of grout should I use?

5. Recommended thinset? Should I backbutter each tile also?

Thanks. The tub was set today and the 33" tall pony wall was built. I will add bracing for the shower doors and grab bars. I wish I could afford for someone else to tile my floor.....

Comments (4)

PRO
ProSource Memphis
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Hire a pro. The questions that you have show that you’re not ready to take this on. Large format is prone to lippage that can cut your feet if you don’t know how to eliminate that with a tuning system. 2 square feet of 12x24 tile is 5 times as hard to lay as one foot of 12x12.

You need specialty tools to handle the larger size tile. A standard tile saw won’t be able to handle that size tile. You need a specialty hole saw or a lot of skill with an angle grinder to cut a hole in it for the soil pipe. You need LHT thick bodied mortar, with a large trowel size. Slab foundations should be ground flat, then filled with SLC in the low spots. Only then can the tile be laid. And that’s when the lippage occurs. Grouting with Flexcolor CQ, which never needs sealing, requires two people, the right timing, and the experience to know when it’s ready to be wiped. Cleaning the grout haze is also more difficult. It’s the only grout I ever recommend though.

By the time you buy all the tools here, get enough practice to do this well, you could have hired a tiler.
Seabornman
3 years ago
I've cut porcelain tile with a cheap wet saw with the diamond blade that came with it. You cut inside curves by cutting lots of small cuts into the center and nipping off the pieces. It doesn't have to be beautiful; the toilet covers it. I've used modified mortar from big box stores with success. I haven't done large format floors, so can't comment on that part of installation.
Peke thanked Seabornman
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Should the grout be the same color? Not necessarily. Will it look weird to use a darker gray on the floor and a lighter gray in the shower? Not at all. Any recommended colors for the shower and floor tiles along these lines? I've been getting stuff at Lowe's and they carry MAPEI Warm gray for the subway tile, and silver for the hex, if you lke a darker grey for the hex. Silver is actually a medium grey, but it'll appear alot darker with the white tile. Our bathroom isn't perfectly square. I think a colored grout seam that is uneven will be really obvious(that's my understanding where you would do any flubbing). Can you grout just the seam white? Can you skip grout and caulk it? Any suggestions here? Grout everything on the floor the same color. it'll actually show up more if you try doing what you suggested. It'll literally draw attention to it. What you want to dpo is make sure that you're square to the most obvious walls from the door. Especially with the hex, it won't be quite as obvious as you think, unless it's WAY out, and then nothing you can do will hide it, even using a blending color grout. One other thing-- that joint where the floor hits the walls should be caulked, but still caulk it with a caulking that matches the grout, both color AND texture. Does anyone know what the measure is for hex tile and subway? For subway, use unsanded, and for the hex, use sanded.
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Peke
Original Author
3 years ago
I bought the 15 boxes of tiles at Lowe's. Waited for them to pull them off of a pallet with all the same lot number. Went to do other stuff. Went back to Lowe's. Gave up after 45 minutes. Told them I would be back later that night. Called them mid afternoon to make sure the tiles were pulled. They said they were. Went back at 6:30 p.m.. Not pulled yet. I ordered 10 more boxes for the other bathroom. Waited a half hour, then told them I would pick them up Tuesday morning.

Went this morning and they were still not pulled. I left while they pulled the tiles, and went back after lunch. Still not pulled. I waited a half hour, then got a refund of the $625.00. Good grief!

So, I will be looking for a new tile, probably 12" x 12" or maybe 18" x 18". That is the largest tile I have ever set. No problems whatsoever with it. I just have to find the right tile that I can set.

No tile pros around here, just people who tile and say they are pros. Been there...done that. I can do better than the pretend tile guys around here. Very, very rural area! I still have drywall texture to fix that a supposed pro did. I paid someone else to fix it, but it still looks bad. Not paying a third so-called pro. I will learn to do it myself.

Wish I lived in a larger town with actual pros!

What brand and kind of grout for floor and shower tile? Thinset?

Comments (4)

ProSource Memphis

Seabornman

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What brand and kind of grout for floor and shower tile? Thinset?

Comments (4)

ProSource Memphis

Seabornman

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PekeOriginal Author

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Peke
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