My First Bathroom Remodel (with pics)

[RifRaf]

Jeff, Thanks for the heads-up about the PVC toilet flange with the stainless-steel ring. I plan on using the PVC/stainless-steel ring toilet flange shown below.

The reason my flange hole (cut into the tile) is a little larger than the PVC hub in the subfloor was due to the “funnel shape” on the underside of the PVC portion of the toilet flange (red arrow). I wanted to be sure that the flat portion of the of the PVC (green arrow) rested securely/was flush on the top of the floor tile.

I also have stainless-steel screws that will be used to secure the toilet flange to the subfloor below the tile (after drilling the correct size holes in the tile).

Originally Posted by Gozo

You made a very nice circle cutout.

I learned how to cut circular holes into tiles by purchasing a 4” ceramic cutting disc for my angle grinder…
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
… and watching the YouTube video shown in the link below (cutting circles starts at 18 minutes into the video).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=aOxBqHNeOQ8

P.S… What you don’t see posted are photos of the practice cut holes I made into scrap pieces of tile prior to cutting the good pieces of floor tile.

[RifRaf]

I got the shower floor tiles installed…

… but I do have a question about setting the drain cover height prior to grouting.

When I installed the Wedi drain cover, it sat too low within the tiles.
When I used the plastic drain cover extension that was included with the Wedi drain cover, it was too tall.


I cut the drain cover extension so the top of the drain cover was positioned just barely below the surrounding floor tiles.

Is this drain cover height acceptable?... or should the top of the drain cover sit a little lower below the surrounding tiles?

[cx]

So long as it's below the surface of the tiles, Mike, it's fine. The optimum, I believe, is about 1/32nd of an inch below the tile.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[RifRaf]

CX, Thanks for the information about the shower floor drain height!

The clearance from top of my drain cover to the lowest portion of the surrounding tile is a little less than 1/32" (probably closer to 1/64")... but still below the tiles on all four sides of the square drain.

[RifRaf]

I am getting ready to grout the shower floor and have a “rookie” question.

I will be using an epoxy grout per the Wedi installation instructions. When applying the epoxy grout, is it okay if the grout gets into the 1/8” gap between the end of the floor tiles and the un-tiled Wedi wall panels and curb (red lines)?... or should I try to maintain this gap?

[ss3964spd]

You'll want to avoid filling that gap, Mike, leave room for expansion and contraction. Just remove any excess after grouting and, of course, before the epoxy sets up.

Curious though, I wonder why Wedi recommends an epoxy grout?

[cx]

Me, too.

[RifRaf]

Dan, Thanks for the advice!

Originally Posted by ss3964spd

Curious though, I wonder why Wedi recommends an epoxy grout?

It has to do with the size of the tile being installed on top of the Wedi shower pan.

The Wedi installation instructions state...
"When tiling with a square size of 2 in. × 2 in. (50.8 × 50.8 mm) or more, install using a polymer modified cement based tile adhesive and grout. When tiling with a square size of less than 2 in. × 2 in. (50.8 × 50.8 mm), install using a polymer modified cement based tile adhesive and use a 100 % solids epoxy grout. When tiling with a square size of 1 in. × 1 in. (25.4 × 25.4 mm) or less, install using a 100% solids epoxy tile adhesive and grout."

My floor tile true measurements are just under 2" square (1 7/8" x 1 7/8"). When I spoke to the local Wedi Rep, he stated I should use the epoxy grout for my size floor tiles to maintain the Wedi warranty.

[RifRaf]

Had a slight change in plans due to the epoxy grout (for the shower floor tiles) that needed to be ordered from the manufacturer… so during this down time, I decided to go with my original plan and install the bathroom floor tiles prior to tiling the shower walls.
In a way, this seemed to work out better for me due to the fact that I had never done this type of work before and installing the floor tiles first gave me some practice with thinset and grout application prior to stating on the shower portion.

First, I installed the NobleSeal membrane with modified thinset and let that set-up a few days before installing the floor tiles.


Since this bathroom was so small, I had to spread out the installation of the floor tiles over a few days to give myself some room to work (Is it just me that thinks working on a smaller bathroom is harder than working on a larger one due to lack of space ).


Once I had all of the floor tiles installed, I let them set up for a couple days before I applied the grout.
Below is the finished bathroom floor with grout. I will be sure to protect the new floor while I installed the shower wall tiles and curb.


This brings me to a couple of questions about grout sealers.

• Are grout sealers recommended for sanded grout?
• … and if so, what brands of grout sealers are recommended?
• How long should I wait before applying the sealer to the new grout?

[ss3964spd]

Sanded or unsanded - makes no difference to the sealer, Mike. At least not to the sealer I used on my bathroom floor tile and sanded grout. The sealer I used, Aqua Mix Sealer's Choice Gold, says to wait 48 hours after grouting. Certainly to allow the grout sufficient time to cure.

And yeah, I also found that working in a small bathroom can be a little more challenging than working in a larger one.

[RifRaf]

Dan, Thanks for the recommendation on the grout sealer!

I was looking at the Aqua Mix Sealer's Choice Gold... and also to Miracle 511 Impregnator Sealer. I only need to seal the grout since the ceramic tile I have (for both the bathroom floor and the shower) is glazed.

I will wait a few days for the grout to completely cure prior to applying the sealer.

P.S... I also wanted to thank you again for your suggestion to make smaller batches of grout... and grout smaller sections of tile when using a rapid set grout. I used this method and it definitely helped me with the application and cleaning of the grout!

Before I began to use the grout, I emptied the entire contents of the grout bag into an empty 5 gallon bucket and thoroughly mixed the dry grout so that any colorant within the grout was equally dispersed. I then used a digital scale to carefully measure the dry grout and water mixture ratio so I could repeat the same proportions to keep the grout color consistent as I prepared a new batch.

I plan to use this same technique when I apply grout to the shower.

[ss3964spd]

I dunno what brand of epoxy grout you plan to use on your shower floor, Mike, but I used Spectralock Pro Premium on mine. It is available in "full's" and "mini's". I used mini's because, having some experience with Spectralock, there's no way I can get through a full unit. I found the mini's are just the right amount for me to be able to install and clean up at one time, and no need measure out the parts A and B (both liquids) and part C (the solids).

If you visit Laticrete's web site you can find a table that will tell you how much you'll need for your given floor and tile sizes.

[RifRaf]

Dan, Thanks for the info regarding the Laticrete Spectralock Pro Premium epoxy grout! I visited the Laticrete website and saved the link for future reference.

Because I already purchased Ardex FL sanded grout for the shower walls, I selected the Ardex WA epoxy grout for the shower floor so both grout colors would match. The reason the epoxy grout had to be ordered from the manufacturer was due to expired epoxy grout that was in the tile store. The local Ardex rep was great in helping me get new product.

I also watched a couple YouTube videos on the application and cleaning of the Ardex WA epoxy grout and it seemed very doable for me. Unfortunately, the Ardex WA epoxy grout only comes in one size (about 9 lbs when mixed) so I'm sure I will not use it all.

I plan on applying the epoxy grout today.

[ss3964spd]

Good luck Mike! I really like using Spectralock epoxy grout. Hope your experience with the Ardex is just a good.

[RifRaf]

Thanks Dan!
I applied the Ardex epoxy grout to the shower floor today and all went well! I am very please with how it turned out.
I followed the directions… and there were no surprises. The main thing was to get the epoxy grout out of the bucket after mixing in the hardener. I just scooped out several small piles of grout onto the shower floor and then worked the grout into the joints. Clean-up was pretty easy too.