The Daily Done: June 14

On June 14, I (almost) finished removing the tile floor in the bathroom. I've been working on this project in stages for a a while.

There were three different types of tile; not just different shades of beige, but different textures and materials. I guess this was a deliberate design choice by the previous homeowners and not a shortage of tile. The bathroom is small and it wouldn't be hard to find 25 of the same tile, even at a reuse store.  (You may note they also paired a beige toilet tank with a white bowl.)

The floor was a perfect example of how not to lay a tile floor. The tiles were not level, providing some sharp raised corners to trip over. The tiles weren't lined up properly, so the grout lines were crooked. Worst of all, they didn't plan the layout well. There was a big gap alongside the tub; they filled it with grout. That's the brown line on the left side of the picture.

The floor had to go. First, the fun part. Hammer time! I love demolition. :D

With the tiles gone, I was left with the thinset/mortar/whatever the heck they used to set the tiles.

For unknown reasons, there were two or three different types of thinset. You can see in the photo below that most of it is a sand color and was applied with a small-notch trowel. But in the upper and lower right part of the picture, it's a darker color and was applied with a larger notch trowel. Some of it scraped off easily. Some of it did not. After briefly laboring with a hammer and chisel, I called in reinforcements in the form of a carbide grout remover blade for my oscillating tool. I love power tools.

Even with a power tool, the job wasn't quick. Some of the thinset/mortar/kryptonite powder was practically indestructible. When it was finally all gone, I had a good laugh at the guide lines they had drawn on the cement board. (Why they didn't just use the pre-marked grid is another mystery.) No wonder the tiles were crooked. :P

All that remained was the ridiculously wide strip of grout alongside the tub. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to remove it without scratching the tub. But I was able to pop it loose in large pieces with my hammer and mini pry bar.

There are still two tiles left under the toilet. Obviously the toilet will have to be taken off before I can remove those. Then the new floor will be laid and the new toilet installed. As the house only has one bathroom, that operation will have to carefully planned.

Terrible tile floor removed... (almost) Done!