![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greiner.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/IMG-20120602-00147.jpg\" "\\"Tile")
<\/a>I started to clean out the affected area, and discovered that a few more tiles were loose and had to be removed.\u00a0 So I cleaned and picked and cleaned and picked, and pretty soon the area to be repaired looked like this :<\/p>\nAfter cleaning everything up I decided to do a test fitting of the tiles, using the spacers.\u00a0 Always do a test fitting when you’re not sure of what you’re doing!\u00a0 I found that the spacers (standard 1\/8-inch ones) were just a bit larger than the original spacings, so I had to replace a couple of them with the 1\/16-inch ones.\u00a0 I picked up both sizes because I had no idea what was required, and a bag of each is pretty cheap.<\/p>\n OK, so on to applying the grout\/cement (this particular product does double-duty)!\u00a0 I’ve seen this before on DIY shows and it always looked so easy.\u00a0 Well, yeah, if you’re applying it to a bare surface.\u00a0 Working around existing tiles for a repair job makes things a little more interesting!\u00a0 So I decided to set up about 1\/3 the surface to see how things went.\u00a0 Not too hard, actually, but a bit fiddly where the edges meet existing tiles :<\/p>\n I’ll let you know how the grouting goes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The tiles on the step to our bathtub got loosened when “someone” (not me) put some noxious fluid on them and allowed it to leak.\u00a0 The leaked fluid ate at the grout and rendered it into sand, with the result … Continue reading <\/a>Examining the loose tiles, it looks like they came as a sheet with a mesh backing connecting them.\u00a0 People experienced in such things will no doubt mock my noobness, but this is all new & fascinating to me :<\/p>\n<\/a>I had to clean off the wood base (looks like OSB, actually), and the back of each of the tiles.\u00a0 There were 46 large tiles and 14 half-tiles … that’s a lot of cleaning!\u00a0 Of course the cats had to supervise.\u00a0 Beaudelair and Eddie took turns wandering in.\u00a0 In the course of one of his prowls, Eddie came in and decided lay down on the pile of refuse!<\/p>\n<\/a>The tool shown in the front was invaluable in cleaning the wood, the tiles, as well as slathering on the grout.\u00a0 It’s actually a “painter’s tool” that I got from Sears.<\/p>\n<\/a>I also discovered that I was using the spacers incorrectly … a fact I would have found out if I’d bothered to read the instructions on the package.\u00a0 Sigh.<\/p>\n<\/a>Putting in the tiles wasn’t very hard at all.\u00a0 A rather enjoyable process, actually.<\/p>\n<\/a>Then I put on some more grout\/cement and put in the rest of the tiles.\u00a0 Adding the vertical tiles had a few moments of interest because at this point gravity is NOT your friend.\u00a0 But it wasn’t too difficult.<\/p>\n<\/a>So now I have to wait 24-36 hours for the grout\/cement to dry, and then I do the grouting. That is, filling in the spaces between the tiles.\u00a0 I’m actually looking forward to trying that!\u00a0 The whole process took about 3-1\/2 hours.\u00a0 All in all, a pleasant afternoon project.\u00a0 The only hard part was squatting on the floor for that time … my aged knees grumbled at me for sitting cross-legged for so long.<\/p>\n