tiling an entryway

[tpolley]

we're in a rental house. they just put down new carpet before we moved in. the carpet is still in good shape except for the enteryway in front of the front door. its freying at the thresh hold. aaaand between muddy shoes, muddy dog paws and the cat p**sing and sh*ting by the front door the carpet and foam is pretty much ruined in that area.

i figure i can cut out that area, spray the sub floor with kilz and put down ceramic tile. it would actually be an improvement. i don't know what they were thinking when they put down carpet infront of a door.

how big is the tile'd area in most houses?
the house is 60-70 years old at minimum. i assume there is hard wood under the carpet. will that pose a problem when i put down tile?
how do i cut rounded corners on the tile, i don't have a tile saw.
what kind of trim work or such would i use to hid the joint bewteen the carpet and tile?

 

[kmacht]

i figure i can cut out that area, spray the sub floor with kilz and put down ceramic tile. it would actually be an improvement. i don't know what they were thinking when they put down carpet infront of a door.

how do i cut rounded corners on the tile, i don't have a tile saw.
what kind of trim work or such would i use to hid the joint bewteen the carpet and tile?

The morter you use to set tile isn't going to stick to a painted sub floor. You will need to put down cement board on top of that floor. Also, if the floor isn't extremely rigid you will need to either shore it up or put down a uncoupling membrane such as ditra. If you already have hardwood under there you also need to keep in mind the thickness of the floor when finished. Between the cement board, morter, and tile you can easily raise the floor up 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch causing a tripping hazard when going between rooms. You will probably have to take out that old hardwood and re-build it up with plywood to the correct height if you want to do it right.


Cutting rounded corners that come out nicely is almost impossible to do without a wet saw or some kind. If you are going to do tile you will probably have to cut the tiles around the edges of the room anways. Do yourself a favor and either rent a wetsaw or buy one. Home Depot has them as cheap as $80.

Look in the tile section of the hardware store for transition strips to go from carpet to tile.

Finally, have you thought about something easier and cheaper than tile? You can get laminate flooring (like pergo) from Ikea for about $1 a square foot and it is much easier to install.

Keith

 

[sxk122]

on the wetsaw... you can get a 4" blade wetsaw for $44 from Harbor freight and the blade for $13. Do two transactions, each with a 20% off coupon, voila!

As for the Laminate flooring, if it is an area that gets wet or peed on frequently, laminate is not a good idea. You'd be better off with a vinyl plank that looks like wood (Alure?)....

 

[thammel]

I recently (well, over a year ago) did a mudroom with tile. You will need a tile wet saw. Get a cheap one - it will do the job. Assuming you have at least 3/4" thick subfloor, you need to put down cement board. I used Hardi-board at 1/4" thick. You thinset this down and use a lot of screws per the instructions. Don't forget spacers so the tile is separated evenly. Be sure to take your time planning how to lay it. I also bought a tile "puck" at HD which was very useful for getting the tile all at the same height. My guess is that using this approach the added thickness due to the tile job will be about 3/4". So you'll need to plan your transition to the adjoining area. And finally, grouting is important and takes time. As the other poster said, some wood looking laminate might be a lot easier.

Tom

 

[volvo]

..
RENTAL...Lay down some cheap snap together plank wood laminate flooring and be done with it.....Looks better overall, cheaper, less time and problems for you.

 

[hdshinn]

I realize you're trying to be a responsible renter, but I think you should discuss this with the owner before you make any 'improvements'. He/she might even step up and repair the situation.

 

[slickgt1]

I agree. Talk to the owner. And get some laminate flooring, that **** will take a beating. be cheaper and easier to install.

Oh and you can cut tiles with a grinder. Just don't do it without a vacuum, or in your house.

 

[Miter Wrench]

I put laminate flooring in my entryway in 2002. It still looks like I put it in 20 minutes ago. Wearing like iron with a dog, snow boots etc. etc.