On the bathroom remodeling project we are working on the tile work has been completed. The owners selected a simple 4×4 white ceramic tile for the shower. The tile extends from the tub all the way to the ceiling to provide an enclosure protected from moisture.
For the floor the owners selected a 6×6 floor tile. Before we set the tile we poured a cement based floor leveler, with wire mesh imbedded in it. We did this to help eliminate some of the slope in the floor. This 1920’s home has had some settling occur over the years. It is very difficult to try and correct some of these out-of-level conditions that have finished areas below, so using a quality cement product is a good choice.
Under the tile we installed a SunTouch floor heating
mat. This is a pre-made orange mat that has electric heating cables attached to it. You tape the mat to the substrate, then trowel thin-set mortar over it and set the tiles on the thin-set mortar. It is a slick system. It comes pre-wired so you simply feed the electric lead into a conduit mounted in the wall. You also feed in the thermostat lead so the floor can be controlled by a wall thermostat. On chilly Minnesota mornings a warm tile floor is very cozy!
