Securing a Loose Tile

1. Lift the loose portion of the tile, and spread a thin coat of latex adhesive on the underside of it with a putty knife. If only a corner of a tile has come unstuck, loosen more of it until you can turn the tile back far enough spread the adhesive

2. Press the tile into place so that it is level with those tiles that surround it. Hold it down with a 20-pound weight for at least an hour.

Deflating a Blister

1. Following a line in the flooring pattern if possible, score then slice along the length of a blister with a utility knife. Extend the cut 1/2 inch beyond the blister at both ends.

2. With a putty knife, spread a thin layer of flooring adhesive through the slit onto the underside of the flooring.

3. Press the vinyl down; if one edge overlaps because the flooring has stretched, use it as a guide to trim the edge underneath. Remove the trimmed-off scrap, then press the edges together and put a 20-pound weight on the repaired area for at least 1 hour.

Replacing a Damaged Vinyl Tile

Removing a Tile

1. Lay a towel on the tile, and warm it with an iron at medium heat until the adhesive softens and you can lift one corner with a putty knife (illustration C, click above to view).

2. Pull up the corner and slice at the adhesive underneath with the putty knife, reheating the tile with the iron if necessary, until you can take out the entire tile.

3. Scrape the remaining adhesive from the subfloor.

Installing a Replacement

1. Spread a thin layer of adhesive--not more than half the thickness of your tile--on the subfloor with a notched trowel, then butt one edge of the new tile against the edge of an adjoining tile, aligning the pattern.

2. Ease the tile into place. Make sure it is level with surrounding tiles. If it is too high, press it down and quickly wipe away excess adhesive before it dries; if the tile is too low, gently pry it out with a putty knife and add more adhesive beneath it. Rest a 20-pound weight on it for the length of time specified by the adhesive manufacturer.

Installing a Ceramic Tile Floor

Materials:

Wet saw
Tile sheets
Cement board
Tile adhesive
Square-notched trowel
Tile nipper's
Utility knife
Tape measure

The first project we tackle is the floor, replacing the worn-out vinyl floor with a ceramic tile thats true to the era of the home. The new tile provides the room with some authentic period charm and also creates a greater sense of space. But this job wont require laying a bunch of small tiles as was done in the old days. Modern pattern tile-sheets make installing this retro pattern a snap.

Ideally, its preferable to first remove the vinyl floor and assess the condition of the sub-floor. The best way to do this is to pull the vinyl back in strips. In our case, the vinyl was in such poor condition that this was not feasible. Cutting or scraping the worn tile would likely result in more damage than benefit. Instead, we opted to lay cement board directly over our old vinyl floor. The cement board serves as base for ceramic tile. To make the installation easier, we first removed the vanity and toilet.

• Begin by taking measurements of the room.

• Use those measurements to cut the cement board to size. This material is hard, but not too difficult to cut through. Use a razor knife to score one side, and then turn the board over to finish the cut. Use caution when cutting to avoid pulling the mesh off the board.

• Once all the pieces are cut, lay them out on the floor to make sure you have a snug fit.

• Secure the cement board to the floor using a screw-gun or cordless drill with screwdriver attachment. Use special cement-board screws, and place them every six to eight inches.

Tips:

• You can start the screws in the cement board by tapping the tip in with a hammer. Then use the screw gun to set the screws fully.

• With the cement board in place, measure to find the center of the room. Mark it by snapping two chalk lines that intersect at the rooms center point.

• The patterned tile comes in sheets that are about 1-foot square. The individual tiles are attached on the underside with rubber "dots." The dots serve two purposes: they hold the tiles together in the patterned sheets and also act as spacers to create even grout lines. The rubber dots are easy to cut through when its necessary to separate tiles.

• Lay out the tile using as many full sheets as possible.

• Work in small sections, lifting out the tiles and spreading the adhesive. Spread the adhesive smoothly and evenly with a square-notched trowel. Youll want the adhesive to be about as thick as the tiles youre working with.

• Lay the center section first, then you can tackle the tricky cuts around the edges of the room.

• Spread as much adhesive as you can work with before it dries. To determine how quickly the adhesive dries, check the open time on the product container.

• Set the first sheet of tiles into place and press it firmly into the adhesive. For the second sheet, remember to line up the pattern and check the spacing and then set it into place.

• Work around the room until the entire center of the floor is covered.

• For the perimeter of the room, youll need to trim full sheets to fit. We started at the door and worked our way around, measuring and cutting tiles and sheets as necessary to fill the area.

• The easiest way to cut tile is with a wet saw .It uses with water to keep the blade from getting too hot as it makes the cuts. Set the length you want and guide the tile through the blade. You can rent a wet saw for this project from a local rental center. Just remember to get safety gear and follow proper safety precautions as well.

Here are a few more tips:

• To cut a tile sheet, flip it over and use a utility knife to cut the rubber dots, and then pop out the piece. This technique is handy to cut out a piece of tile to fit around the toilet or any plumbing pipes.

• If you have any small cuts buy a pair of tile nippers. The key to working with these is to be patient and cut off a little bit at a time.

• When mixing grout make sure it is creamy and easy to spread. Using the tile sheets, were able to simply put grout onto the tiles then spread it with a rubber grout float. Let it set for about 20-minutes then wipe the tiles with a damp sponge. Once the grout has hardened, wipe off the haze and buff the tiles with a dry cloth.

• Make sure to seal the grout to help keep it clean. For new grout, wait a week to ten days then apply a silicone sealer. Follow the manufacturers instructions for adding ceramic tile to your home is somewhat time-consuming, but once its done youre likely to be pleased with the final results.

Cleaning and Repairing Carpet

Most homes with carpeting have Berber or cut-pile carpet made of synthetic materials. The carpets style and quality can play a major role in care and cleaning tasks.

Berber carpet has looped pile running in parallel lines . Berber carpets are the same color throughout the fibers: the dye is injected into the polypropylene before it is formed into carpet fibers. Berber is more expensive initially, but its much more durable and stain-resistant than cut-pile carpet.

Cut-pile carpet uses individual carpet fibers woven tightly together . The fibers in a cut-pile carpet are colored on the outside and cream or white on the inside.

Stains and small burns can be cleaned from most Berbers and cut-pile carpets. Try to clean up spills as quickly as possible. Blot the liquid--dont scrub. To remove stains that have already dried, spray with a commercially available carpet cleaner and allow it to soak in for a few minutes. Then blot up the liquid.

Repairing Burns

If your carpet has sustained small burns, trim them off with small scissors. Larger burns require more attention. You may need a professional to repair Berber carpets because the fibers are looped together. But you may be able to repair damage to cut-pile carpet by yourself.

Materials:

Utility knife
Hot-glue gun
Carpet tractor

1. Use a carpet or utility knife to cut out the damaged area of carpet approximately 2" past the edge of the burn. Draw the knife between the fibers so that only the carpet backing is cut. Make your cuts as straight as possible.

2. Use the cutout as template to cut a patch from a carpet remnant or from a closet area where the carpet is not often seen.

3. Use hot glue to set the patch in place. Apply glue to the edges of the carpet to prevent the fibers from pulling out. Work the glue into the backing, and glue as much of the edge as possible.

4. Roll the seam with a "carpet tractor" to blend the fibers and hide the seam.

5. Check the seams to make sure theyre glued properly. If not, pull them out gently, and glue them again.