Installing bathroom tiles may be a project that most home owners just don’t feel comfortable taking on, but thankfully, hiring a contractor to have the job completed will alleviate your fears, and help you begin enjoying your new bathroom area much sooner than if you installed the tile yourself. Before you consider calling a contractor though, there are a few things that you’re going to want to do to your home, to ensure that it is ready for the crews to begin walking in and out. As long as you do these things before you call them, you will be able to get through the cleanup process much quicker, and get into the first shower in your new bathroom!
Step 1) Remove all your belongings from the bathroom, prior to the contractors arriving. Having things in their way will mean that you’re leaving it up to the contractors and crews to decide what to do with your belongings, and they often times don’t have quite the same level of respect for it, that you do. To avoid having anything broken, make sure that the area is entirely clear of anything that could be broken or damaged during the bathroom tile project.
Step 2) Ask the contractors what all they cover before you hire them for the job. Are they going to install the molding and base boards back when they’re finished? What about caulking the seams between the tile and the base boards? This can be an incredibly messy job, and if the contractor isn’t going to handle it for you, you’ll either want to consider calling someone who will, or make sure that your caulking skills are up to par before the job gets underway. What about any types of protection for damage to the walls, or other bathroom fixtures?
Step 3) Get yourself some good cleaners, and hose your new bathroom down! Once the tiles for the bathroom have been installed, and the grout has had time to set, usually around 24 to 48 hours, you can begin walking on the tile. This is the time that you’ll want to clean up any left over grout, or caulking stains before they set for too long. Allowing them to set on the tile for more than a few days will make them next to impossible to remove, so you’ll want to clean this up as soon as the contractors leave. A good grout cleaner will go a long way during this process. Just make sure that the grout cleaners you purchase are not too harsh for newly set bathroom tiles.