Although there are many available options for refinishing bathroom floors, the most common choices are sheet vinyl, vinyl tiles and ceramic tiles. If you are replacing your bathroom fixtures, lay the flooring before bolting the toilet down; this way, cutting a rough circular hole for the sewer outlet is fairly simple. If you plan to lay the flooring around an existing toilet, however, the trickiest part is cutting neatly around the toilet base. You can use one of three distinctive ways to achieve this, depending on your choice of flooring.
Things You'll Need
- Kraft paper
- Scissors
- Steel measuring tape
- Masking tape
- Plastic ruler
- Felt pen
- Pencil
- Duct tape
- Utility knife
- Silicone caulk
- Rag
- Vinyl tile adhesive
- Notched trowel
- Rubber roller
- Cellophane tape
- Patented tile and glass cutter
- Household machine oil
- Ceramic tile adhesive
- Rubber mallet
- Grout line spacers
Sheet Vinyl
- Cut halfway down the center line of a 24-inch-square sheet of kraft paper with a pair of scissors. Fold the cut line back and lay the paper on the floor with each side of the cut straddling the toilet. Push the paper toward the back wall so that the end of the cut lines up with the front of the toilet base.
- Line the template up with a steel measuring tape, so that the front edge of the template is parallel to the back wall. Tape the front edge of the paper to the floor with masking tape.
- Make a provisional crease in the paper around the junction between the toilet and the floor by holding the paper flat against the floor and running the ball of your thumb around the toilet base.
- Trim off the paper protruding upward, about 3 inches from the crease. Harden the crease in small sections with the edge of a plastic ruler. Make a number of progressive cuts downward to the edge of the crease, so that the template opens up like daisy petals as you work. Firm up the crease with the corner of the ruler once you have worked all the way around the toilet base.
- Remove the masking tape and mark the front corners of the template on the floor with a felt pen. Remove the template and carefully cut out the exact shape of the toilet base with the scissors.
- Replace the template and line up the corners with the marks on the floor to ensure that you have a perfect fit; if not, mark any gaps or overlapping sections on the first attempt with a pencil, and prepare a second template. Tape the template to the floor with four short strips of masking tape.
- Build up a master template to cover the entire bathroom floor by progressively taping sheets of Kraft paper to the toilet template and to each other. Cut the paper to fit around any obstructions by following the same techniques used on the toilet template. Line the edges of the additional sheets up with the peripheral walls until you have built up an exact template of the entire floor.
- Roll out your sheet of vinyl; if you have a large bathroom, butt two cut strips of vinyl to the side edges of the center piece, and secure the joints with duct tape. Tape the master template to the vinyl sheet with masking tape.
- Split the center of the vinyl opposite the toilet cut-out down to the front edge of the toilet with a utility knife, so that you can fold the sheet around the toilet after cutting it to size. Carefully cut out the toilet opening with a sharp break-away blade of a utility knife. Cut out the rest of the flooring about an inch out from the edges of the template to allow room for final exact trimming before gluing the vinyl down.
- Run a bead of silicone caulk around the base of the toilet once the sheet vinyl is glued to the floor. Wet the tip of your finger and smooth the silicone down to a neat concave joint. Wipe off excess with a damp rag.
- Prepare a template as described in the Sheet Vinyl section.
- Lay vinyl tiles over the entire bathroom floor as directed in the written instructions, but leave a square opening large enough to accommodate the cut tiles around the base of the toilet.
- Measure and mark the template with a pencil and ruler, and cut it into squares the same size as the surrounding tiles. Lay the template squares into the opening to ensure that you have a perfect fit.
- Lay each individual cut template square on a tile and line up the edges carefully. Mark the outline onto each tile with a felt pen. Carefully cut along the line with a sharp utility knife. Test fit the tiles inside the opening; adjust if necessary and remove the tiles once you are satisfied with the fit.
- Apply a layer of vinyl tile adhesive to the opening with a notched trowel as directed in the written instructions. Lay the cut tiles one-by-one into the opening with the edges butting firmly against the adjacent tile. Run a small rubber roller over the surface with firm downward pressure to bed the tiles in.
- Finish the installation with a bead of silicone around the toilet base.
- Prepare a Kraft paper template as described in the Sheet Vinyl section.
- Tape the template temporarily to a second piece of Kraft paper with short strips of cellophane tape, so that it doesn't shift. Measure and mark the square outline of each tile on the template with a ruler and pencil. Ensure that the required grout-lines are marked out between each individual tile outline. Carry the lines across the underlying sheet for continuity and accuracy, and number each section to avoid confusion.
- Cut out each tile template and discard the thin strips of Kraft paper representing the grout lines.
- Position each template on a separate tile and draw the outline of the curved cut line onto the tile with a felt pen, using the edge of the template as a guide.
- Lay the rest of the ceramic tiles on the floor as directed on the written instructions that came with the tile adhesive. Leave a square opening large enough to accommodate the cut tiles around the base of the toilet.
- Oil the tungsten carbide wheel on the bottom of a patented tile and glass cutter with thin household machine oil. Place the tile on a smooth flat surface. Position the wheel on the end of the curved cut line.
- Place your left index finger on the top of the protruding face off the downward sloping upper clamp; each side of the clamp slopes downward slightly, forming a small gap between the upper and lower faces of the clamp.
- Exert firm downward pressure with both your right hand and left forefinger and draw the tungsten carbide wheel smoothly along the curved line on the tile.
- Slide the edge of the cut line between the jaws of the clamp. Ensure that the cut line sits in the center of the clamp and that the curved line faces forward and sweeps to the right.
- Squeeze the handles of the clamp together. Increase the clamp pressure gradually until one side of the tile splits cleanly away from the other side, neatly along the length of the curved cut line.
- Repeat this action and cut the rest of the marked tiles the same way; remember to lubricate the tungsten carbide wheel before each cut.
- Test fit the cut tiles into the opening surrounding the toilet base to ensure that all the tiles are cut correctly. Remove the tiles and spread a thin layer of ceramic tile adhesive onto the floor inside the opening with a notched trowel.
- Lay each tile into the opening in the correct order as marked earlier. Bed the tiles down evenly with a rubber mallet and place grout line spacers in the joints between the tiles in preparation for final grouting.
- Finish the joint between the tiles and the toilet base with a bead of silicone caulk as described above after grouting the floor.
- Leave your sheet vinyl in a heated room for 24 hours prior to laying the floor to soften the vinyl and to increase its flexibility.
Source: www.eHow.com
