September 20, 2013

Friday is Catch Up Day – How to Clean Up After a Tile Job

Since today (Friday) is designated as my catch up day, I thought I’d share what I’ve been working on this week and what I’m catching up on today. I can’t take credit for the work, but I did choose the tile so I guess that counts for something, right? This could be a DIY project with a low price tag and great results. The linoleum in our mudroom was getting worn and the room gets so much use that tile just seemed like a better, more durable option. After considering a couple of quotes and comparing that to if we wanted to tackle this project ourselves, we decided to hire a professional. If you have tiling experience and a small room to tile, I say go for it, but it just didn’t work for us right now. I love the look of bluestone and slate so I chose a tile that mimicked that – it’s this one from Home Depot (this IS NOT a sponsored link, I just love the product).

Once the tile was in and had set up for 24 hours and the trim and molding was back in place, I washed the floor 3 times with plain water and a microfiber floor pad (rinsed often). This gets any extra residue off of the tiles and grout. Once a room is emptied out for a project like this, it’s a great time to dust the walls, tops of doors, and trim if necessary. Then I washed the doors, trim, and molding with a mixture of warm water (about a gallon) and a tablespoon of Borax. I used a microfiber cloth and rinsed it often while I was washing the trim. (This is my favorite door and trim washing solution – it works SO well!)

After I completed this, I washed the walls – it was either re-paint or see if I could get the walls clean. Guess what? Washing the walls worked. It’s really important that you test out this cleaning solution in an inconspicuous spot first, but once you see if your paint will work with this solution (it should), then start with a microfiber cloth, and about a gallon of warm water and a tablespoon of Borax (same solution as the trim and door cleaning mixture). Dip the microfiber cloth in the mixture and WRING OUT like crazy. Then start at the top of the wall and work your way all the way down the wall in a straight line. Then go directly next to that line and repeat. Do this until you have made your way around the room or walls with vertical lines. Rinse often and continue to wring out the mixture completely. This method is a no streak, no show wall washing solution for me and I use flat paint throughout my house.

So now that the clean up is complete, I’m working on putting the mudroom back together today. The bench is going back in, a rug, shoe storage, cleaning supplies, and of course shoes and coats will make their return.

Any tiling experience out there? I’d love to hear your experience!