There are several approaches to resolve your problem. The simplest is to tile to the ceiling and accept what you see, as you do now, or Go to the height of a “normal” chair rail + - 36 inches to a maximum wainscot height of + - 42 inches off the floor. Another is to install a Chair rail type of molding about + - 12 to 18 inches down from the ceiling and tile below that rail. This type of molding can also be modified to conceal indirect lighting up towards the ceiling for a “mood light”. “Ron Hazelton” House Calls web site on the internet has an archive episode you can watch with this type of lighting. The last tip is to install tiles on a diagonal over the entire wall, which makes irregularities “disappear” somewhat, or install tiles stacked in the normal fashion to the “wainscot” height and then continue with diagonal tiles to the ceiling. I can visualize the latter as my first choice. You can incorporate a row or rows of glass tiles anywhere or at the chair rail/wainscot heights as another option. I think you can create a work of “Art” here, so “Have A Go At It”.

Armen Tavy

I have sent out a feeler and will let you know when I hear back, in tne meantime your querry is out for all to read and help if they can.  Armen Tavy

Here is the response I have received from the person I know with the most knowledge:   

1" x 1" or 2" x 2" are the best. They should also be of a matt finish or textured" Some heavily textured 6" tiles can work almost as well. The extra grout joints in the tile flooring act much like treads in a car tire and the smoother the tread the slippery is the surface. Armen Tavy

see #12480

As a "rule", except for final "close out" pricing, you usually get what you pay for. The weight of the tile can also give you an indication of the quality (heavier the better is the norm), as can the color of the "bisque" (the back of the tile). Dark brown or redish colors are usually indications of "lower quality" and can have wear surfaces lower than a #5 rating, #5 being "commercial grade". #4 rating is for residential use but not in areas where constant shuffling is the norm, i.e. in front of the stove, sink, stove in kitchens and in a heavily traveled pattern between rooms. #3 or lower is reserved for barefeet or slippers. All retailers should provide you with the wear rating of the tile they sell on request. This rating may also be found somewhere on the packaging. Tapping on the tile with your knuckle can also give you a hint. A "thud" is less dense and a "ring" is denser or of a higher grade. The lighter color or whiter backrounds can indicate "porcelain" tiles which are usually rated at #5. If the dealer can not or will not help you, find the name or phone number on the packaging and ask the manufacturer yourself. Armen Tavy

Dropping heavy items on a tile floor should not necessarily break them. A tile installed properly should ordinarily withstand a single heavy blow from a hammer. "Me thinks" this installation is probably one of those questionable ones and you might consider removing more tiles in an obvious pattern and replacing them with a design tile. If worse comes to worse you could save all the broken pieces and install them randomly in a scattered pattern, You can probably lift out some whole tiles without breaking them if you are careful, since this sounds like an installation that will allow you to do that, and create a medallion in the middle of the floor and use the full tiles you “save” to fill the areas where your broken ones are, if they are in an area that is not suitable for a creative ”design”.  

You can use marble, granite or small mosaic stones to make a medallion or even buy a redy made one, or purchase "complimentary" tiles and use those to make a design in the center of the room. The more tiles you accidentally break removing tiles to create the design, the bigger the medallion will have to be. A complimentary colored 6" x 6" tumbled marble or travertine installed on a diagonal in the right place or places can also look good. Put your creative skills to work, you can do this. Tiling is an art, so make it "Artsy". Armen Tavy

I have asked with no success. This is the first time you have mentioned quantities and two boxes finding someone who may have saved two boxes of tile from a company long gone are not very probable. A transition from one room to another or from a room to a hallway always remains an option if you can design it so it makes sense. Borders and feature strips can do wonders as can a diagonal installation with a complimentary tile. Sorry about the "No Good News". Armen Tavy

Anything installed has some give and that is all you need to remove and replace tiles with the same thickness or slightly thicker. It would require the demolition of one tile every so many feet. Wear safety glasses and use a ball-pean hammer to smash the first tile. Remove the tiles carefully because they will have sharp edges. Once removed get yourself a "Wonderbar" (flat metal demo bar sol everywhere) and a package of wooden carpenter "wedges". Place a stiff putty knife between the shallow bend in the bar and the tub using the bend in the bar as a fulcrum point and lift gently by pressing down on the other end of the bar until you break the "bond" (not the tub). If it does not lift at all at least try to jar it a bit and carefully pound a "wedge" under the tub's exposed edge. It is always safer to put a stiff blade between the bar and or the wedge to protect the tub's enamel or fiberglass finish. Skip along a couple of tiles and repeat the procedure working your way around the tub. Break a tile, pound in a wedge.

The downside to this procedure may be the way the tub was originally installed and that would be if it was lowered into a "Bed of cement or casting plaster, and hopefully it was the latter. You do not want to lift the tub too high and compromise the integrity of the seal at the waste drain and P-Trap. If there are access panels around the tubs front, you could use a large wrecking bar to prod and lift directly under the tub. Always prod at a curve or bend since those are the strongest points due to their shape. Always use caution and haste makes waste. If all else fails your last option is to tile over tile and with the right kind of trim pieces, this is always an easier solution. My TAVY "Thin-Skin" System performs well when tiling over tile. Armen Tavy

There are a variety of metal moldings that are designed for this type of height transition. There is also a vinyl and metal combination that works quite well. The metal is secured to the floor with nails or contact cement and has a slot that accepts a soft vinyl molding that is designed to snap into a narrow track in the metal. The vinyl molding is available in a multitude of colors and in two widths.  Carpet Retailers and carpet tool supply houses should stock it. Downside is, it is usually only available in 12 foot lengths. Can't find it? Write again.

"You hit the nail on the head" Jeff. Oops, I mean you don't need to hit any nails on the head, you don't need any screws either and you never need to do any scrapping. As long as there are no large lumps/clumps of glue, you can use my TAVY "Thin-Skin" with full confidence over any surface or contaminated surface except "wax", carpeting, and upholstery; and your installation will be successful.  My  "007" glue residue can be very "sticky" and it should wash off with a wet rag; however, if any sticky residue persists, Mineral Spirits (paint thinner) will remove it immediately off your hands, tools, clothing, walls and any other objects.

Sticky spots on floors can be nasty to work on and a simple remedy there is to sprinkle some dry Thin-Set powder on those spots, then dust off the excess with a soft hand broom. By the way, if the linoleum was stuck solid, you did not have to remove it. However, when going directly over linoleum, vinyl or wood panels,  it is prudent to use 1 1/2" galvanized roofing nails in an 8" grid pattern over the entire floor, every 6" on both sides of seams, around the perimeter of the room and against any other solid objects. This procedure is recommended by me and is in all "NTCA" installation manuals.

I am always here to assist with any tile installation questions 7/24/365, as well as by my personal cell phone # 860-559-8469 any day, evening or night if you are working and need immediate help. If I hear the phone ring, I will always answer it. Armen Tavy

A simple question with a not so simple answer. Slate tiles have been around for eons and are beautiful as long as you understand how to pick the right slate and use the correct tools and procedures to install it. You can use it on a basement floor; however, you must isolate existing cracks with a crack suppression membrane or the cracks can eventually transfer thru the tiles. Slate has multiple layers and more resistant by its nature to cracks in the slab, but it is foolish to "throw caution to the wind". If your basement floor is "damp" or damp on occasion it can cause efflorescence (salts in the slab) which can leach thru the grout joints. Efflorescence can be cleaned as it appears, but this can be an endless job. If you are not sure, a calcium chloride test can be done to test the moisture content of the slab. The kits should be available at most "tile outlets".

A small gradual slope does not tell me much and can be an issue if you plan to set a table on the slope. Remedy is to level the low spots by raising them to the high. If it is a large area it is not so easy for a novice to control the pour. I can help you with tips and tricks if you like, should you choose to correct this slope.

Always buy a quality-gauged slate from a reputable source. You do get what you pay for. Check for uniform sizing and variations in width and length of cheap slate can be a nightmare to install. The most popular grout joint size for slate tiles is 1/4" and my spacers are the easiest to work with. Slate tiles have fairly smooth backs and every tile should be skim coated with "modified thin-set" mortar just before they are set into place. A minimum 1/4" x 3/8" x 1/4" spreading trowel is necessary. There are new techniques when spreading thin-set mortar and if you have not read up on the new techniques come back with a question. Although my TAVY Tile Puck is a great tool to check for tile lippage, the surface of slate tiles tend to be irregular by nature and you will have to rely more on eyesight and feel to check for irregularities in height. Some slate tiles tend to get very thin at a corner or two and you should save those tiles for “Cuts”. The natural crevices/clefts in slate can be a nuisance during the grouting process and grout can hang-up in those crevices. A grout release agent applied before grouting can save you a lot of heartache. Each tile must be meticulously inspected as you wash the floor during the grouting process because tomorrow is too late to rid yourself of trapped grout stuck in those clefts. Slate is beautiful and you must do your best to install it with patience. Absolutely do not let any grout haze stay on the tiles more than an hour. Dusting/polishing the haze with clean rags is a “must” as soon as the grout is set hard enough. Sealers can bring out the natural beauty of the slate colors, but NEVER seal slate with any product other than one designed especially for slate. The basement should be well ventilated to assist in the evaporation process, and Always wait at least 48 hours before sealing. Armen Tavy

"Double Dipping" will get you the same answer. However, I am sure it was a "Typo". Armen

We frown on "Adhesives" in wet areas; however, Polymer Modified Cement Mortars are essential for Porcelain Tiles with "Liquid" Latex Additive Mortars being the "BEST". All tiles should be "skim coated just before installation and no less than a 1/4" x 3/8" x 1/4" mortar spreading trowel should be used to install the tiles on the walls (or floors).  A test tile should be removed after setting to insure that you have achieved no less than 95% transference of mortar from the mortar on the walls to the back of the test tile you set.

All tiles on the first row over the tub "MUST" be lifted with shims to allow for a "minimum" 1/8 inch (or more) grout joint. This joint can be pre-caulked with a flexible ceramic tile caulk (with the bulk of it removed using a wet sponge) to allow for a cement grout to fill in the rest of the joint. Since caulk applications tend to be messy and obvious, this "trick" will make it less apparent that a caulk was used as a water seal at the tub. Works good in inside corners as well. Armen Tavy

The prerequisites are that the linoleum is a full spread installation and that it is not a "thick" cushion back. If it is older linoleum take care that any floor wax is neutralized. Since carpenters involved in the original building did not need to prepare the substrate for a ceramic tile installation, they rarely put enough fasteners thru the layers of plywood (or any wood) subfloor. You must re-fasten the floor thru the linoleum as recommended by "TCNA" guidelines. 8" in all directions and every 6" minimum around the perimeter and other solid objects. Installing fasteners with a 6” spread on both sides of seams are impossible since you cannot see thru the linoleum so the first task is even more important. 1 ½” Galvanized roofing nails are best suited for this task.

You have several options when tiling over linoleum. Some options will raise the floor more than others. Using an Un-Modified mortar with its own counterpart of "Liquid Latex Additive" can work if all the instructions are followed. Scarify the floor a bit, then spread a skim coating of the mortar mix with the flat side of a trowel to insure that there is satisfactory mechanical bond "the next day" before proceeding to set your tiles, or use a paint-on tileable liquid "plastic" membrane, again with a sufficient wait time to let it cure followed by an overnight skim coat test with the same “Latex” Liquid Modified Mortar, or apply a product such as "ProtectoWrap", Schluter’s “Ditra Mat” or my TAVY "Thin-Skin" which I designed specifically for installations such as yours. "Thin-Skin" does not raise the floor more than 1/32 of an inch and is guaranteed for 15 years and there is no wait time between its installation and the subsequent installation of your tile flooring.  Armen Tavy