The lifestyle magazine - Clients Thisisthenortheast

May, 2003 Online: www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk11d.i.yTackling tilesARE your wall tiles all they are crackedup to be? Ceramic wall tiles make anideal wall covering for kitchens andbathrooms and can look good formany years. But when they start to look alittle tired, they can be dirty and drab andspoil what should be the most enjoyablerooms in your home. Fortunately, there is alot you can do to revive them and to give thema new lease of life.Tiles do become cracked or the groutingbetween them can discolour and they can passout of fashion as other colours in yourbathroom or kitchen change. If you have asingle tile which is broken, chipped orcracked, it can easily be replaced. Ideally, youwill have a spare tile left over from when thetiling job was first carriedout. Make sure you wearstout gloves and eyeprotectors when removingthe old tile.Start by scraping out thegrout all around the egdesof the tile to be removed.This is quite tough, but youcan get a speciallyhardened, notched tool forremoving it which makesthe job a lot easier.Drill one or more holes inthe centre of the tile. Use alarge masonry drill to makea hole big enough to get the point of yourchisel in. Start chipping out the tile, workingfrom the centre to the outside and lever outthe bits of tile carefully.After the old tile has been removed, useyour chisel to remove all the old adhesivefrom the wall getting rid of all the dustparticles. Spread adhesive on the back of thenew tile using a notched spreader taking carenot to put on too much. Press the tile in placeand check there is an equal gap all around it.When the adhesive has dried renew the grout.If the tiles are on an outside wall they willbe a target for condensation and condensationbrings black mould which mainly attacks thegrouting between the tiles.You can remove black mould in a number ofby RICHARD SPENCERways. You can use a dilute solution of bleachor buy a mould killer. Bleach is cheaper, but amould killer contains a fungicide whichshould ensure that the mould does not growagain. Of course if you have a condensationproblems, you should attempt to solve thattoo. This can be achieved by installing betterheating and ventilation.Even if it does not have mould, grout willdiscolour in time and become ratherunsightly. One answer is to rip it all out andto put in new grout. But another answer is touse a grout reviver.The first stage is to clean the whole tilearea thoroughly in order toremove any grease dirt or scalefrom the surface. Normally awipe with a damp cloth willsuffice, but if you live in a hardwater area, you could findlimescale building up on thetiles. In this case it is time to gofor a specialist ceramic tile orbathroom cleaner, which willremove the limescale. Groutreviver is simply brushed alongthe grout lines, slightlyoverlapping the tiles, andmaking sure that all the groutis covered.When the grout reviver has dried, applywater and, after a couple of minutes, wipe thereviver from the tile surface with the sponge,leaving it in the grout lines. Finish off bypolishing the area with a clean, dry cloth.As an alternative to reviving the grout, youmay decide to replace it altogether. Thisinvolves two steps: getting the old grout outand putting in the new. Grout is availableready-mixed or as a powder which you mixwith water. You can get colours as well as themore usual white.The best way to remove old grout is to use aspecially shaped serrated steel tool called agrout rake. Apply your new grout with asqueegee. This is hard work but the resultswill be well worth it.THERE’S DECKINGAND THERE’SDENEBRIDGE DECKINGThe only decking company to be listed inthe “Top 20 Garden Companies in theUK” produced by Perfect HomesMagazine - 2003For your free design and estimate CALL NOWTelephone: 01388 721852Mobile: 07751 867579www.denebridgedecking.co.ukOur Quality is our GuaranteeSee our display at Blossoms Nursery, RushyfordWE EXCELFraxinus ExcelsiorTILE FILE: Top, left toright, Ritz Spice inset,£2.17, from the CeramicTile Centre, Union Street,Bishop Auckland (01388) 608000;Cotswold Fairford and CotswoldBuscot Park, from Bathroom World,Darlington (01325 463081). Insetabove: Iznik Ankara pattern handpaintedtiles and Viano replicastone red and ivory with red centreinsert. Both Fired Earth. Stores inNewcastle, Harrogate andNorthallerton. www.firedearth.comQUICK FIXHow can I paint into a corner if I am using a roller?Unless there are to be different adjacent colours, paint thecorner first with a shaped corner roller.How can I stop my toilet cistern filling very noisily?Fit a valve that has an outlet with a long-flexible silencer tubethat hangs below the water level.DIY DIARYPlan the site for a pond in your garden and start theexcavations for the liner.