🖼️
The project:
The front steps of a Victorian weatherboard house were cement rendered brick. The project was to restore the steps giving maximum street appeal, by tiling the steps with period correct outdoor tiles in turquoise, with additional decorative pattern tiles for edge highlights. The top of steps were done in slip-proof black tiles with vintage step treads.
- Materials:
The materials used included mortar
https://www.bunnings.com.au/bastion-20kg-mortar-mix_p0038286
Bondcrete
https://www.bunnings.com.au/bondall-500ml-bondcrete-cement-additive_p0961379
black oxide cement dye
https://www.bunnings.com.au/dulux-avista-oxide-1kg-jet-black-cement-colouring-jet-black_p0760495
200mm square non-slip outdoor black tiles
https://www.bunnings.com.au/johnson-tiles-20x20cm-elements-black-non-slip-25-pack_p0624886
Duratile 75 x 300mm turquoise colour
https://www.bunnings.com.au/duratile-75-x-300mm-white-gloss-wall-tile-0-99sqm_p0575350
step tread black tiles.
reclaimed vintage tiles
- Tools:
tile cutter
https://www.bunnings.com.au/dta-300mm-handyman-tile-cutter_p6651774
level
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-2-piece-level-set_p1027868
trowel
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-175mm-gauging-trowel_p0924468
stainless steel ruler
https://www.bunnings.com.au/crescent-lufkin-150mm-6-stainless-steel-rule_p5660219
scourer sponge
https://www.bunnings.com.au/3m-scotch-brite-120mm-x-80mm-heavy-duty-scrub-sponges-8-pack_p4460593
vice grip pliers
https://www.bunnings.com.au/irwin-vise-grip-200mm-end-cutting-pliers_p0224220
tape measure
https://www.bunnings.com.au/stanley-8m-tape-measure_p5660379
plastic bucket
https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-plastics-9l-round-heavy-duty-plastic-bucket_p4475126
wire brush
https://www.bunnings.com.au/trojan-4-x-15-row-carbon-steel-wire-brush_p0800585
hand dust brush
https://www.bunnings.com.au/oates-brush-cleaning-trackbuster_p4480648
right angle square
https://www.bunnings.com.au/johnson-400-x-600mm-big-j-pro-aluminium-framing-square_p0153122
safety goggles
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-safety-goggles_p0401328
safety gloves
https://www.bunnings.com.au/rhino-gloves-medium-nitrile-disposable-gloves-100-pack_p0427909
dust mask
https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-dust-masks-10-pack_p0375359
tile nippers
https://www.bunnings.com.au/qep-pro-compound-tile-nippers_p6821745
- Step 1:
Step 1 The house is a Victorian timber cedar house dating to at least 1907 (at least that is the date on the vintage water meter!) was to clean the cement step surface and risers from 50 years of grime and moss using a wire brush and dust brush to ensure the tiles would stick to the old surface. During this process I discovered old marks indicating the original steps were wood. - these marks matched the old piece of timber I found under the house with notches cut at 45 degrees to fit wooden steps. I also discovered traces of red paint indicating the steps had once been painted red typical of the 1960s, but 99% of red paint had worn off over time ! (image with cement steps and one step riser completed)
- Step 2:
Step 2 I had to source tiles with a vintage look in deep turquoise for the step risers, to complement the paint trims on the outside of the house which are light blue, and bluegum which Bunnings paint shop have mixed up for me over the years. I found these tiles at Bunnings. I then needed to acquire some reclaimed genuine feature 150mm sq tiles for the risers as edge highlights. These feature tiles I located in an antique store and cost $80 for ten. I had the choice of single slate slabs for the step surface which are cut to size 1200mm long, for the original slate step look- but these are $120 each and I needed 6 which blew my budget DIY renovation plan. So I opted for non-slip 200mm sq black tiles from Bunnings, with 200mm matching black step treads edgings. I had to ensure the vintage feature tiles were the same height as the step risers and to my delight I found that step risers are still standard size as they were over 100 years ago. These tiles needed to have a cream background with a colour aspect with some bluegum colouring to blend in with the overall colour look of the house. I found some with a floral design in the original victorian style - beautiful !
- Step 3:
Step 3 Scoping the tile layout: In renovating other parts of the house one thing you find with a Victorian house is that everything is bespoke, done by hand, and exacting proportions of a modern house (any house after 1950) just don't exist in heritage buildings. They are built extremely well and solid with high artistry skill but often done by line of sight which creates somewhat of an optical illusion of being square and inline. In measuring the steps, I discovered that they were not symmetrical. By using the top step as the standard, I found its centreline and using a 90 degree angle square, drew a centreline down the steps. But the steps were wider on one side than the other, yet, not wider all on one side. You could have one step wider by 10mm on the left side and the next step down be wider by 5mm on the right side. So I had to "dry lay" the tiles along the centreline, and because the tiles do not fit exactly to a full tile, you need to work out the amount of tile cutting needed for each edge. This needed considering such things as will it look OK, if one side has 5mm cut tile at the edge and the other side has 10mm cut tile. Some softening of this difference can be "disguised" by making the normal 3mm grouting gaps a little wider or narrower as needed - this is planned by the dry laying process. In this regard I dry laid one step, and then laid the tiles one step at a time, checking everything as I went. However, I also discovered that the depth of the steps were not the same either. Step depth varied from 300mm to 400mm and no two steps were the same depth, just to make it interesting. (image of dry laying and scoping tile layout on botom step)
- Step 4:
Step 4 Cutting the tiles: Cut tiles can have a razor sharp edge, so leather or gardening gloves should be used. Step Risers: The turquoise tiles were to be used for the step risers (the part of a step you see front on). The step risers were 150mm high, and the tiles were 300mm long, but I was turning them vertically so I had to cut them in half using the tile cutter. The tile cutter has a scoring tool built in. But of course the step risers were not exactly 150mm high across the whole step, so I had to measure the step riser at three points to see the variation. If a tile was just 1mm too high it would mean the tiles on the step flat surface (the part that you step on) would not sit flat. Sounds difficult, but I found if I cut the tiles to a size which matched the lowest height of the step riser, that I could make up the 1 or 2 mm difference with the grout infill. The main thing was that tiles on top of the step flat surface, settled level.
Step flat surface (the part you step on) These varied from 300mm to 400mm deep. The two main tiles for this was the charcoal coloured step tread edges which were 200mm long and 100mm wide. Here I also used non-slip tiles 200mm square for the remainder. So this added up to 100mm + 200mm = 300mm of total tiles, which needed to be laid, plus a variable left over at the back where it meets the riser. These tile fill-in pieces needed to be custom cut to measure. The Step tread at the edge needed to be laid first, starting with one tile each side of the centre line. The top step was the standard at 1200mm wide and a neat 300mm deep, and the smallest, the other steps grew gradually wider radiating out at each side in a curving design. The top step was 1200mm wide and the bottom step was 1450mm wide. The steps also grew gradually deeper with the top step 300mm deep and the bottom step 400mm deep. But this meant that the left and right edge of each step had a slight curve, and not in a straight line, not even a straight angle, but curved. I had to cut tiles to a custom size for the depth, and also for the flat section at the edges (where they met the step wall which curved outwards). The very bottom step riser was only 100mm high, so I needed the 300mm turquoise tiles to be cut in three pieces. The step tread tiles were a bit thicker and very strong which my tile cutter could not cut. So here I used the tile cutter scoring tool, and scratched an angled line on them matching the angle of the step wall, and used a tile nipper tool to chip away at the tile, trimming it along the scratch mark. Using the nipper I found the tile neatly broke away along the score-mark. This meant it would neatly fill the gap between the full tile tread and the step wall. (image shows step treads and turquoise tile filler piece angle cut to fit curved step wall)
- Step 5:
Step 5 Preliminary tile adhesive and adhesive colouring: : While special tile adhesive can be used I find it does not last as long as cement or mortar for outdoor uses. It is an unknown issue for non-tradies that new cement will not stick to old cement, and you need to use Bondcrete, a cement adhesive. Bondcrete is a white liquid which is mixed into the cement. Over time I have learned a rule of thumb on how much to use, but instructions are on the product, and it is rather easy - if in doubt use a bit more! I mixed a black oxide to match the tiles as I was aiming for a charcoal tile-look which mimicked the single slate slab step look. Rather than lighter grout lines between tiles I wanted a continuous look. I mix the oxide into the cement. I mix the cement first and add the oxide afterwards, but I imagine tradies use specific proportions and mix it all together while its all a dry powder. By experience I have learned for small jobs, a rule of thumb works. But again, following the instructions on the oxide packet is easy enough. For the cement and oxide stages I use goggles, a mask and plastic gloves. I use plastic gloves rather than gardening or leather gloves as they fit your hand closely and give the tactile ability you need for high quality finishes. The oxide will stain anything it touches and not something you want to breath in so I use a mask too. (image of black oxide mixed in small bucket plus various tools)
- Step 6:
Step 6 Laying the tiles: As mentioned, I dry lay the tiles for each step section before applying the cement adhesive. This way you make sure everything fits. Once I am ready I apply cement to the steps and press the tiles down onto it. I laid the step riser first, that way you know how much they extend beyond the top edge of the step (the tiles are 8mm thick) and the step tread edge needs to cover this extra thickness too. Also the original reclaimed vintage tiles are 9mm to 10mm thick, so these need to be laid first. The trick here is the modern tiles are approx 2mm thinner and this difference needs to be made up by putting extra cement behind the modern tiles, so they match how much the vintage tiles protrude. Again these need to be laid by starting at the centre line, but, as the vintage tiles are a step edge feature, they need to be laid first as these cannot be cut. The turquoise tiles are laid on the riser surface, starting at the centre, and a tile needed to be cut to match the irregular gap which inevitably occurs at each end of the riser, between the vintage tile and the last full turquoise tile. Because the steps curve outwards, I staggered the vintage tiles to match the curve of the step wall which meant I had small gaps between the vintage tiles and the wall to fill in with cut pieces of turquoise tile (but these were not the same because the step width was not equal on right and left sides) - however in the finished product the prominence of the vintage tiles draws the eye and the differences in the edge bits is not noticeable. Incidentally, major public buildings like the QVB in Sydney have similar variances in their tile work for the same reason, the need to fit with bespoke construction - I checked ! Alternatively I could have had equal gap fillers at the step ends but that would mean uneven fill-in tiles in the very centre of the step which is very noticeable. Either way this can't be avoided as the steps are not equidistant either side of the centreline - that's heritage.
Laying the tiles on the step flat surface started with the step tread edge tiles, then placing the 200mm sq black tiles behind them, and this left a small gap between the black square tile and step riser, which had to be cut to measure, from full black tiles. On the bottom step these gaps at the back of the step were 100mm which meant I could economise by cutting the black tile in half. On other steps where the gap at the back was less it meant cutting full tiles, but from either ends to economise as you need the rounded edge of the tile in view. A cut tile has a sharp straight edge but for visual purposes, the factory rounded edge looks best. So the sharp straight cut tile edge can be placed at the back up against the riser - to achieve this you need to measure the tile from the outside rounded edge, and then cut it. (image of black oxide grout on the bottom step prior to cleaning compared to steps above already cleaned)
- Step 7:
Step 7 Finishing off: After all the tiles are laid on top of the cement you then need to use more cement (in black oxide colour) as a grout to fill the gaps between the tiles. (With indoor tiling this is normally done with specific tile grout). For the Victorian era even indoor tiles had cement mortar as a grout. I used black cement oxide grout for the turquoise tiles as well, as it gave them a more Victorian look. The modern style of white grout just does not suit a traditional tile pattern, as it makes it appear like a modern immitation. I was adding the tiles 119 years after the house was built so I wanted them to look like they had always been there - the same age as the house.
The black cement grout was applied to all tiles spreading it with a sponge to fill the join gaps. Then I leave it for a couple of hours to set somewhat, before wiping off the excess. I use water, a bucket and a scouring sponge to remove excess grout and this can take few wipe overs, rinsing the sponge in water regularly in between. I mix the cement in the plastic bucket, and use the bucket of water for sponge rinsing.
I discovered that a straight angle cut tile could be used to fill the gaps between the end tile and the step wall, as the curve is a gentle one, and with the black grout and dark turquoise tile, the gap between the tile angle cut and the wall curve blends into the background. The scouring side of the sponge can be used the next day to clean off any dried on residue not visible earlier. It is important to clean excess oxide colour off the tiles as when it dries it will permanently stain the tiles. The cement grout needs 5 days to set in warm weather so don't use the steps for that time. If using them is unavoidable then place some wood or cardboard down one side and step lightly. If rain threatens cover the work with plastic sheet or canvas. Afterwards my neighbours commented on how amazing the steps look and what an improvement in street appeal it makes. My grand old house has waited over a hundred years to have the tile steps it always deserved.
- Step 8:
Step 8 Step back and compare the amazing difference and street appeal.
