All Forum Posts by: Maggie Tasseron

@Jay Y. I think that spending money on a durable nice looking tile backsplash is worth the money. I would never use any peel and stick floor tile but only a ceramic tile of which will be timeless. White subway tile at HD and Lowes is very cost effective however it can be time consuming with installation. The most important factor after the tile is up in my opinion is the grout. No matter what the class of rentals you have tenants will cook and stuff will splash and splatter. Many will not clean up right away and grout has the tendency to stain over time. HD used to sell TrafficMaster Stainproof grout. It was fantastic for durability however a HUGE pain in the *** to install. It just didn't go in well. There are other grouts now, such as epoxy grouts which pretty much are stainproof and mold and mildew proof like the TrafficMaster was. I think you can still special order TrafficMaster Grout from HD however a quick web search doesn't show the product (which was made by 3M) to have an active website. Still, spending a little extra here, even in a class C rental will go a long way in getting a tenant and keeping them.

Hi Darren: You may have read in another of my posts that I use Comet or Ajax, anything that contains bleach, to clean grout. Sealers I've used never seem to do the job, but just wetting down the area, then scrubbing the Comet in with a dish brush, leaving for awhile and then rinsing off works great for me. I haven't tried the epoxy grouts yet but will do so in the future, so for now it's the simple Comet treatment on my existing properties.

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Originally posted by @Rumen Mladenov:

I did that in one of my rentals. The tiles tended to slide down at first, I had to reposition them several times over a couple of weeks until the glue finally set. Looks OK, and still hasn't peeled off after 3 years. I do not have it by the stove though, only on the sink side. It is doable, however it was more hassle than I anticipated, and I am sure it will not last as long as ceramic or glass.

Would using spacers until the glue set make it any easier? I often use them on wall tile, not so much to get the spacing right as to keep them from sliding down.

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Originally posted by @Jay Y.:

All,

Here's what I did for my personal home:

They are 6" x 6" tiles that cost $.70 per tile. But honestly folks, do you think this may be too nice for a class C rental? I've seen houses with 12" x 12" tile for the back splash and in my opinion, it looks pretty bad...

Also what do you think about replace the door knobs with the same brush aluminum ones above? I don't remember how much they cost but they were pretty cheap when purchased in a bundle off Amazon.

Please keep the comments coming in! :)

Hi Jay: The tile backsplash certainly isn't too nice for a Class C, but it looks like your countertop is granite, which I think isn't the best choice for any rental. Granite is not as indestructible as many people think so who knows what a tenant might do to it. A friend once put granite in a flip and the same day it was installed, she spilled some red sauce from Mexican takeout on it and it left a horrible stain. That was an eye opener for me! When I do the next home for myself I will check out all the new countertop products, such as Caesar Stone and Silestone, and who knows what others are out there. Best of luck with your new project!

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Originally posted by @Jesse T.:

One thing is if you are really limited in your budget, I would do the vinyl for the floor and ceramic for the floor rather than the other way around.

Hi Jesse: Did you mean vinyl for the backsplash and ceramic for the floor? Or vice versa?

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Originally posted by @Mindy Jensen:

In a class C rental, you want it as bulletproof as possible. Ceramic tile on the floor, ceramic tile backsplash. Spend the extra dollars and use epoxy grout. Epoxy grout never needs sealing, won't stain, and is bulletproof. If epoxy is too much for you to spend, get the darkest grout they make - it will turn dark anyway in a class C rental.

Home Depot and Lowe's regularly run sales on ceramic tile for less than $.99 sq ft. Habitat for Humanity by my house has a ton as well, but it varies. Installing tile is easy, but takes time to do a good job. Get a wet saw if you are doing it yourself. Those score and snap things that look like complicated pliers are a waste of money.

You could use the same tile on the floor as on the backsplash. Good luck!

Hi Mindy: Wow, I'm learning much from you today. I had never heard of epoxy grout so have been reading up on it. I also never knew Habitat had stores and have found there's one right here where I live. Will go and check it out when I get some time. I also agree completely with you about the score and snap things (as well as tile nippers). I often see tilesetters on the home improvement shows using the score & snap and find myself wondering why they aren't using a wet saw; I bought mine at Home Depot many years ago for under $100 and have done more kitchens and baths than I can count. I also found an inexpensive tile hole saw to attach to a drill and it works great for those tiles that require a hole in the middle.

Thanks much and cheers to you up there in Colorado.

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Originally posted by @Jay Y.:

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

@Jay Y. I looked at your profile and read your contact address: "....anothercheapguyblog...". Aptly named!

That's me!!! =)

In your defense, Jay, I assumed that you were thinking more in terms of easy than cheap. We don't need to be bothered by (Sm)Art(***) Allen's dig LOL.

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I've had good luck just wetting down the whole area and then sprinkling Comet or Ajax -- anything that contains bleach -- on the grout lines. I scrub it in with an old dish brush, then leave for a number of hours, scrub again and wipe off. This has worked on every color from white to tan. I lay all my own tile and generally use sanded grout, but have found that sealing it doesn't seem to help keep it clean at all. Trick: when cleaning floor grout, I tape the dish brush onto a pole; any time not spent down on the knees is a good thing, right?

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Originally posted by @Hattie Dizmond:

Originally posted by @Mindy Jensen:

Thanks, @Hattie Dizmond. It was supposed to be light tan, but is now brown. It just looks dirty.

Do you know if bleach is ok to use on Travertine?

It should be fine, but I would dilute the bleach, if you're using it on a uber porous stone like travertine. Also, since you retiled it, you probably have some left over tiles. Just run a test on a scrap piece.

Good idea, Hattie, to use the scrap to test products. Thanks!

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Originally posted by @Kyle Goldich:

We use an ATM "deposit only" card for all of our tenants. This allows them to stop by a nearby branch/ATM and deposit rent. The deposit only card does not allow them to withdraw or see the account balance. To get these, just ask you bank and get "tenant 1", "tenant 2", etc. as the name on the card, so you can reuse them with future tenants. Hope this helps!

Wow, I'd never heard of that. What a good idea and thanks for posting this.

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Originally posted by @Brie Schmidt:

Our tenants pay rent with cash. Some send money orders, some deposit cash in our account, but a majority used PayNearMe to pay at family dollar locations. Now the Family Dollar in our area will no longer accept PayNearMe.

What are some alternative options?

Hi Brie: Isn't there a bank near where the tenants live? You may need to open a new account if you don't already bank there but better than them sending it through the mail.

0 Votes

All Forum Posts by: Maggie Tasseron

Maggie Tasseron has started 0 posts and replied 215 times.

Post: Floor tile as cheap back splash?

Post: Floor tile as cheap back splash?

Post: Floor tile as cheap back splash?

Post: Floor tile as cheap back splash?

Post: Floor tile as cheap back splash?

Post: Floor tile as cheap back splash?

Post: What is the best way to clean grout?

Post: What is the best way to clean grout?

Post: Paying rent with Cash - Simplifying processes

Post: Paying rent with Cash - Simplifying processes