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Tile: Featured Article

small outdoor table with top made of vintage tile

Creating a Vintage Tile Tabletop

This Old House reader Rosi Zingales shows how to upgrade your home with vintage tiles… more

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Q: I'd like to tile my basement floor, but there's a coat of paint over it. Someone told me I'd have to sand the paint off. Is there any alternative that's not so messy, or should I go to another type of flooring?

— Daniel, Mineola, N.Y.

Read Our Expert Answer

Tips

For small tile jobs, I use an old rubber spatula, instead of a trowel, to work the grout into tight spaces. It's more flexible, and it spreads the grout like cake frosting
—TOH reader Rosi Zingales, Hampton Bays, N.Y.