Installing Tile In Your Home

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Installing Tile In Your Home

Friday, July 17th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Even though it is not an easy task, a home owner can install a tile floor. It just takes care and attention to detail.

One of the best ways to start is to acquire a good home design software program. They will usually have a good section on how to lay tile. It certainly can’t do the work for you, but it may help to avoid costly errors. You can find different designs, how to measure, cutting tile and gluing properly, etc.

Your taste should dictate the type of tile you pick, but make sure you know your options in advance. Ceramic is the most popular. Slate and stone tiles are the hot rage now, but they are more expensive, and require the extra step of a sealant after the installation process.

There is a difference between tiles designed for floors and walls, so make sure you don’t get wall tiles, which are thinner and not designed to walked on.

Plan the area for preparation. If you have vinyl or linoleum, you can lay over it, as long as the surface is completely smooth. But you are taking a chance on the floor warping or cracking.

If you are laying over concrete, make sure you have no high spots. Using at least a three foot level, lay it on the surface of the concrete and make sure no light shows through. You can also use an ordinary 2X4, but it is hard to find one that is perfectly level.

Any high spots that are discovered should be sanded smooth using a belt or disc sander with course sandpaper. If there are bumps, you may be able to chisel them off, but take care not to make a gauge and have a valley instead of a high spot.

The idea is to have no more than 1/16the of an inch of any high spots; otherwise the tiles will flex over the floor surface and crack easily.

You also have to make sure you have a strong floor surface, so that this flexing does not occur. You can strengthen and smooth a floor using a composite spread with a flat tool, or a cement fiber board.

Once the floor is prepared, find the center for a starting point. Do this by laying two strings diagonally across the room. Mark the crossing line (center) with a Sharpie or a chalk.

Put a few rows of tile down to establish your pattern. Experiment with sizing for grout. Ideally, you should end up with no more than a half tile at each wall.

If the tiles came with spacers, that will make you job easier, but you can also use plastic or rubber spacers for this. It is important that the grout spacing is uniform, with all spaces no more than 1/32nd of an inch different from another.

Next, you will apply the adhesive to the floor with a notched trowel. If you have limited space, you can put the adhesive directly on the tile. Keep the ridges low and long, and then set the tile and rotate it slightly into place.

After you have done a few rows, use your surface checking tool to check for level and tap down where necessary. This should be done before the glue sets.

Grout now comes in tubes that allow you to just bead the grout out of the nozzle. Work in sections a few feet long and wipe excess of as you go.

Make sure you let the floor set for a couple of days before you let anyone walk on it.

Read full articles about ceramic bathroom tiles and removing tiles available at this web.

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