How to Install a Tile Patio

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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A tile patio can add some class to your average backyard patio. Installing a tile patio takes a bit more work and patience than a typical concrete installation. But if you can take your time and have decent weather for a couple days, you'll be delighted with the results.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Sponge
Grout
Cement
Wood spacers for the tile
Circular saw or a snap cutter
Mixing container
Square shovel
Mason's twine
Jointing tool

Step1

Cut your patio tile using a circular saw that has a masonry blade or a wet saw. You can also use a snap cutter by setting the tile in place so your marks align over the middle part of the cutter. Hold the snap cutter in place, and slide that over the tile while pressing downward and quickly bringing the handle back to the center of the tile to snap the tile in half.

Step2

Lay a concrete slab of about 4 inches thick as a base for your tile patio. Prepare your concrete slab the same way you would for a typical concrete patio.

Step3

Set up some guides around the concrete slab, and level the mortar to a 1-inch bed. These are the guides you will use to grout your tile onto the cement.

Step4

Mix the mortar rather stiff. You need about 4 parts sand per 1 part cement to get the consistency that makes your tile stick.

Step5

Lay your tile onto your patio using tile spacers between each tile. This allows you to organize your tile however you like before you lay your grout.

Step6

Remove your spacers one at a time and add your grout. Dampen the joints of your tile. Wipe away any spills of your grout immediately, since grout dries rather quickly. When the grout begins to dry, smooth the joints with a joint tool, and pack the grout into the joints tightly.

Step7

Use a sponge to wipe away any excess grout from the joints.