How to Lay a Tile Border
For bathroom walls and tiled floors, a distinct tile border adds colorful accents to drab surfaces. You can lay a special tile border around the perimeter of your floor when you are tiling all over, or you can add it as a stand alone feature along the bathroom wall or kitchen backsplash. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Tile
- Tile adhesive
- Spacers
- Tile floats
- Notched trowel
- Board
- Rubber mallet
- Sponge
- Silicone sealant
- Tile saw
- Tile nippers
Instructions
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1
Estimate the number of tiles you will need. For uniformly sized tiles, divide the area of the border region by the area of the individual tiles. For patterns using different-sized tiles, figure the number of pattern units you need to fill the space.
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2
Plan out the tile border pattern by placing the tiles on the floor in a dry run. Use spacers between each tile so you can see exactly how many tiles and pattern units will fit in the border area. To plan out the pattern for a tiled border along a wall, use graph paper and colored pencils/markers.
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3
Take up the tiles, keeping them in order or in piles according to color or shape.
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4
Lay down the adhesive with a notched trowel, putting down only enough for a few tiles at a time. Begin laying down your pattern, using the edge of the existing tile as a guide. Insert plastic tile spacers between each tile to keep them even. To keep the tile surface level, use a flat wooden board and a rubber mallet to gently tap down any tiles that are too high.
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5
Apply more adhesive as you go and continue laying down your pattern, as in Step 4.
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6
When you reach the wall or the corner and need to end the pattern, stop at the last full tile. Determine the fit of any tiles that need to be cut and cut them with a tile saw or tile nippers.
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7
When all the tiles are set in place allow the adhesive to cure the length of time recommended by the manufacturer, often overnight.
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8
Apply grout to the joints between the tiles with a rubber grout float, packing it into the seams. Don't worry about getting the grout on the tiles. Wipe off excess grout before it dries with a damp sponge. This Old House online recommends wiping at a diagonal angle so you are less likely to remove any grout from the joints. Buff the remaining grout from the tiles with a soft cloth after it dries to a white haze on the surface of the tiles.
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9
Apply the silicone sealant to finish after the grout has set for at least a full day. Some grout manufacturers may advise a longer wait. Always go by the product's directions for best results.
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10
Avoid washing the floor for several days.
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Tips & Warnings
When designing diamond tile patterns, keep in mind that you will need to cut many tiles in half along the diagonal to make isosceles right triangles for the edges. To estimate the number of triangular pieces need for this, add up the inside perimeter and outside perimeter of the border region, and then divide by the length of the diagonal.
For example, if the outside perimeter is 360 inches, the inside perimeter is 300 inches, and the diagonal of the tile is 5.5 inches, then you need approximately (360+300)/5.5 = 120 triangles. This means 60 square tiles need to be cut. If the entire floor is to be tiled diagonally with the same sized tiles, then you only need triangular tiles for the very outside edge.
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