How to Install Tumbled Marble Tile

Tumbled marble is the most natural-looking of tiles. Its surface is pockmarked with random holes and indentations, giving it the look of a natural stone wall. When using tumbled marble tiles in your home, it's advisable to fill in those holes with grout as you're grouting the spaces between the tiles, or dirt and moisture will settle into them and could corrode the tile. To keep the unique look, choose a grout that contrasts with the color of the tile surface, so the grout that's filling in the holes highlights their shape rather than obscuring it.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Level
• Cement board to cover the whole area (1/4 inch thick for walls, 5/8 inch thick for floors)
• Razor knife
• Jigsaw
• Carpenter's glue
• 1-inch drywall screws
• Screwgun
• 10-inch drywall knife
• Drywall sandpaper
• Tumbled marble tiles
• Thinset mortar
• Notched towel
• Wetsaw
• Liquid tile sealer
• Sanded grout of a contrasting color from the tile
• Rubber trowel
• Bucket
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Prepare your surface by mounting cement board over the whole area that's going to be tiled. Use 1/4-inch board for walls, and 5/8-inch board for floors. Cut the board to fit on the floor, laying it in staggered rows so there are no four-way intersections. Make straight cuts by scoring along your marked line with a razor knife and snapping it; make curved or cornering cuts with a jigsaw. Mount the board with carpenter's glue, then sink drywall screws every foot or so. Fill the seams with thinset mortar, smoothing it out with your drywall knife and sanding it flat after it dries.

2. Lay out your tiles from the center, using your pencil, tape measure and level to divide the space into four even squares. Spread thinset mortar with a notched trowel onto a roughly four-foot section of one of the squares, at the corner where it meets the others. Lay the first tile in that corner, pressing it into the thinset. Build the other tiles out from there, using the marked lines and the edges of the tiles as a guide. Keep 1/8 inch of space between them. Lay all the full tiles that will fit, then go back and cut the pieces for the edges of the span, using your wetsaw to make the cuts. Lay those tiles in the same fashion. Let the tiles set for a day.

3. Use a brush to carefully apply a thin layer of liquid tile sealer to the face of the tiles. Try to minimize any dripping of the sealer into the holes in the tiles, or into the spaces between the tiles. Let the sealer dry for several hours. Mix your grout according to the instructions, and spread it onto the tiles with a rubber trowel. Press it thoroughly into the lines between the tiles and the holes in the tiles. Use the flat edge of the trowel to squeeze the grout off the flat parts of the face. Let it sit for one minute, and then wipe it all down with a wet sponge. Let the grout set for two days, and then re-seal the whole surface, including the grout.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear eye protection when using a jigsaw or a wetsaw.

References

• Installing Marbled Tile