How to Decorate With Italian Tiles
Italian tile has earned renown for its rich colors and textures. In Italy, the tradition of decorating with tile extends from garden walls to kitchen back splashes, from artwork to living room floors. You can add Italian tile accents throughout your home as accessories, or you can invest more time and money into covering a major architectural feature with Italian tile. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Add single Italian tiles painted in bright colors or eye-catching designs to shelf displays. Use a small tabletop easel to show off a handmade tile. Italian tiles make good trivets, vase supports, table centerpieces and container garden decorations. This approach to decorating with Italian tile does not require any adhesives or tools.
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Choose an area to tile. Keep it simple and create an isolated tile mural that does not require meeting wall edges, or line the back of a solid wooden shelf with Italian tile.
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Select a type of Italian tile for your project. Tile murals come in packaged kits. Other types of Italian tile include ceramic tile, glass tile, porcelain tile, marble tile, mosaic tile, granite tile and terracotta tile. Choose alternating colors, a pattern, or select a solid color for simple application.
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Measure your space from the center point of the surface your are tiling. Lay loose tile, starting at the center and working outwards to check the accuracy of your measurements and design. If you are covering a surface to the edge of a wall, you may need to adjust your layout to compensate for the cut tile that meets the edge. If it is too narrow, move your design's center over by the width of half a tile.
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Purchase appropriate adhesive for your particular style of tile. Some Italian tile is self-adhesive. Others require cement. Use a trowel or roller, depending upon the recommended type of adhesive. Apply adhesive to a small section of the surface. Allow the adhesive to set for the recommended time, which is usually about 15 minutes.
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Lay tile from the center and work outward. The center tile is the most important in regard to placement, as it determines the placement of all tiles to follow. Align each tile closely, eliminating any gaps between tiles. Use a scraper to immediately remove any excess adhesive.
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Tips & Warnings
You will need to cut tiles that overlap the edge of the surface you are covering. Use paper to trace the size the tile must be, then copy the lines onto the tile.
Most tile surfaces should not be washed immediately. Wait five to seven days to make sure the tile has set. Uneven or highly-distressed surfaces are not suitable for tile projects.
