How to Install Marble Tile at the Front Entrance of a Home

Marble tiles add elegance to an entryway.

Entrance ways are the first impression visitors receive of you and your house. Brighten your entryway with a fresh coat of paint on both sides of the door. Add potted plants outside and perhaps a bench. On the inside of the entrance, change out tired worn carpeting for marble tile.

Things You'll Need

• Chalk plumb line
• Trowel
• Marble tile
• Thinset cement
• Tile spacers
• Grout float trowel
• Cloth
• Sponge
• Safety goggles

Instructions

1. Measure the area to be tiled. Multiply the length by the width to arrive at the total number of square feet of tile required. Add an extra 10 percent to compensate for breakage and mistakes. If possible, make the tiled area equal to whole tiles. For example, if the entryway is 4-by-4-feet long, 16 12-inch tiles will be required. None of the tiles will have to be cut. It is possible to fudge a bit by using wider grout lines between the tiles.

2. Choose tiles that are all about the same color. Because marble is a natural stone, the color varies from quarry to quarry and even from batch to batch from the same quarry. Order all the necessary tile at one time. Intermix the tiles from different boxes.

3. Remove the current flooring, such as carpet or wood. If the entrance is on a second story or higher level, it may be necessary to install cement backer board before the marble tile.

4. Snap a plumb line with chalk on the floor in the center of the area to be tiled equidistant from the sides. Lay out the marble tiles from that line to the ends of the area to be tiled. The tiles on the ends should be the same width. For example, it doesn't look professional to have a 10-inch tile on one end and a 4-inch tile on the other. Instead, if you move the chalk line over three inches, both end tiles will be seven inches.

5. Mix the thinset per label directions.

6. Smear the back of the first tile with a half inch layer of thinset with the trowel. Lay the tile next to the chalk line and at one end of the entryway. Smear the second tile. Lay it next to the first. Each tile should be level with the others.

7. Insert two tile spacers between the first and second tiles for the grout. The spacers keep the tiles an equal distance apart.

8. Continue laying the first row of tile. Continue in the same manner until the entire entrance way has been tiled. Let the area dry for at least 24 hours.

9. Wash off any thinset from the face of the tiles with stone cleaner. Chisel any thinset that is significantly above the tile in the grout lines. Seal the tile per label directions. Most of the time you can spray the sealer on the tile, let it dry and then spray on a second coat. The sealer keeps the grout from sticking to the face of the marble. Marble is porous and requires two coats of sealer.

10. Mix up the grout per package directions. Push the grout into the gaps between the tiles with the grout trowel. After 15 minutes, using a damp sponge, wipe the grout lines until they're smooth and slightly below the marble. Wipe off any grout that's on the marble with a damp cloth. Buff with a dry cloth.

11. Seal the floor again including the grout. Sealer helps the grout stay cleaner.

Tips & Warnings

• Before tiling, make sure the entryway door will be able to open over the tile.

• Wear a mask when mixing the thinset and the grout.

References

• "Working With Tile"; Tom and Lane Meehan; 2005