How to Tile a Floor for Home Improvement
One of the best ways to improve the look and value of your home is to invest in new floors. And if you're looking for a modern edge, then tile is really the way to go. Tile floors can be a beautiful upgrade to any home, and there are several shapes, colors, and materials to choose from. If you're ready to tackle the job of redoing your own floors, it will be well worth your efforts once you've finished Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Chalk snap
- Pencil
- Tile
- Tile adhesive
- Notched trowel
- Putty knife
- Tile spacers
- Tile saw
- Grout
- Grout float
- Buckets
- Rag
- Sponge
- Additional Materials for Wood Subfloors:
- Cement backerboards
- Backerboard screws
- Power drill
- Fiberglass mesh tape
Instructions
-
Set Up
-
1
Clean the floor thoroughly. For cement, mop it with water and allow to dry. For wood, sweep and vacuum. Scrape off any paint or other substances stuck to the floor as best you can.
-
2
Install cement backerboard to wooden subfloors. Lay sheets of backerboard down with 1/8 of an inch between each sheet and 1/4 of an inch between the sheets and the walls. Use a pencil to mark where the floor joists are. Use the power drill to screw in the backerboard screws every 6 inches along the floor joists. Then screw in backerboard screws every 4 inches along the edges of the backerboard sheets. Finally, place fiberglass mesh tape around the edges where the backerboard sheets meet.
-
-
3
Use a chalk snap to find the center of the room. You want to mark a line from one end of the room to the other, then mark another line perpendicular to that one. The two lines need to form a cross, with both lines meeting in the center of the room.
Laying Tile
-
4
Begin at the center mark. Lay tiles down along one of the chalk lines, moving away from the center, and using tile spacers in between every tile. Once you reach the wall, go back to the center and lay tile on the perpendicular line so you're forming an "L" shape with the tiles. You will be using these two lines of tile as a reference to line up your other tiles.
-
5
Open the tub of adhesive. Lift the tiles one by one and apply adhesive with the notched trowel. Apply enough so there's adhesive sticking out from the sides of the tile when you lay it down; use the putty knife to scrape off this extra adhesive once the tile is in place.
-
6
Fill in the space between your two lines of tile. Continue working out from the center, applying adhesive with the notched trowel. Lay tiles (no more than two or three at a time) and space them evenly with the tile spacers. Do this until one quarter of the room has tile on the floor. Then return to the center and work out toward the walls, doing the other three quarters of the room the same way.
-
7
Allow the adhesive to dry for at least 24 hours. Do not walk on the tiles during this time.
Grouting
-
8
Mix water and grout together in a bucket according to the directions. Skip this step if you have pre-mixed grout.
-
9
Remove the tile spacers from between the tiles on the floor. Vacuum the floor and use the putty knife to scrape off any adhesive sticking out of the cracks.
-
10
Pour a small amount of grout directly on the tiles in one corner of the room. Do not attempt to grout more than about 2 square feet at a time. Use the grout float at a 45 degree angle to spread the grout over the tiles and squeeze it into the cracks between them. Work toward the center of the room.
-
11
Stop grouting when you've done about 6 or 7 square feet. Cover the bucket with the grout in it with a damp towel. Let the grout on the floor dry for approximately 15 minutes.
-
12
Use a bucket of clean water and a wet sponge to wipe the grout off the tiles. Use the sponge to press down sightly on the grout in the cracks between the tiles (but be careful not to wipe that grout or you'll mess it up). Once the surface of the tiles is clean, begin grouting the next section of floor. Continue this until the whole floor is done.
-
13
Allow grout to dry according to the directions. Don't drag anything across the floor until the grout has dried.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit David Sacks/Lifesize/Getty Images
