How to Install Ceramic Concrete Floor Tiles
Though they are not actually concrete, or even made from the same materials, ceramic floor tiles do have a texture and hardness that often resembles that of concrete. Like most tile types, ceramic floor tiles can be installed over nearly any subfloor surface, including common subfloor materials concrete and wood. No matter which type of flooring you install concrete floor tiles over, the installation process is basically the same. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Board
- Pencil
- Leveling compound or wood filler
- Putty knife
- Sandpaper
- Vacuum or broom
- Tape measure
- Chalk snap line
- Tiles
- Tile spacers
- Tile saw
- Mastic
- Trowel
- Grout
- Dry rag
Instructions
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1
Fill in any dips or holes in the subfloor over which you plan to install the ceramic concrete floor tiles with leveling compound or wood filler. Lay a board across the floor's surface, starting in one corner and slide the board over the entire floor, checking for areas that dip beneath the board. Mark these areas as you find them and then spread leveling compound or wood filler over the dips, skimming off the excess with the edge of a putty knife.
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2
Go over the floor with the board again once you've filled in the dips and holes. If the compound sits higher in some areas than the surface of the floor, sand the compound down with sandpaper. Vacuum or sweep the floor to clean off the dust once you finish.
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3
Measure all four walls of the room and mark the center of each wall. Use a chalk snap line to make lines over the floor's surface between the walls opposite each other to divide the room into two in both directions. The lines cross in the floor's center and create a grid of four equal-sized sections on the floor.
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Start laying out the ceramic concrete floor tiles along the lines where they cross in the middle, lining the first tile up with two of the lines. Use tile spacers between all the tiles as you work your way out to the room's edges. When you reach the edges and can't fit full tiles, use a tile saw to cut each edge tile down.
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5
Pull the tiles in the center of the floor up and spread mastic in the area where you removed the tiles. Put the tiles back into their spaces in the layout, placing the tile spacers back between the tiles to keep them apart. Once all the tiles have been installed, don't touch the floor again for 24 hours.
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6
Spread a layer of grout over the tiles after 24 hours, making sure to fill in the spaces between the tiles until the grout is even with the floor. Wipe the tiles off with a dry rag to remove grout from the surfaces. Apply a line of caulk along the ceramic concrete floor tiles where the tiles come into contact with the wall or any fixtures on the floor's surface.
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