How
to Install
Floor Tiles
©2011
Alan
J. Fletcher - Flooring Expert and Consumer Advocate
There are
many different types of floor tiles for many different purposes including
Ceramic, Marmoleum, Rubber, Vinyl and Carpet Tiles to name just a few.
No matter what type of
flooring you choose you must follow the manufacturer's installation
instructions and procedures to the letter to make sure your new floor will
look great and last as long as possible.
Each type
of floor tile will have its own set of manufacturer’s instructions to
follow to ensure proper installation. These may include such aspects
as:
·
Accepted use or application
·
Testing for moisture
·
Adhesives, or mortar and grout specifications
·
Trowel notch requirements,
·
Set up and drying times
·
Use of Sealers
·
Expansion space requirements,
·
Proper floor preparation,
·
Material acclimation guidelines
·
Maintenance and care instructions
It is
critical that you follow the manufacturer’s installation guidelines to the
letter or you risk ruining your floor and voiding the warranty.
Order
plenty of extra tiles
If you have
already ordered your new tiles I hope you ordered some extra tiles too. This
is very important because there is always a assumed amount of breakage with
ceramic tiles, there are always some mis-cuts when installing any type of
floor tile, and there will always be a need to replace some worn, stained or
damaged tiles in the future.
Don’t expect to be able to order more tiles
of the exact same type next week or next year, they may not be available and
even if they are, there is no guarantee they will match the tiles you
already have. How many tiles to order extra? I would add a minimum of 10-15%
to your initial order.
Ceramic
tile considerations:
While
linoleum, VCT and carpet tiles are designed to be butted closely together, most
ceramic tiles are designed to have a gap between each tile to make room for
a colored grout.
Smaller tiles (4” x 4”) usually have a smaller grout line of
1/16”.
Medium sized tiles (6” x 6” or 8” x 8”) might look best
with a gap of 1/8” to ¼”,
Larger tiles (12” x 12”) would
typically have a grout line of ¼ to ½””.
You can choose the size of the grout line to suit your fancy but you
need to be sure include the desired grout line measurement into your room
layout calculations. Ceramic tiles range from 3/8” to 5/8” thick.
Getting
ready to install tile flooring
Floor
preparation
Floor
stability
Ceramic
tiles will surely crack if the subfloor is unstable.
The larger the tiles, the more stable the subfloor needs to be.
Obviously a concrete slab will be the most stable of all, but wood floors
that are not properly supported from below can be a major problem.
Some
buildings do not have enough floor support to install ceramic tiles. If the
subfloor is not supported properly, ceramic tiles will crack and the grout
will crumble. The size and spacing of the floor joists is the key to floor
stability. The floor joists need to be properly spaced and sturdy enough to
prevent the floor from moving up and down. The typical floor joist is 2” x
10” and spaced 16” apart on center. This
is usually sturdy enough for most ceramic tile applications as long as there
is a sound underlayment installed. If
your floor joists are spaced farther apart than 16 inches or if your joists
are less than 10” tall then you may want to consider your options.
You can either shore up the existing floor joists by installing
taller joists or adding another beam or change the type of flooring you
install to something more flexible.
Underlayment
options
Even if
your joists are sturdy enough to keep your floor from bouncing up and down,
you still need to have a sturdy underlayment installed. The underlay needs
to be thick enough to prevent the floor from bowing between the floor
joists. Depending on what you already have installed over your joists, a
good choice might be ¾” plywood. You will want to buy a grade of plywood
that has one side that is smooth and free of knotholes. (This is called A
grade) Another good choice would be to install specialty plywood like Sturd-I-Floor®
by Georgia Pacific, or use Wonderboard®,
or HardieBacker®.
Where to
lay the first tile
How to
install your floor tiles straight
Rarely do I
find a home with perfectly square rooms. For this reason we have to measure
to find out if the room is square and if not, what wall will be want to use
to lay the tile as straight as possible. There are two schools of thought to
consider.
Some might want to start at the absolute the center of the room
and let the tiles be a little bit of square with all walls, while others
will want to have the tile set straight with a particular wall and the be a
bit crooked with the rest of the room. Each room and application is unique
and you need to make your own mind up about setting the tile straight.
Do a dry
layout of your tile floor. Read the instructions, do they recommend mixing
up the boxes to avoid noticeable color variances? Too many DIYer’s are in
a big hurry to get the job done. Preparation is the key to a successful
installation. Lay out your tiles without glue to see what they will look
like after they are installed.
A dry
layout? Yes! Sure it’s a bit time consuming but I guarantee you will be glad you did.
This will help you get a feel for how the tiles will look and if you need to
mix up the tiles or rearrange them to get a more even color or texture
appearance then this is the only way you will be able to do that
effectively.
Once you have the tiles
laid out the way you want, use masking tape to number the tiles so you know
the order that you want them installed permanently. You may also find that
you want to add something extra like a border or a pattern to give your new
floor a unique look.
Once you
decide which way you want to lay the tiles down, it’s time to measure for
a starting point. Lots of questions need to be answered before we can move
forward.
Use a tape
measure to mark the floor near the center of the room at both ends. Snap a
chalk line making a mark all the way down center of the room.
Note:
It’s important to know the size of your tiles
and the width of your grout line if you are doing ceramic tiles. (Using
grout spacers is a smart idea)
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