Ceramic installing tile

To soften somewhere you stand for long periods, consider throwing down a fluffy rug. During the winter, tiles become cold on bare feet. In the summer, the opposite applies. Although comfortable enough to walk on, the radiant heat will warm up your home.

Ceramic tiles are quite heavy, which means they may not be suitable for an upper-story room. Take a close look at the area where you plan to install your tiles, known as the substrate.

Your substrate is as essential as the tiles themselves, so keep this factor at the forefront. Common substrates include plywood, backer board, and concrete, all of which work well. Regardless of what you go with, it needs to be completely even, spotlessly clean, and stable enough to support the heavy tiles. Even a slightly uneven surface will see tiles peel off over the years.

In either case, symmetry is key. The objective is to check whether the tiles will be sufficiently symmetrical. The tile pattern will affect the number of tiles you need to purchase. A grid pattern is simple to plan and is easy to install because fewer tiles need to be cut. Diagonal tiles help visually open up smaller spaces, but cutting tiles on a diagonal can get complicated.

Measure the room's area, then add 15 percent to account for wastage. Or arrive at an accurate total and experiment with tile designs by using an online tile calculator. Ceramic tile is fragile on its own but gains strength when laid on top of a firm, inflexible surface free of gaps and ridges.

Install the cement board panels by setting them onto a layer of thinset mortar and screwing them to the subfloor, with screws driven every 8 inches along the perimeters of the panels.

Tape the seams with fiberglass seam tape, fill the seams with thinset, and let it fully cure. Cement board , also known as a cementitious backer unit CBU and going under brand names such as Durock and HardieBacker, provides a rock-solid substrate that is perfect for ceramic tile installation.

Measure all walls to determine the center point for each wall. Snap a chalk line between each of the two opposing walls to create a cross pattern. Without mortar or grout, lay out tiles and tile spacers in a line on each arm of the cross. The idea is to avoid having small, cut tiles against a wall, as this can be visually jarring.

Shift this cross-like assembly in any direction, so that any tile that borders a wall is as close as possible to being a half tile or larger. When you pick up the tile, carefully stack the pieces so that you can keep track of which tiles go where. Pick up a small batch of thinset mortar with your margin trowel or with the flat side of your notched trowel and deposit the thinset on the cement board. Holding the flat side of your notched tile trowel at a degree angle, spread the mortar across the surface until it covers an area extending beyond the perimeter of a tile.

Switch to the notched side of the same trowel and, again holding it at a degree angle and pressing firmly to the cement board, comb the thinset by pulling the trowel in straight lines.

The notches in the trowel automatically regulate the amount of thinset deposited on the surface. Gently press the tile into the wet thinset, twisting the tile back and forth to press it deeper into the thinset. Your aim is to collapse any ridges in the mortar and fill in gaps.

Occasionally lift a tile and check the back to ensure full coverage. As you progress from one tile to the next, place tile spacers at the corners to maintain consistent spacing. Do not add mortar to these gaps. Dry fit and then cut tiles to size using a diamond wet saw. Dry fit your tiles to be sure that they will look the way you want them to look.

Once you're comfortable with how it looks, figure out how the tiles will meet up with the corners and edges of your wall. You will probably need only a part of a tile when it comes to some of these areas, so it will be necessary to cut the tiles to size. Measure how much space you need for each row with the spaces and cut tiles to size using a diamond tipped wet saw.

So, for example, let's say your wall to tile is five feet long. You'll need 9. You can also use a tile cutter, but this is more likely to end in broken tiles so only take this option if using cheaper tiles.

You don't want to make a mistake or have to spend a lot of time thinking about it once the mortar is up on your wall. You can test your dry fit pattern by making a layout stick, which can be made from any straight and level piece of spare wood. Lay the tiles on a floor and mark the layout stick with a pencil at the joints between tiles.

Use the layout stick to see how the tiles fit on the wall. Install a batten to keep your first row straight. With everything else ready to go, you'll want to install a batten to help keep your tile rows straight. This is a piece of scrap wood, such as a piece of 1x4 lumber, that you use as a long straight-edge, placing the first row of tiles right against the batten.

Align the top edge of the wood so that it follows exactly along the mid-level line that you marked, then screw it into the studs. Once the tiles have been placed, simply unscrew and remove the batten. Double check that everything is level before installing the tiles on the batten. You'll also want to check it all the way across, since there may be dips in the wood you use for your batten. Part 2. Mix the mortar. You'll need thin set mortar to lay your tiles.

While you should always go by the manufacturer's instructions, a general rule of thumb is to start with the powder in a bucket and just add water slowly and mix until the consistency of the mortar becomes like peanut butter.

You should also allow it to "slake" after you first mix it up. This means you allow it to rest for minutes and then stir it up again. Now it is ready to use. Spread the mortar. Working in a roughly 2x3' [6] X Research source area, use a tiling trowel to apply the mortar.

Hold the notched trowel at a shallow angle against the wall, so that the notches on one of its long sides dig grooves into the mortar. Use long, sweeping motions to apply the mortar. Your trowel size will depend on the size and type of tile you're using. For the average small wall tiles which are currently popular, you will want to use a 1x4" square notch trowel.

Test a tile to make sure the mortar is mixed and spread correctly. Mortar a small spot and then place a tile. Pull the tile up and look at the pattern that is create on the back. If you see clear lines, then the mortar is too dry. If you see goopy mounds then the mortar is too wet. Place your tiles on the wall. With the mortar ready to go, you can start placing your tiles. Just twist them into place, sticking to the small area that you prepared for yourself.

Place your spacers between each tile as you go. These are usually cross shaped and placed at the corners but if you have unusual tiles you may have to improvise, such as by placing only one arm between tiles and letting the rest of the spacer stick out.

If the mortar rises up between the tiles as you place them, the bed is too thick and you will need a smaller trowel. Check the tiles for level as you go. This is when a laser level can really come in handy. Part 3. Choose and mix your grout.

You'll need to choose what grout is appropriate for your project, depending on how large the gaps are between your tiles. Once you've chosen, mix the grout according to the packaging directions, being sure to also mix any additives you want. Usually, you will start with the water in a bowl or bucket and add powder until the consistency is like toothpaste. Mix only what you can spread in about 20 minutes, since mixing any more risks the product drying out. Sanded grout is used for gaps larger than 3mm.

Unsanded grout is used for gaps smaller than 3mm. You can find all sorts of additives at your local hardware store. These can do everything from making the grout more water resistant to changing the color to match your tiles. Spread the grout , using a grout float. Now, spread the grout using a grout float in a roughly 3x3' area, or whatever size you can grout in about 20 minutes. You do not want to push the grout around parallel to the lines, since this can gouge the grout back out of the gaps.

You can save yourself some time by using the grout float to remove as much of the excess grout off of the tiles as possible. Clean the grout. After allowing the grout to cure for 20 minutes wipe the tiles with a clean, damp sponge to remove any excess grout from the tiled surface.

Wipe just a small area, clean out the sponge, and then wipe some more. It is best to do this for each small area as you complete it but you can wait until you have done two to four small areas as well.