The Basics of
Ceramic Tile Flooring
Installation
Here is an overview of ceramic tile flooring installation. I cannot stress enough that you should do careful research before starting the job. There are many decisions to be made and making one small blunder at the wrong point can doom the entire project. If you are a beginner consult an expert such as a contractor who specializes in ceramic tile. Artistic choices such as colors and patterns are omitted.
Depending on the situation the actual tiling may be the easiest part of the job. You may have to level or completely reset the floor before doing the actual ceramic tile flooring installation. This may impose severe limits on what you can do. Time and money will play their usual roles.
The first things you should consider are:
- ceramic tile types - standard grade or better, as long as it is heavy duty and has a hard glaze, test it as you would counter top tile except, of course, much harder
- adhesive - thinset is usually best, epoxy or latex, except for plywood, then use an organic mastic
- setting bed - see the underlayment page
You will need to check that the floor is flat and level and the corners square. If the floor is out of square by less than 1/8 of an inch in 10 feet there should not be any problem. Make a drawing of the layout to resolve any problems ahead of time and estimate how much tile, adhesive and grout you will need for the ceramic tile flooring installation. Which grout to use? See the grout page. Allow for such things as wainscoting, counters, closets, appliances, plumbing, etc., anything that you will have to tile around, as well as the general shape of the room. (Now you begin to see why I can only give you an overview. Every job has it's own unique problems.) Read the ceramic tile layout design page.
Make a list of the tools you will need and buy or rent them. Be sure that measures are straight and square and all the tools are in good working order. Have safety equipment on hand and use it!
Prepare the bedding for the ceramic tile flooring installation and draw the layout lines on it. Don't go crazy but draw all you will need. As a dry run, arrange the tiles on the floor without any adhesive. Line them up nicely just as if you were actually setting them. Cut any tiles you need to so they will be ready.
Everything look good? Great! Now, you have to make one more major decision before you can do the ceramic tile flooring installation. You don't set an entire floor at one time unless it is quite small, like inside a shower. You set a floor in sections, so you have to decide where you will start and where you will end.
Now, go for it! Mix your adhesive, apply it, comb it and set the tile. Get into the habit of "reading" the backs of the tile. Just pull up a tile after setting it to be sure the back is completely covered. If not use a different size comb, or check to see if the adhesive is too dry or already starting to set-up.
Continue setting until all the adhesive is used up. Then check the tiles to be sure they line up properly and none are too high or low. Mix more adhesive and move on to the next section. Ceramic tile flooring installation has a rhythm to it, find it! When the entire floor is done allow it to set over night before grouting.
The next day clean the tops of the tiles with damp steel wool to remove any adhesive. Next, clean excess adhesive out of the grout joints with a putty knife. Do the same for the sides of the tile and the area between the end of the tile and the surrounding wall. Do not grout between the tiles and the wall or whatever surrounds the tile field. This area will be caulked later on.
As before, apply the grout in sections. Remember the ceramic tile flooring installation rhythm. Mix the grout per the manufacturer's instructions and spread it over the tile. Using a trowel work the grout into the joints, then snap off any excess grout above the tops of the tile. Do the same to the second section. After finishing the second section go back and check the first to see if it is ready for it's cleaning.
To see if the grout is ready, scrub over it with a damp sponge. If the sponge removes the grout it is too wet. The grout should be firm but not hard. If the grout has hardened already you will have to work harder to clean it and you may damage the tiles.
Cleaning is simple. Use circular scrubbing motions with a damp sponge. Rinse the sponge often. You may need to do several passes. If the grout has hardened use a scouring pad.
After the ceramic tile flooring installation is finished do one final cleaning to remove any residue that remains.
Allow a couple of days for the grout to set then caulk the perimeter of the tile field between the tiles and the wall. The caulk will allow the tiles to expand and contract without splitting or cracking.
I would like to know what you think. If you have any suggestions or comments about anything on this site please let me know. There is a contact link on every page of this site.
