How To Lay Tiles

As far as bathrooms go, the world is obsessed with tiles, at least going by the looks of it. This is mostly because tiles just happen to look aesthetic, are convenient to clean and sufficiently easy to maintain. If you are willing to look at tiles from a totally new angle, they really are the best thing to have happened to mankind as a whole! However, tiles need not be restricted to only the ‘private’ spaces of your bathroom; they can also extend to accommodate themselves in your kitchen or maybe even your bedroom or living room. It really is a matter of perspective. There is no hard and fast rule that authoritatively states that tiles should be limited only to a bathroom, and after all the tiles that are doing the rounds in the market today can definitely blend with the environment of any room! The best part about tiles is that you can lay them yourself, go head and find out how.

• Tiles are best when used for adding that perfect finish to the floor of a bathroom. To start off things, you will first have to remove the toilet from the bathroom. For this you will first have to turn off the water at the shutoff valve and ensure that the water in the tank is drained out.
• Then, disconnect the water connection that runs to the toilet and remove the caps and bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. You can unscrew the nuts with the assistance of a wrench. With a sharp knife or tool, cut through the seal that holds the toilet to the floor. You can then lift the toilet up. Once you have done this, place a damp rag over the flange to prevent the leakage of obnoxious sewage gas.
• The shoe molding that you see can be removed with a putty knife. The baseboard however can stay put. It is important to mention here that the backer board and tile will raise your floor by about ¾ of an inch. This increase in height can be avoided by removing the backer board too.
• If you plan to remove or replace the vanity, do so by removing it. However, if you don’t plan on removing it, it can stay where it is supposed to stay. You will also have to remove old flooring. If you can’t do this by yourself, feel free to rope in the help of a professional.
• Proceed to undercut the door trim. This will help provide for the raised floor. You can follow this up by cutting away the trim using a handsaw or a jamb saw. Post doing this, it becomes your duty to clean the floor. If you notice any waxy residue on the floor, be quick to get rid of it.
• Notice any copper pipes in your bathroom? If yes, wrap duct tape over the copper pipes that pass through the floor. This will actually help prevent the grout from corroding the copper. To protect the bottom of the tub, shower and sinks from grout and mortar, you can use a painter’s tape.
• Now that your done with getting your bathroom ready for the tiles. It’s time to begin work with the tiles. Start off by zeroing in on the best layout for tiles. Begin with the center and lay the tile outward. Make it a point to look at the spaces at the walls. Equal spaces are what you need most. Use tile spacers to ensure that the tiles are at a correct distance from each other. The tiles shouldn’t be touching the tub or any other fixture in the bathroom. Lastly, make it a point to not cut tiles into squares less than two inches in width.
• Cover two guide boards and screw them to the floor. The boards should be placed near the wall which will make it easier to place the tiles without removing the guide boards. The boards should be straight and perpendicular to each other!
• Proceed to mix the thinset mortar. Use only as much as you think you will need in an hour. To prevent the mortar from drying out, wet the backer board with a sponge.
• Then, use a trowel to spread few feet of mortar. Use the flat edge of the trowel to do this. You can then lay clean the mortar with the notched edge of the trowel. Once done with this, set the tiles keeping well within the guidelines. Use spacers between tiles to ensure that they are all placed at equal widths. Manually also remove any mortar that is visible between the tiles.
• Give the mortar some time to harden. The amount of time required for the mortar to harden will depend on the time given on the package. Once this time has passed, you can feel free to remove the guide boards. Your tiles are now placed!