How To Lay Straight Floor Tile

At the room s center place a tile where the chalk lines cross with its edges touching the lines.

How to lay straight floor tile.

Lay a short 2 x 4 or beater block on top of the tiles and tap lightly with a rubber mallet to level the tiles and bed them firmly in the mortar. This row determines the size of cut tiles along the walls. With a straight lay pattern tile is laid one after another in a straight grid pattern with corners matching up and grout applied in intersecting lines. If the tile is too thick for nippers try the following.

Measure from one wall call it a to the nearest tile edge. Install ceramic tile over a subfloor that s no less than 1 1 8 inches thick. Place a 2 x 4 on top and tap lightly with a rubber mallet. Continue laying tiles one box at a time until your reach the wall.

9 level tiles after installing three or four tiles make sure they are level. For consistent joints use tile spacers. For making curved cuts you can use tile nippers. This will level the tiles and embed them firmly in the mortar.

This creates a visual similar to that of a chess board. Lay a row of tiles along a straightedge more than halfway across the room. Back buttering tiles of this nature in the installation process will also assure proper coverage for body. This basic design gives a clean look and may work well to tone down heavily patterned tiles or compliment high shine ultra modern tiles that call for a sleek display.

Using a tape measure or digital laser tape measure the room from one wall to the opposite wall and note the distance. Always follow the chalk lines of your layout to ensure you re laying tiles in a straight line. For proper bonding medium bed mortar should be used in installing tiles with a dimensional length greater than 20 x 20 large rectangles or tiles with greater dimensional thickness than normal. Use a tile saw or wet saw both rentable if necessary for cutting numerous or thick tiles.

In general to lay the tile itself mix thinset and spread it on the floor using the notched edge of a trowel starting at the intersection between your chalk lines on the floor. Use a tile cutter for small straight cuts. A thinner subfloor will cause the floor to flex due to the weight of the tile. The number of tiles you will need will depend on the size of the tile you wish to lay as well as the tile pattern you will like on the floor.

The chessboard pattern will go back to the diagonal lay or the straight lay in the sense of physical pattern. Cut tiles to fit against the wall if necessary. As you near cabinets doorways walls and other flooring stops trim tiles as needed for installation.