Tile can add value and beauty to your home in a number of different ways. Tile is available in a number of different materials, sizes, and colors. Therefore, with tile, you can create the most customized flooring option available. While tile can be beautiful, if you do not install it properly, it can look terrible. Therefore, a proper installation should be as high of a priority as finding the right tile.
If you want to ensure that the job is done properly, you could always have a professional installer do the job for you. You can get a labor guarantee and prevent any future problems. However, the only problem with this is that having someone else do it for you can get very expensive. Having tile installed over a wood subfloor with a pattern can cost you as much as $8 per square foot. Therefore, if you want to get the tile floor without the big price tag, it is important that you do the work yourself. Here are some tips to install tile in the correct way.
The first thing that you have to do is assess your subfloor situation. Contrary to what some people might think, you can not install tile directly onto a wood subfloor. If you have a concrete slab, you can put the tile directly onto it as the concrete is stable enough to support it. However, with a wood subfloor, there will be too much movement to support the tile over a long period of time. The tile might look fine for a short period of time. However, after a certain period of time, the grout and tile will begin to crack. If you have a wood subfloor, you will have to use concrete board to cover it. This will give you the necessary support that you will require.
Once you have provided the proper subfloor for the tile, you can then begin installing it. The first thing that you need to do is center the tile in the room. You can do this by measuring the room carefully and using a chalk line to find the center point of the room. Once you figure out what the center point is, you can work your way out.
In order to ensure that the tile is laid straight and spaced properly, you will want to use tile spacers. You can use any number of different sizes of tile spacers depending on your preference. Place the tiles up against the spacer and leave the spacer there.
Use a wet saw to cut the tile once you get to the wall or cabinets. This will allow you to easily cut the tile and give the job a professional, clean look.
Once you are done laying the tile, allow it to set overnight. This will allow the thinset to harden and the tile will be ready to walk on. At that point, you can grout and let the grout dry. The following day, your new tile floor should be ready for traffic.
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