How to Lay a New Tile Floor
- 1). Clean the base floor with an environmentally safe floor cleaner. Tiles will not adhere properly to a dirty base floor.
- 2). Cover the base floor with plywood sheets. Place the sheets on the floor so the corners are staggered and no four corners touch. Use a nail gun loaded with coated nails to nail the plywood sheets in place. Nail the boards in place by staggering the nails about 4 inches apart.
- 3). Cut away excess plywood around doors and corners, using a saw. Nail the edges in place with a nail gun. Try to keep cut edges as smooth as possible and cover the entire floor.
- 4). Measure the walls of the room to determine the exact center, using a tape measure. Place a chalk line across the floor at the center of each wall. Snap the chalk lines in place. The center of the floor is the spot where the two chalk lines meet.
- 5). Place loose tiles on the floor to determine the correct pattern to be used in the room. This is especially important if you're using tiles in two or more colors. Laying out the tile ahead of time also allows homeowners to pick out and replace broken or discolored tiles.
- 6). Apply a coat of tile adhesive over a small section of the floor, using a notched trowel. Allow the adhesive to set for about 15 minutes. Press a finger into the tile to evaluate its consistency. When the adhesive feels tacky, it is properly set.
- 7). Place the first tile in the center of the room. Use tile spacers to keep the tiles evenly spaced. Continue laying tiles on the floor, apply more adhesive as necessary.
- 8). Cut tiles to fit along edges, around pipes and in other areas where a complete tile does not fit, using a tile-scoring tool. Finish laying the tile and allow it to set overnight.
- 9). Mix grout in a 5-gallon bucket. Drag a rubber grout at a 45-degree angle across the joints between the tiles. Allow the grout to sit up for five to 10 minutes. Wipe the grout off the face of the tiles with a damp grout sponge. Allow the grout to set up overnight.
- 10
Apply a sealant directly over the grouted joints. Allow the sealant to dry before moving furniture back into the newly tiled room.