Book Pages

Page 20

Uneven Floor Tile

If you have a floor with high and low spots and you have a problem installing the tile perfectly flat, you could be creating a trip hazard. You will have a bigger problem with larger tiles, than smaller ones.

Tool Safety

The best advice I could possibly give anyone, who is planning on using any tools, would be to read the safety instructions after purchasing them. Even a bucket can be a safety hazard to a small child.

As a general rule of thumb, if you think something can go wrong, it probably will. I'm constantly looking out for things that people can trip over, fall into, knock over or injure themselves with, in any way. If you see something like this, simply move it into a safer location.

Page 22

Natural Stone

Natural stone looks nice and feels good when you're walking on it, but could be a nightmare to install. Just to give you a rough idea, it took me at least three times longer to lay this floor than it would have using ceramic tile.

Natural stone comes in many different sizes, colors and styles.

Sheet Tiles

These are 2 inch natural stone square tiles and if you look close enough you will see a fiberglass netting underneath the tiles that's used to create a 12" x 12" square. This keeps the tiles together and makes the installation process a little easier.

Page 31

Tile over Wood

If you have linoleum over a wood floor, you can always install a tile backing board on top of it, with little effort, but I wouldn't install a tile backing board over an existing ceramic tile floor. The tiles and thin set will need to be removed.

I don't recommend using a sledgehammer, because it could damage the wood floor and structural framing supports. I recommend using pry bar's to remove the tile and scrapers to remove the thin set. For what ever reason, tile over wood floors, doesn’t seem to be as difficult to remove as tile over concrete and you don't need to scrape every piece of thin set off as long as the floor is flat.

As long as the floor is smooth and you have existing thin set on top of the plywood, this shouldn’t be a problem. In other words, as long as the floor is flat enough for you to tile over it, you'll be fine.

Multiple Layers of Flooring

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about, if you look to the right of the picture you’ll see a layer of floor tile that was installed over a layer of linoleum. If you don't know what's underneath the existing tile, prepare yourself for the worst, that way you won’t be surprised.

Page 47

Layout

This is the most important part of your floor tile installation. I can't believe how many times I've read construction books or articles on how to install floor tile, without enough information on layout. This is the most important part of the project and can make you look like you’ve been doing it your whole life.

The Perfect Tile Layout Can:

Eliminate Small Tiles

Reduce Irregular Grout Lines

Reduce Waste

Eliminate Frustration

Decrease Installation Time

Create the Perfect Finished Product

Eliminate Small Tiles

If you just started laying the tiles where ever you felt like it, you could end up with a problem like this.

In order to eliminate small pieces, you need to layout accordingly. Small pieces of tile are difficult to cut and if there’re placed in the wrong spot, won't look good either.

Page 75

Tile Spacers

Tile spacers come in different shapes and sizes and can be purchased from your tile supply store or local home improvement center. The two most popular methods for using the spacers are shown above and below.

Page 86

I prefer using the method above, because it allows me to remove the spacers with little effort after the thin set has dried. The method below will require a small screw driver to remove the spacers.

Some tiles are going to be easier to use than others and most ceramic tile cutters are designed to cut ceramic tile only, not stone or other natural products.

Once you reach the end of the tile, gently push down on the handle, evenly applying pressure to each side of the tile, using the tile splitting component of the tile cutter. The tile should split in half easily, but if it doesn't, try using the method below.

Page 95

Grouting

This is another part of the process that is intimidating for do-it-yourselfers, but won't be after you've read this chapter. The key to grouting is working in small manageable areas, before moving to the next section.

Page 103

Questions And Answers

How Much Money Can I Save Installing My Own Tile Floor?

Depending upon the size of your floor, you could save thousands of dollars. I just finished tiling a floor that was less than 200 square feet for 1,100.00 Dollars. That was labor only and the homeowner supplied the materials. The floor required some difficult cuts and it took me a while to figure out the correct layout, but once that was done, the rest was downhill.

What If the Tile Floor Has A Few Flaws?

Decide whether you can or cannot live with these flaws and if you can't, remove the irritating tiles and make the necessary adjustments. Don't forget, that you could always throw a rug over the problem area or a piece of furniture. Don't beat yourself up, everyone makes mistakes and most of the mistakes you'll make when installing your tile floor can be fixed later.

I Don't Think I Can Do It?

Neither could I at one time, I had to learn just like you, to do most of the things in my life. Don't let someone else intimidate you or convince yourself that you can't do it, when you can. Have a little faith in yourself and before you get started, read the entire book and watch all of the videos to build up your confidence.