Floor tiles provide a stunning, hardwearing finish to any room from contemporary kitchens to boutique bathrooms, floor tiles if installed correctly can last a lifetime. If you’re considering a floor tile project but are new to tiling, then follow our handy guide to installing floor tiles in your home it’s much easier than you may think.
When tiling your room, you’ll be starting from a central point and working your way out to each corner, one at a time. You’ll will need to be able to leave the room without disturbing your installed tiles, so planning is key. Work into the further corners of the room first so that you finish by the door.
The Preparation
Floor tiles are usually classified as Porcelain, ceramic and quarry. All floor tiles are very hardwearing and provide an easy to maintain floor covering for kitchens, bathrooms and much more. The key to floor tiling or any tiling is preparing the surface. The tiles need to be installed on a flat, even & dry surface, your tiles can be be installed on to existing floors e.g concrete, floorboard, and even over current tiles but the preparation is the foremost consideration.
Let’s Begin Tiling
Before you start your tiling project ensure you have read any manufactures instructions
Step 1
Once you have worked out the centre point of your room use a notched trowel to apply the adhesive to your substrate. We recommend doing this is sections of approximately 1 m2.
Step 2
Apply your tiles firmly into the adhesive, and ensure they are firmly bedded into the adhesive. Continue this method and apply spacers to ensure your tiles have equal gaps. As you continue to install the tiles periodically check that the tiles are level.
Step 3
Once all tiles are laid, you need to ensure the adhesive is fully cured (dried) before walking on them, depending on the adhesive type this may take 24-48 hours so if you’re tiling a room you need to access it may be better to tile the room in stages.
Step 4
You may have to cut some tiles to finish off your project please remember tiles are a very hard material and porcelain & quarry tiles and to ensure you have a nice, neat finish to your project it is important to use the correct equipment. For example, a porcelain tile usually requires a wet cut with a diamond blade.
Step 5
Grouting – before grouting make sure that your adhesive is set (usually 24 hours). Use a high quality grout and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.