Installing ceramic floor tiles

Ceramic tiles are fairly easy to install. Choose them according to their end use.

Ceramic tiles have one major prerequisite - you must have a smooth and rigid sub-floor to support the installation. They are not flexible and therefore can crack if installed over a rough surface or thin sub-floor. If you must put down a sub-floor, make sure it doesn't block the openings for existing doors.

When installing ceramic floor tile in the bathroom, remove the toilet in order to lay the tiles under toilet base.
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1. Determine the layout
2. Apply the adhesive
3. Lay down the tiles
4. Remove the spacers
5. Let the adhesive set
6. Cutting the tiles
7. Apply the grout
8. Seal the grout

1. Determine the layout

Preparing the installation of the tiles is a crucial step not to be neglected. The result of your work will depend on this preparation.

1.1 

Using a chalk line, snap a line perpendicular to the main entrance into the room, from the centre of the wall to the other end of the room, and another line parallel to the entrance wall.

1.2 

Starting from the intersection of both lines, lay tiles on the floor along the line marking the length of the room, without adhesive, to see how they fit. Use a spacer in between each tile. The spacer can be the side of another tile or you can purchase plastic spacers from your home renovation centre.

1.3 

When you reach the end of the room and can no longer put down a full tile, align another row of tiles along the line marking the width of the room.

1.4 

Based on the amount of remaining space at both ends of the second row, determine how much you need to shift the tiles to achieve equal borders on both ends of the room. Snap a second line marking the length of the room based on this measurement. The intersection of this new line and the line marking the width of the room will become your starting point. If your room is very irregular and filled with obstacles, lay the tiles in such a way as to limit the number of cuts.

2. Apply the adhesive

Using a notched trowel, apply tile adhesive to an area equal to two or three tiles in the starting corner. As you lay down each tile, give the tiles a "jiggle" to set them in to the adhesive.

3. Lay down the tiles

Use the spacer to make sure the tiles are spaced evenly. You can use a rubber mallet or a block of wood and a hammer to gently tap down tiles that are too high.

4. Remove the spacers

Remove the spacers as you work your way back and forth across the room, before the adhesive has time to dry and without walking over the freshly glued tiles. If your tiles are very thick and the spacers are embedded into the adhesive, you can leave them in place and simply apply grout over them.

Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 until the whole surface is covered.

5. Let the adhesive set

Let the full tiles set for 24 hours. Once the adhesive has set, you can carefully walk on the tiles to cut and install the border tiles.

6. Cutting the tiles

To cut the border tiles, lay a tile exactly over the last full tile. Place your spacer against the wall. Next, take another full tile and place it against the spacer with the edges lined up with the other loose tile. Insert an object under the tile that is over a void.

6.1 

Make a line across the centre tile along the edge of the top tile.

6.2 

Place the tile to be cut into the tile cutter and hold it firmly against the stop while you score the line.

Be sure to score the line only once.

6.3 

Cut the tile by lowering the lever.

6.4 

Set the cut tiles into the adhesive the same way you did with the full tiles.

For complex cuts, you can use a tile saw or tile nippers.

6.5 

You can use cut tiles as a baseboard for finishing. To do so, install the tiles on the wall with adhesive, taking care to insert a spacer under the tiles to leave room for the grout.

7. Apply the grout

The grouting phase can begin 24 hours after the last tiles have been installed.

7.1 

Wet the tiles with clean water before grouting. The grout mixture will become slightly more liquefied and will spread better. As well, the grout will bind less readily to the tile surfaces making cleaning much easier.

After having mixed the grout according to the manufacturer's recommendations and you have let it slake, pour part of it directly over the tiles and allow it to penetrate into the joints. Apply the grout with a rubber float at a 45° angle, working it into the spaces. Apply the grout in sections of 10 sqft (1 m2) at a time.

7.2 

Grout mixture dries very quickly, so the ideal situation is to have one person trowelling in the grout and a second person, 3 to 5 minutes later, wiping off the excess in the direction in which it was installed.

Wipe the excess grout off the tile faces with a damp sponge. Use as little water as possible in order not
to dilute the grout between the tiles. For best results, repeat this operation at least two or three times.

7.3 

After 24 hours, go back over the tile faces and clean off any remaining grout residue with a wet mop.

8. Seal the grout

Allow the grout to cure for about ten days. Then brush the grout with a silicone sealer or follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
Go ahead, start the job. You’ll see that it’s not as hard as it looks!
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