Tiling is one job that most people would rather not learn how to do since it can be scary that you make some mistakes in the process. However, it is actually a lot easier than what many might think. In fact, it can save you a whole lot of money contrast to hiring a professional for the job. As long as you know the do’s and don’ts, then this task is a no-brainer for you.

Choosing Your Tiles

To start off, you have to choose the tiles that you want to use. You may get surprised with the number of various choices when doing this. Tiles may come in different sizes, colors, textures, materials, and finishes. There are times that you may encounter tiles with odd sizes. This is done on purpose by companies so that you would have to buy extra. Choosing a tile highly depends on you. It can also depend on how you want the room to be and the overall design and feel of the room.

Measurements And Computations

Generally, it is better if you tile under the fittings. This is because if you would have to move appliances in the future, like a fridge, then you do not have to lift it up over the edge of your new tiles. When you have chosen what kind of tile you want to use, you need to do some computations. You have to get your floor’s width and divide it by the width of one tile. This is to know the number of complete rows that you’ll have.

Application

After doing the math, you can now start applying tiles on your floor. Be sure that you have an even coverage of adhesive placed on your sub-floor. The type of adhesive to use would depend on your sub-floor or the surface you are tiling. Use a rapid setting adhesive for a concrete floor. However, be sure that you do not spread too much of the mixture at once since it can set as fast as 30 minutes.

If it is a wooden sub-floor, then you need a flexible adhesive. You can know if an adhesive if flexible if it is written on the bag or the tub. If you have slate, then you need to use gray adhesive. If you’ll be having marble, then you need a white adhesive. This is so that no color coming from the underside would bleed and ruin your design.

Grouting

When you are done fixing your tiles on the floor, and after you have allowed enough time for it to dry, then you would have to do some grouting. If you have natural tiles, like marble, slate, limestone, granite, travertine, and porcelain, you need to seal them first before you can grout them. Use a specialized impregnating sealer so that it can be more resistant to dirt and staining.

Mix up the grout and apply it using a grout float to your tiles. Try to work over the gaps until they’re all filled. Use a white grout instead of gray if you own white marble since the gray kind can stain the marble.

Wipe out the excess grout that is bulging from your tiles using a sponge as a finishing and use a grout finisher or your finger to smooth out the grout lines. After this, stand back, relax and chill while you wait for your work to dry up!