Easy Steps On Tiling Your Kitchen Floor
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 dos
and donts, 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
variety 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 over all
design and feel of the room.
Measurements And Computations
You also need to measure out your floor area. You also
have to deliberate on whether you want the tiles to go
under any kind of fittings and units. 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 floors width and divide it by the width of one
tile. This is to know the number of complete rows that
youll have. Also, this can help you decide the
optimal wall edge to place your cut tiles against.
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. If it is a concrete floor,
then you can use a rapid setting adhesive. 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 youll
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. You have to use a
specialized impregnating sealer so that they will be
waterproof and 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 theyre
all filled. If you have white marble tiles, then you
need to use a white grout instead of gray since the
gray kind can stain the marble.
To finish off, wipe out the excess grouts that are
bulging from your tiles using a sponge. Also, 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!