Posts

What Should We Do Before Install Tiles on a Concrete Basement Floor?

/in /by

At first glance, installing tiles design might seem like tough work. Indeed, very few people choose to install their floor tiles themselves during renovation, instead choosing to let a professional handle it. If you want to tackle the job yourself, a basic overview can help you on your way.

Pick the right marble tiles. Concrete floors are dull, drab and boring, but oftentimes people lack the time or the necessity to lay down an alternative floor. Most often, concrete floors are seen in basements and other out of the way places. However, if you choose to remodel your basement and need a new floor, the first thing to consider is what type of floor you need. Several varieties of cement tiles, including ceramic tile and vinyl, can be used; choose the one that best suits tiles your anticipated use.

Clean the concrete surface. This is a vital step of the project. Accumulated mud, dirt and other debris must be removed completely to ensure that the tiles are laid properly and stick to the concrete. For this purpose, be sure to use a commercial or industrial strength cleaning agent, along with lots of water and a brush.

Perform the concrete repairs and leveling. To lay an even surface, the underlying concrete needs to be uniform and level as well. To achieve this, get rid of any protrusions, bumps or cracks in the surface. Using sandpaper to level the bumps and concrete and other fillers to stop cracks, you should be able to get a smooth surface. Be sure to wash it after this is done and let it dry.

Plan the layout. After preparing the surface, plan how you intend to lay down the polished porcelain tiles. Depending on size and shape, you can have a wide variety of patterns to choose from and you may even decide to get creative with your patterns and create something original. Be sure to plan this out carefully before starting the actual work to ensure that there are no mistakes.

How to Hanging Tile for a Wall?

/in /by

There is nothing as beautiful as a well-designed tile wall tiles. Tile walls are normally found in bathrooms or the splash guards of kitchen cabinets, but they can be used decoratively anywhere you want to tile a wall. Although the idea of installing a tile wall on your own may be daunting, you can break down the process into parts to make it seem less overwhelming, including measuring and cleaning the walls, deciding on a pattern, hanging the tile on the walls, and applying the grout.

Apply a 1⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) layer of adhesive to the wall. Start applying the adhesive in a bottom corner, about 1 tile length away from the bottom and side of the wall, leaving space for the edge floor tiles. Scoop out a golf ball sized amount of adhesive onto a notched trowel, and spread enough adhesive in a thin layer over the wall to hang 2-3 tiles at a time.

You may need to move the trowel over the adhesive a few times to ensure that it’s thin and level. Pre-mixed adhesive tends to be less expensive and work well for wall tiling. If you purchased a powder adhesive, mix it according to the directions until it’s the consistency of peanut butter.

Use the trowel to add grooves to the adhesive. Hold the trowel at about a 45-degree angle from the wall. Move the trowel horizontally across the wall to make the grooves, applying consistent pressure as you spread. This will create the necessary ridges in the adhesive to allow for the tile design to stick to the wall.

Check the packaging of the adhesive to make sure you’re using the right sized notches for the ceramic tiles to stick to the adhesive. Most trowels will have 2 sets of notches that are different sizes.

Hang the first marble tiles and continue the row with more adhesive and  tiles. Carefully line up your first tiles, and press it into the adhesive, wiggling it slightly to create suction before positioning it in its spot. Then, continue adding tiles in rows or columns following your pattern. Once you’ve covered most of the adhesive on the wall, apply more and continue hanging tiles in your pattern.

Remember to work in small sections at a time, only applying the adhesive where you’re tiling. You may need to wipe off adhesive that oozes out from between the polished tiles with a damp cloth.

Deciding on a Pattern Before Tile a Wall

/in /by

If you’re working on a very large wall, you may need to replace the water after a few passes of the sponge to ensure that the water is clean and the sponge is picking up the dust.

Roll waterproofing sealer over the walls if you’re tiling in a bathroom. Pick out a few rolls of waterproofing sealer to cover the areas where you’ll be hanging wall tiles. Roll it out over the walls, and use waterproof adhesive to attach it to the walls. Make sure all of the area where you’re hanging the  tile is covered, and wait 2-3 hours for the adhesive to dry. The sealer prevents the water from seeping into the grout and the wall boards, which can cause rotting.

Pick a checkerboard pattern if you want a classic look. This pattern involves rows of  black and white tiles lined up like a checkerboard. Every-other floor tile is the same color, but the rows and columns are aligned in straight lines. You can pick any two colors to achieve this pattern, so don’t be afraid to get creative. This is one of the easiest patterns to create, but it can look busy if the room is already full of designs and colors.

Use a running board pattern for a less traditional look. Create an imaginary vertical line in the center of the pattern and organize the other floor tiles on this line. Place tiles of the same color along the line in each row so that the vertical line is going between two tiles, or it goes through the center of one tile. Overall, the appearance is that each tile is offset slightly but creates a staggered line. This is the pattern used for laying bricks and the popular “subway tile” pattern.

Use a stacked pattern to protect the walls from moisture. This is an extremely simple design that makes hanging the  tile and applying grout extremely simple. Just align rectangular tiles so that they form straight lines vertically and horizontally in the space. This pattern can have a stunning effect when done in large scales because it looks so natural and clean. If you’re using small tiles with one color, this is a great choice for making a bold statement.

Do a dry-lay of your pattern to see which tiles will need trimmed. Lay out the tiles on the ground in your desired pattern with grout spacers in between them, and then measure the width of the wall. Compare the width to the width of the marble mosaics tiles,and then mark which ones will need to be trimmed with a wax crayon. Consider shifting your pattern slightly if you need to trim any of the pieces to be smaller than 2 inches (5.1 cm) wide. It will likely be too difficult to cut these accurately with a wet saw or nippers.