Installing Ceramic Tile
One of the best flooring choices you can make for your home is installing ceramic tile. It is extremely durable, helps fend off water, and is a fabulous choice for kitchens, bathrooms, entryways, and any other high-traffic area. If you have always wanted to install it yourself, but fearful of the project, don't worry! We will help you get your project on the right track!
The first step in this process determining where you are installing your tile, and choosing the tile. For the purpose of this article, we will be covering how to do ceramic tile on your walls (for a shower) and floor tile. As you already know, the selection of tile is endless! One thing to keep in mind is that you can install 12x12 in. floor tiles on the walls of your shower. Beyond that, your choice should be based on personal preference. This is often times the hardest (or the easiest) part of the whole project, so try to have fun with it!
The next thing you need to do is prep the surface you are going to be applying tile to. For most surfaces, you will need to apply a strong underlayment before applying tile. If you are doing a shower, you will need Hardiebacker board (they come in 3x5 ft. sheets) 1/2 inch thick. You should use this type of cement board because water cannot damage it, therefore making it great for kitchens and bathrooms. When attaching the underlayment to the floor or walls, be sure you screw into the floor joists or wall studs. If you do not, the natural shifting of your house could cause your tile/grout to crack and break. Be sure to cut out any areas (vents, drains, ect.) that need to be cut. Hardiebacker is similar to drywall, but is much harder, so take caution when cutting your underlayment.
Once your underlayment is down, need to plan how you will lay your tile (note- don't wait to plan it until you are laying the tile because your thinset could dry out before you use it- more on that later. Dried out thinset is BAD!) Most professionals recommend to lay your full tiles on the most visibly seen wall, and hide your cut pieces around plumbing and other fixtures. Mark your design with a chalk line.
Now you are ready to start laying your tile! Start off by mixing the thinset you are using according to the directions on the package. I like to use thinset that contains latex because it has a little more time to work with it, and the cleanup is much easier than with other thinset. For wall tile, mix your thinset slightly thicker than you would for floor tile (since your tile will be vertical instead of horizontal. You will also need a ceramic notched trowel to spread the thinset onto the backerboard or tile. Because thinset has a tendency to dry out faster than most people can use it, be sure to only spread what you can use in 15 minutes, and cover the mixed thinset when not in use. Lay your tiles on the floor, slightly twisting them before putting them into place (it will help the tiles stick better). Place tile spacers in the corners of your laid tile (so you have perfect spacing when you grout). You may also "back butter" tiles to be placed on the floor. Most people do this in hard to reach areas. The easiest way to lay tile is to lay all of your full pieces first, then come back later and cut your tile and lay it. When your tile is laid, be sure that you don't have any that squeezes out from the sides; if so you have used too much thinset. Clean out any squeezed out thinset from the sides of the tile before laying your next piece; if not, you will interfere with your grout. Let your full tiles dry for a day, and come back and lay your cut tiles. For straight cuts, you can rent a tile cutter (we have one to rent!), and for small round cuts you can either use a roto-zip with a tile blade or tile nippers. With said nippers, only nip off a little at a time to prevent cutting off too much. Lay these pieces as you did with your full tile, and let these dry for 1 day before moving on to the next step.
You are now ready for grout...yay! There are a lot of grout choices available in many colors. Pick a color that coordinates well with your tile, and if you are laying floor tile, do not choose white (it will not stay white for long!). Before spreading your grout, pick your spacers out from between your tiles. Mix your grout according to the instruction on the package, and spread in the grout lines with a padded grout float. Make sure that your grout is not above your tile, and clean off any excess with a sponge and a bucket of clean water, ensuring to rinse your sponge often. If your grout does not get properly cleaned off, it will leave a haze on it that can be difficult to remove. If the tile you pick is unglazed, you may want to consider sealing it before grouting (to ensure better excess grout removal.
The last two steps are small, yet very important. You must clean the haze off of your tile left by the grout. Be sure your grout is cured (usually 48-72 hours, but look at the instructions on your grout for complete instructions) before removing the haze. The easiest way is to buy a grout haze remover (and follow the instructions). Lastly, you may need to seal your tile. You will not have to seal your tile if it comes glazed, but if it is not, then you will have to use a sealer. There are many different sealers on the market, just be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions.
While installing the tile can be a somewhat lengthy process, it is very rewarding in the long run. If properly cared for, your ceramic tile will last for many years to come, and will have very little if any maintenance issues.
