ABODE Installing Tile Floors You can transform the appearance of a room by replacing inferior floor coverings with a new tile floor. Eric shows you the steps for doing this at home. July 2007

Eric Metz

I’m in the business of solving people’s floor-covering needs. I became interested in flooring 15 years ago when my father-in-law met Leonard McCurley, owner of McCurley’s Abby Carpet and Floor at a filling station and told Leonard that I needed a job. I started working as an installer the next day.

Everything changed one day when Leonard and I were returning from a big job in San Jose. We had worked hard and Leonard saw that I had blisters.

“I haven’t had anyone work blisters on their hands for years,” Leonard told me. “You’re front office material.” Perhaps he told me that because of my soft hands. However, I like to imagine that it was because he became aware of my energy and commitment. Last year Leonard made me a partner in the business.

One of the things I’ve discovered about myself is how much I like making people happy. I love the look I see in the people’s eyes when they see the results of our efforts!

The fact is that a new floor really can transform a living space. Replacing worn-out or outdated carpeting in a family room, kitchen, or bathroom with new tile flooring will radically change the appearance of a room. Plus, tile is so convenient! It is impervious to scratches and stains.

If you are handy with tools and want to save some money, you can install a tile floor in a room by following the five steps outlined below. If you choose to do this you should rent a wet saw, which is the preferred implement for cutting tiles to the right length. Ace Hardware is a good source for renting saws.

1. Choose Style, Size, Color, and Texture

The first step is to select the perfect tile to match the dÈcor of the area to be tiled. The advertised “shelf-life” on this stuff is 25 years, but in fact tile never fades. That being the case, make sure that you select something you will love because you’ll probably be living with this and walking on it for decades.

Tile flooring is available in a variety of colors, textures, and quality. Don’t rely on your judgment while simply looking at tiles arranged in a supplier’s showcase. Take some likely tile samples home with you. Lay them on the surfaces to be covered and see how well the colors and textures work within the context of the spaces where they will be used.

Also, pick out the tile size to create the effect you desire from the room. Tiles come in standard sizes of 12, 18, and 20-inch squares. After picking out the tile, select the grout. Lay a range of swatches showing grout colors on the tile you have selected and make your choice.

Determine grout line widths. These can be as small as a sixteenth of an inch or as large as a half-inch. One-eighth inch grout lines are the most standard.

2. Measure the Area and Order Supplies

Identify the type of material that the tiles will be placed upon. On the ground floor, the sub-floor might be a concrete slab. Upper floors will be on a raised foundation, which are usually made of plywood and must be covered with a concrete under-layment product called Hardibacker. These 3-foot by 5-foot backerboards provide a cement-based, water resistant substrate equivalent to a cement floor.

Note that if you can crawl under your house you have a raised foundation under your ground floor, as well.

Measure your square footage according to the normal length-times-width formula. For example, if you tell the supplier you’re going to tile a 132 square-foot (12 x 11) room with 20-inch tiles, he’ll figure out how many tiles you will need. Be sure to add ten percent for waste and measurement errors.

The other thing you need to order is the mortar required for the tiles. One 25-pound bag will cover approximately 75 square feet. You would need two bags, in other words, for your 132 square-foot floor.

Note that if the sub-floor is a raised foundation, your requirements for mortar are doubled. Plus you need to order the materials for the required Hardibacker layer that you will have to put down first.

The last thing to order is grout. The requirement is 25 pounds of grout for every 200 square feet of tile.

3. Prep the Floor

The amount of preparation varies according to the current state of the floor. Pull off any linoleum, carpeting, tax strips, and padding. Remove all the baseboards.

Remove any utilities or appliances: the toilet from the bathroom, refrigerator from the kitchen, washers and dryers from utility rooms, etcetera.

Lay the Hardibacker on the raised foundation. Spread only enough mortar so that it can be covered in 15 minutes. Nail each piece down firmly. Tape the joints with fiberglass-mesh tape.

4. Install the Tile

Determine the starting point for the first row of tile. Snap a chalk-line to establish an edge. Do this even when starting by the walls, since you can’t depend upon these to be perfectly straight.

Make your starting row at least two tiles wide to ensure that everything remains square and aligned.

Note that laying the tiles in a diagonal pattern will require more effort when fitting the tiles to the walls. If you do this, add another 7 percent to your tile order since you will have more waste.

Spread mortar with a square-notched trowel. Spread only enough mortar so that it can be covered in 15 minutes. For large tiles use a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch square-notched trowel. Use a 1/4 by 1/4 inch square-notched trowel for 12-inch or smaller tiles.

Lay all the tile before doing any grouting. Maintain consistent spaces between the tiles with spacers. You can buy these in 1/16 inch up to 1/2 inch. Put a spacer between the tiles on each corner. Continue working the rows from your starting point to each wall. Use the wet saw to fit tiles to walls and other obstructions. “Measure twice cut once.” Do it!

Treat this like a painted floor…. Keep moving towards an exit.

After the area is laid, let the mortar set up overnight. Add the grout the next day in five steps:

1. Clean all grout joints of any debris. Use a utility knife to scrape out excess mortar and vacuum.
2. Mix the grout with water and sand according to the instructions on the particular grout you chose.
3. Smoothly fill in the spaces, passing a grout float over the surface, holding it at a 45 degree angle, thus squeezing the grout into the cracks.
4. Sponge excess grout and haze from the surface of the tile by using a clean sponge and water.

NOTE: Do this within ten minutes or the haze will become fixed to the surface.
Paint and replace the baseboards. Return all fixtures and appliances.

5. Finishing Touches

A couple final steps in finishing up your new floor.

1. Clean up after yourself. Note that laying tile is a dirty job and everything will be covered with tile dust, so make this a thorough cleanup.
2. Change the furnace/air-conditioning filter because it will be clogged with dust.
3. After you are finished have a fine meal at Grazie!’s, Hiro’s, Cap’s, or Carpaccio. Or go to Sticky Chicken if you simply want some good barbeque without the fancy tablecloths. Or just stuff yourself at Carvel’s.

Leonard McCurley’s father, Paul, started our flooring business. We can remember how he used to say, “The most important day in the life of your floor is the day your new floor is installed.” I don’t think that is literally true, but it is important! So when you get finished go ahead and celebrate a little. You will have done a good thing!

Your new tile floor should remain clean of stains and scars for the life of the house — or perhaps your life.

If you install a floor, Eric Metz will be glad to give you advice, sell you the materials you need, or do the job for you. Contact him at 925-634-0888 or at eric@mccurleys.com. For more information go to www.mccurleys.com.