Article taken off homedit.com
How to tile the floor by yourself
When renovating or remodeling your home, there are things that you can do by yourself and things that require professional help. For example, you can paint the walls yourself and you can even tile the floors by yourself. Even if you never did it before, it would be a good time to learn.
Usually it’s the bathroom and the kitchen that require tiled floors. The process it not as difficult as you might think. There are a few step that you need to follow and it’s also important to have a flexible mind. Not everything goes exactly according to plan. Now let’s see the step necessary for this DIY project.
The first thing you need to do is to clean the floor. You need to remove any debris or dust in order to insure nice cohesion for the tiles. After removing the larger debric by hand you can use a vacuum for the dust and the smaller stuff. After you did that and the floor is clean you should lay out the tiles. Start from a corner, the most visible one, and lay out a full-sized tile. The lay out the rest of the tiles with spaces between them in order to check if the pattern ends nicely at the other corner. If not, change the order or the location of the tiles.
Next it’s time to mix the mortar. It comes either in a box ready for mixing or in pre-mixed tubs. Either one is eqaully good. Spread the mortar. Start with a small patch of ground, enough to cover 2-3 square feet. Try to keep apply a layer with the same thickness. Apply the first tile and apply as much pressure as possible. You might think this is enough but it’s not. You also need to use a small board covered with cloth (to protect the tile) and, using a hammer or mallet, tap the board.
Continue with more tiles and repeat the process. When you get in the corner you might need to cut the tiles in order to make them fit. After installing all the tiles and the mortar has cured completely, spread ground with a rubber float into the ground lines. Then you can use a damp sponge to clean the face of the tiles. Wait until everything is dry and in place and your floor is done and ready to use.
