| PLANING
YOUR FLOOR TILING
SETTING OUT
Before you do anything, open a few boxes of tiles and dry lay a
row of them from the point where you want full tiles to finish.
Use the correct spacing and try to make sure that any cuts are no
smaller than 1⁄2 a tile. Remember to keep full tiles in the
most noticeable part of the room. Then, using an adjacent wall as
a guide, lay another row at right angles. You will probably notice
that the wall will run out of square. That’s just the way
houses are built! What you need to do is adjust the layout so that
a full tile fits where the wall is at its narrowest extreme. The
rest of the tiles along the wall will be cut to fit. NEVER assume
that your walls are square! It is ESSENTIAL that you have a perfect
90-degree angle to start from!
Spend as much time as you need to and make sure that
you are happy with the final layout, and then mark the floor with
guide lines.
LAYING THE TILES
Mix the tile adhesive according to the directions on the bag. Please
DON’T use a PREMIXED adhesive on your floor as these adhesives
set via evaporation and over a concrete floor with a dense floor
tile can take forever to dry!
Spread about a square meter at a time with your notched trowel,
using a straight movement, don’t use a circular motion as
this will trap air under the tile and prevent full coverage. Lay
the tile into the adhesive and move it slightly at right angles
to the notches in the adhesive. Lay the next tile and place 2 spacers
upright into the gap between the two (these will be removed when
the adhesive has set). Use a straight edge to make sure that each
row is perfectly straight. As ceramic floor tiles can vary in size
to some degree, don’t rely exclusively on the spacers, use
your eye to get a uniform gap if need be. Leave the perimeter cuts
until the bulk of the floor has been laid and the adhesive has dried
(allow 24hrs). Make sure you remove any excess adhesive from the
surface of the tiles and don’t let the adhesive in the joints
fill up the gap.
Where the tiles are meeting carpet, or at doorways,
use an aluminium or brass tile edging strip.
CUTTING THE TILES
Either buy or hire a decent tile cutter, the real cheap ones really
aren’t worth the aggravation!
Mark the top of the tile with a fine felt pen and mark the piece
you don’t want. Place the tile into the cutter and line up
the mark with the scoring wheel. Then, using 1 firm motion, score
along the glaze. Place the breaking wings straddling the score and
with a firm downwards action, break the tile. Remember that practice
makes perfect, ask for a demonstration before buying or hiring the
cutter you will be using, and practice on some extra tiles. Odd
shapes around doorframes, etc. can be carefully cut out using a
diamond blade on an angle grinder. Make sure you wear eye protection!
It’s a good idea to give the cut edges a rub with the back
of your off cut to remove any jagged pieces of glaze.
GROUTING THE TILES
After the adhesive has set, usually 24 hours, it is time to grout.
Mix the grout to a smooth, creamy consistencies using a mixture
of 50% clean water
and 50% Davco
4 in 1 Grout Additive. (Davco 4 in 1 gives the grout
greater flexibility and strength). Using your squeegee or grout
float, work the grout into the gaps with a firm diagonal motion
leaving the tile surface as clean as possible. Remove the excess
with a damp sponge. DO NOT let the grout dry on the tile. Keep your
sponge clean by rinsing often in clean water. Don’t worry
if a haze is evident, as the final task is to polish the tiles after
the grout has set (Again, usually 24 hours). |
