Easy Ways to Install Tile Floors – Professionally or Do-it-yourself? Before learning on how to install tile floors, you must learn what types of tile floors are available, and what will work perfectly in your home. Since tile can be of so many different materials, also installation and usage varies, too. Most of the time, ceramic tile is always chosen. There are many ways to find out more about tile floors. You can purchase or check out books and videos; you can also talk to hardware store personnel. Those people that work in the sales departments have quite substantial knowledge about the items and products they sell, and the requirements needed in order to do it yourself with positive results. No matter what method you choose to learn from, take copious notes in order to accomplish a great job on your own. If you choose to hire an expert to do the job for you, you just saved yourself from a large amount of time. They will come into your home, take the measurements for you, and can help you decide which tile is the best for your home. By knowing which room it is going into, the traffic patterns, and the things you are actually looking for, they can lead you to the perfect tile that will give you a lifetime of enjoyment. You can do some of the prep work yourself to save some money. Removing all the furniture and the existing flooring on your own can save hundreds of dollars. If you already knew what the existing flooring is made from, this can be a pretty good deal. Professional removal is often required, but usually the one that you should avoid by raising your own floor. To a professional that knows how to install tile floors is really not a big deal. In fact, they probably knew what it is needed to be done and told you about it at the onset of the project. You have to go through a “dry run” with the tile before applying adhesive. Make guidelines on the subfloor to help it lay straight. Also do not forget to remove all baseboards. When you are laying the tiles, be sure to use spacers to keep your tiles constant in distance from each other. After you have done this and made all the adjustments you wanted to, you can start gluing the tiles in place. Work in two foot square sections. Spread the adhesive and then “set” the tiles into it. You should be
careful in using those spacers and make sure that the tiles’ surfaces are all level. And when it is done, just let the tiles set overnight. The next day, apply the grout to fill in the spaces between the tiles. You must completely cover the tiles, and then remove the excess grout with a sponge, avoid taking it out from between the tiles. Mop the tiles daily for a couple of days to make sure the grout harden properly. Applying a sealant in a week or so is highly recommended to protect the grout and help it last even longer. If you think it consumes a lot of time before you actually get to enjoy your new tile floor, hiring a professional to do the job will keep you from having to do it all on your own, and you won’t have the cleanup job in the end, either.