How To Lay Straight Floor Tile

Cut tiles to fit against the wall if necessary.

How to lay straight floor tile.

For making curved cuts you can use tile nippers. Using a tape measure or digital laser tape measure the room from one wall to the opposite wall and note the distance. Lay a short 2 x 4 or beater block on top of the tiles and tap lightly with a rubber mallet to level the tiles and bed them firmly in the mortar. If the tile is too thick for nippers try the following.

Continue laying tiles one box at a time until your reach the wall. This creates a visual similar to that of a chess board. This will level the tiles and embed them firmly in the mortar. Measure from one wall call it a to the nearest tile edge.

Use a tile cutter for small straight cuts. This basic design gives a clean look and may work well to tone down heavily patterned tiles or compliment high shine ultra modern tiles that call for a sleek display. At the room s center place a tile where the chalk lines cross with its edges touching the lines. The chessboard pattern will go back to the diagonal lay or the straight lay in the sense of physical pattern.

Install ceramic tile over a subfloor that s no less than 1 1 8 inches thick. The number of tiles you will need will depend on the size of the tile you wish to lay as well as the tile pattern you will like on the floor. As you near cabinets doorways walls and other flooring stops trim tiles as needed for installation. For proper bonding medium bed mortar should be used in installing tiles with a dimensional length greater than 20 x 20 large rectangles or tiles with greater dimensional thickness than normal.

A flexing subfloor results in cracked tiles and grout and a lot of headaches. With a straight lay pattern tile is laid one after another in a straight grid pattern with corners matching up and grout applied in intersecting lines. Lay a row of tiles along a straightedge more than halfway across the room. This row determines the size of cut tiles along the walls.

In general to lay the tile itself mix thinset and spread it on the floor using the notched edge of a trowel starting at the intersection between your chalk lines on the floor. For consistent joints use tile spacers. Be prepared to cut some tiles. To make the chessboard pattern unique and true to its name it will consist of two different colors tiles placed in an alternating pattern.

Always follow the chalk lines of your layout to ensure you re laying tiles in a straight line. Use a tile saw or wet saw both rentable if necessary for cutting numerous or thick tiles. Back buttering tiles of this nature in the installation process will also assure proper coverage for body.