How to – Cutting Floor Tiles
Putting in your own tile flooring can be a bit of a challenge if you do not know what to do. That is why it is important to do your research and learn how best to put in your flooring so that you do not make fatal mistakes along the way. Even if you do it yourself, you should leave cutting floor tiles
When it comes to installing your tile floor there are tips that can be used to help you in your endeavor.
1. Take out the old flooring. The first step is to remove the old flooring. For this you will need an entirely different knowledge set, so reading up on the removal of flooring should be done before you can get to laying down the new floor.
2. Draw a floor plan. Once the old flooring is removed, take some chalk and measure out the tile pieces on the floor. If you draw out the lines for all your tiles, you will know just how many to buy as well as how many cutting floor tiles will be needed and just what kind of cuts they will need.
3. Make sure the floor is flat. A lot of houses suffer from curved base floors which is not all that noticeable in our day to day lives, but when it comes to tiled floors that curve can cause them warp and crack. If your floor is not flat, buying concrete or cement boards can help compensate.
4. Clean the floor. The adhesive used for keeping the tiles in place is very finicky and requires a clean base otherwise they will not stick properly. So before you place them with the adhesive, go through and give the floor a thorough cleaning.
5. Start from the center. When placing tile flooring always start from the middle and work your way out. This will not only improve the look but help keep cutting floor tiles on the edges of the room. You do not want cut tiles in the center of the room after all.
6. Lay dry tiles. Before placing them with adhesive, go through and lay them out without the adhesive. This way you can see what the final floor will look like and if there are any problems with your measurements, you can easily correct them.
7. Add grout. Grout lines are one of the defining characteristics of tile flooring so you need to make sure you get it right. You should have spare tiles, practice on those to make sure you know how to grout before taking it to the placed tiles.
8. Seal it. The last step is to seal up the floor to protect it from spills and to prevent dirt and grime from being absorbed into the grout. If you do not seal it, the grout will absorb the various grime from daily life and turn a very nasty color, which can not be cleaned.
Tile floors are not that difficult to install once you know what to do, yet they can make your house look so much better.
