Tiling Guide: Ceramic Floor Tiles

Explanation

The term "Ceramic Floor Tiles" covers all larger ceramic floor tiles including quarry tiles, pressed tiles, monocottura tiles etc. Some people refer to all ceramic floor tiles as "quarry tiles", but in fact, "quarry tiles" only refers to the extruded type tile which is generally rougher in finish and less dimensionally accurate than a "pressed" tile.

Surface Preparation

A tiling job will only be as good as the surface it is laid on:

Concrete floors

Concrete floors should be dry, clean, flat and true. Any holes or irregularities should be filled with a suitable levelling compound 24 hours before laying the tiles. If the floor is too uneven, use Self Levelling Compound. This building up is not easy and should only be done in cases where the surface is quite unsatisfactory. Concrete floors should be left with a wood float finish.

Note: The drying of concrete floors depends on the thickness of the slab and if polythene sheet is used under the slab or not. For best results, concrete must be allowed to cure for at least 28 days. Cement screed should given 7 to 14 days.

See your Tile Depot consultant for the right advice.

Wooden floors

Over timber floors you will need to use Howtex Single Part Flexible Adhesive and Howtex Flexible Grout. Yes, you can lay tiles over timber floors.

Setting out

It is easy to skip over this step, but it is just as important and worth spending time on. For a start, work on the assumption your walls, conservatory or whatever are way out of square! Usually, it is best to have your full tiles in the doorway. In other words, set up your tiles so the cuts are in the least noticeable part.

Dry lay a row of tiles from the door, or wherever you want your full tiles to finish, with correct spacing, at right angles to the doorway. Mark the point where the last tile will finish. It is a good idea to mark on the floor, so you can keep an eye on how you are going. Nail a batten down right across the room on the last tile line, exactly at right angles to the row of tiles. Do not take any notice of what angles your walls may be at, because remember, we are assuming they are way out of square.

Dry lay tiles across the rear batten and determine where it will be best to start and finish, taking into consideration the best position of cuts and if your side walls are splaying out or in. Simply ensure there will be as few small cuts as possible. Mark the joint positions on the rear batten, then nail another batten exactly at right angles to it. This marks the corner in which to start your tiling.

Note: It is vital your angle is 90 degrees.

Fixing the tiles

Well, we are finally here! The temptation is to rush straight in, but the secret is to take your time and keep your lines straight. Remember, tiling is not difficult, just a little tedious.

Adhesives are a very big subject, but the best advice is read our Adhesives Guide and talk to a Tile Depot consultant. Remember, you must follow the instructions on the pack to achieve the best result.

Spread about 1 square metre of adhesive at a time with a notched trowel. Be sure to use a notched trowel which will obtain complete adhesive coverage. Firmly push the tiles into the adhesive, spacing each one with a tile spacer to allow the space you feels looks best. (These are removed before grouting.)

As you go, it is vital to pull up a tile every so often to ensure you have complete coverage of adhesive on the tile and floor.

The cross tile spacers are easiest to use, but make allowance for slight irregularity in the tile. Ensure you wipe off any excess adhesive as you go, remember every so often to prise off a tile and ensure you are getting complete adhesive coverage - this is absolutely vital.

Use a straight edge across each few rows to ensure you are keeping your rows exactly straight and parallel. When you have completed the area, remove the battens and fill in the gaps.

Movement joints

1. Provide movement joints over movement joints in the background substrate.
2. At junctions between different background materials.
3. At fixtures interrupting the tile surface, e.g. columns etc.
4. At internal vertical corners.
5. At perimeter of floor. (Put skirting on after.)
6. At maximum 5 metre intervals in a grid pattern.
7. Joints shall go right through the tile and adhesive bed to the background and be kept free from dirt and adhesive droppings.
8. Joints shall be not less than 4mm and not greater than 10mm wide.
9. Seal all movement joints with flexible sealant.

If you are using tiles with an irregular back, you must "butter" the back of the tile with adhesive as well, to achieve complete adhesive coverage. Any cut tiles can also be "buttered" to make them easier to place. Cuts should be laid so that the uncut edge is adjacent to the other tiles. When tiling steps, ensure your tiles continue straight down the riser and as far as possible, try to arrange your cuts so the adjacent tile on the surface at right angles gives the appearance of the pattern or tile running down and around the step. This is not always possible, but results in a neater finish.

When you are finishing off against another floor covering, e.g. carpet or vinyl, use a metal angle as the edging, It is best once again to finish with full tiles where possible, against the metal. Metal angle will protect the edge of tiles against chipping.

Cutting the tiles

We recommend the use of a tile cutting machine for floor tiles. It is possible to cut them in other ways, but generally it is not very reliable. A tile cutting machine will make most reasonably sized cuts in most tiles. Simply place the marked tile in the machine, scribe firmly along the line, place the breaker wings on the tile and press down firmly. A little practice beforehand on some scrap tile is usually valuable. Economical cutters can be purchased or hired from Tile Depot.

When cutting a very small amount off the tile, scribe in the normal way, but then with very small nibbles, nip the rest of the tile away with the nippers. Notches and curves must also be nibbled away with a tile nipper.

To make these shapes, it is best to use a cardboard template then very carefully, very slowly, with very small bits, nip the tile away. The big thing is use small bites!

To mark a straight cut on a tile, an easy way is to put the tile upside down over the space to be filled and mark on either end where the cut is to be made. Turn the tile over and draw a line with a fine felt tip pen between the two marks. Easy!!

Grouting

Now we are on the home stretch but do not relax. Grouting can make or break a great job - or rather the removal of grouting can.

It is done exactly the same way as wall tiles and follows the procedures exactly. One special note - it is even more important with floors to remove all the grout - do not be tempted to say "that will do" because it just will not do.

Floor tiles are generally rougher in texture than wall tiles, so the grout takes more time to remove. It is not difficult, just tedious but very, very important. Note, dark grouting is normally used in floors and can be messy if you allow it to get onto other surfaces. Use your masking tape to ensure this does not happen. If you are messy like me, even cover the walls with newspaper, as it is worth it.