The Home Depot
How to Tile a Kitchen Floor One
Ceramic tile is great for floors. It is attractive, hard wearing, easy to clean and it comes in styles, colors and patterns to match any day color. The quality of the finished floor depends on two things, careful planning and the quality of the surface beneath it. For best results, use backer board to create a smooth leveled surface. In this demonstration, we will be installing backer board in 16 inch by 16 inch filled tiles in the kitchen.
Before installing the backer board, check the sub floor to be sure it does not warp, loose or damage. Pull out any loose nails and replace them with deck screws to eliminate squeaks.
Measure the space to determine how much backer board is necessary. Multiply this number by 5% to allow for mistakes and unusable pieces.
Check the installation area so that it is free of dust, dirt and debris. Use a vacuum to make sure everything is completely removed.
Lay out the pattern for the panels. Plan the layout so the backer board will spin and reinforce the joints in the sub floor. Also, plan on starting every other row with the half panel. So the corners of adjacent panels do not line up. Snap chalk lines to show where each panel will go.
Before you mix up the first batch of mortar and start putting down the backer board, decide where you will lay the first panel. If it will be a partial panel, cut it the size ahead of time.
To cut backer board, measure and mark cut off lines on both sides of the panel with the filled tip pen or carbide-scoring tool.
Align a straight edge with the line on one side of the panel and pull the scoring tool along it several times. Make as many passes as you need to break through the mesh on the surface.
Place the straight edge on the other side of the panel and repeat the process. With the backer board on the flat surface, press down one side of the cut line with your hand and knee. With the other hand, lift up just enough to snap the board along the scored edges. Some types of backer board may leave a sharp edge along the cut line so be careful when handling the cut board.
Mix your Latex Modified Thin Set Mortar as instructed in the technique section of tiling one, two, three. Then using a square notch trowel, apply mortar and calm it into straight vertical radius as described in the technique section of tiling one, two, three.
Immediately put the first piece of backer board in place. If you do not set the panel when the mortar is wet, gaps will form between the floor and panels and the tiles will crack when you walk on the gaps.
Place spacers at the walls to leave a gap between the wall and the backer board as recommended by the manufacturer. To set the panel and the mortar, walk on it gently.
Fasten the panel to the floor with one and a quarter inch backer board screws. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper spacing and placement. Drive the heads flashed with the surface, screws placed around the outside of the panel should be a half inch from the edge.
Apply mortar inside the layout lines for the second panel, the same way you did for the first panel. Set the panel in place and put spacers at walls to leave the proper gap.
Using 16 panel – and spacers, leave a one to eight inch gap between the panels.
One at a time, lay the rest of the panels around the room. Continue to use spacers at the walls and leave 8 inch gaps between panels. Once all the panels are in places, remove all the spacers.
Fill the spacers between the panels with mortar. Use a margin trowel to smooth it and form a three-inch wide bend centered on the joint.
Put fiberglass backer board joint tape across all of the seams and firmly embed them into the mortar. Cover the seams with more mortar and smooth that with a trowel. Do not expose the tape, just the feather the edges of the mortar. Once the mortar is dry, you are ready to start tiling. The first step is to layout the floor. Proper pre-planning will help you avoid costly, time-consuming mistakes and a lot of frustration. Laying the plan out on graph paper will help you decide wh
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