The Home Depot
Learn Tile Techniques One
One of the first and most important steps of any tiling project is estimating how much material you will need. In addition to helping you avoid ordering too much or too little or something, estimating quantities allows you to realistically calculate the potential cost of the project.
To calculate the amount of flooring material you will need for a room, multiply the room’s length times its width, round it to the nearest foot. This will determine the square footage then add 10%. For example, if the room is 10 feet by 12 feet, you would have a 120 square feet, add 10% 12 feet and the total is a 132 square feet. If you are installing a floor tile using a diagonal pattern or the room has lots of curves and corners, add 15% for. If the room has any obstructions, counters, protruding closets and so forth, subtract their square footage from the overall square footage of the room.
Calculating the amount of material needed to cover walls is essentially the same process. Measure the area to be tiled on each wall, add all the walls together and figure the square footage. Always add a factor of 10% and you have got the amount of material you will need. Ceramic, Trim and Accent pieces are typically sold by the piece. To figure out how many you will need, divide the total length of the border in inches by the length of the Trim piece. For example, if you have nine feet of exposed edge that needs trim, that is a 108 inches. If each piece of trim is six inches long, divide 108 inches you are covering by six inches. You will need 18 pieces of trim. If each piece of trim was eight inches long, you need 13 ½ pieces. These formulas will help you estimate the quantities you will need. To be safe, it is always a good idea to have someone with good math skills review your measurements and quantities before you place an order or start a project.
Using a five-galloon bucket and a variable speed drill with the mortar panel, mix Latex Modified Thin Set Mortar at slow speed according to the manufacturers instructions. Mix up a quarter of a bag at a time. Mortar is caustic so wear safety glasses and rubber gloves. Let the mortar rest for 10 minutes then mix again. Using a margin, mix the powder grout with liquid as a recommended by the manufacturer and once it is mixed, let the grout rest for 10 to 15 minutes the remix it. If the grout is too stiff to be spread, add additional liquid.
The sponging process will leave a haze on the tile. To remove it, wipe the surface with a damp rag then with a clean dry rag. Using a square notch trowel, applying even layer of mortar to one of the marked grids located along the top of the button. Do not cover more than 12 square feet. Press the mortar in to the back or board with the straight edge of the trowel, holding it a shallow angle. Spread the mortar up to the reference lines but do not cover them. And then using the notch edge of the trowel, cut the mortar into straight vertical ridges. Holding the trowel with a steep angle and pressing down so the teeth contact the back of the board, will help spread the mortar evenly. Apply the grout to the tiled surface using a hard rubber grout float held at a 45-degree angle. Smear on about a cup of grout at a time pressing it into the joints with several sweeps. Work on a small area, complete it and move on to another area. To cure the grout, spray it with a fine mist of cool clean water several times a day for three days. This helps increase the strength of the grout and reduce its water absorbency.
An important note, if you use a colored grout, do not mist it. This can dissolve the tint and leave you with an inconsistent color. Once you are done misting, let the grout set thoroughly before applying a sealer. The curing process is very important, do not disturb it.
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