Laying bathroom tile is a lot more basic than it looks. When speaking of bathroom tile, I am speaking of ceramic tile. The way to lay ceramic tile is universal, no matter what size the tile. However, sometimes it is cheaper to buy the larger tiles. Please note that larger tiles do break easier.
To lay bathroom tile you must first completely clean the bathroom floor of all debris. You should only see the wood of the floor. Next you want to measure the floor. Measure wall to wall, even though it includes areas you will not be tiling. Extra tile may be needed if one or two get cracked or cut wrong. After deciding what kind of tile you need, you can figure out how much tile you need. For instance, if you have a 8 x 10 room, you need 80 square feet of tile. You also need 80 sq. ft. of concrete board. Cover the entire floor in cement board, securing it to the floor with decking screws and a thin layer of mortar underneath the concrete board. Make sure there are no gaps between sheets of concrete board. Next find the center of the room. Mark the center of the room. This is where you begin to tile.
Please not that there is a way to make the tiles look centered even if the room is not in square. Instead of laying the tiles in a vertical or horizontal line with the room, you can lay them in a diagonal line. This makes it difficult to see that the room is out of square.
Once you have found the center of the room and decided how to lay your tile, spread mortar on a small area of the floor, working from the center outward. The direction depends which way you are going so you can get out of the room without destroying the tile. Keep in mind it should not be walked on for 24 hours. The mortar should be spread with a tool made especially for spreading floor adhesive as it grooved to allow for even spreading. Make sure to wear protective gloves as the mortar can be irritating to the skin.
Place the tile on the mortar and twist until it is secure. The twisting releases the air trapped under the tile. Do not lean on the tile or press it down with your knee. Make sure tile is exactly where you want it. Place spacers around the tile. Lay next following the same steps until all the tile is on the floor. Let sit for a minimum of twenty four hours and then grout the tile.
Find out how to avoid lots of other mistakes when laying tile and learn the tricks of the tiling trade at How To Lay Tile
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