Are you planning to install a new tile floor yourself? Then our handy tips will surely help you. The floor will be installed in no time and you can proudly say that you laid the floor yourself. Do it yourself: lay ceramic floor tiles.
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1. prepare a laying plan in advance Measure the floor area and calculate how many floor tiles will fit, also taking into account the width of the joints. They come between the floor tiles themselves and where the floor meets the walls. Make a sketch on paper (to scale) and determine in advance how you want to lay the tiles and how you can best distribute them over the room. In most cases you will have to work with fitting pieces. Make sure the fitting pieces are the same size on both sides of the floor. Also take into account that, if the surface is larger than 6 x 6 m, the tile floor must be provided with so-called expansion joints. This makes a good distribution of the stress on the floor. This prevents the tile floor from cracking. Structural expansions in the subsoil must also be continued in the tiling.
2. Always order enough tiles Calculate how many square meters you need by multiplying the length by the width. Increase this by at least 5% for cutting and breakage loss. Make sure you always order enough floor tiles. You may need extra tiles to use as a fitting piece and it is recommended that you always keep a number of floor tiles in reserve. If for some reason you need to break out extra tiles later, you can replace them right away.
3. Provide a dry and flat surface Make sure that the underlying screed is clean, free of release agents and sufficiently dry. For new-build homes, this drying process takes at least 4 weeks, usually even longer. If the floor tiles are installed too early on a screed that is not completely dry, they may come off later. If you are not sure whether the floor is dry enough, you can have a moisture measurement performed. Our sales advisors can tell you more about this. Check with a slat or a straight board from the corners to the middle that the surface is flat. Most height differences are in the corners or at the doors. With the help of a leveling mortar you can smooth out irregularities of a few millimeters. Depending on the substrate, it may be necessary to prime the floor with a primer or primer.
4. Attach Tension Wires as a Guide Now it is important to tension wires as a guide for the location of the floor tiles. You can drive steel nails into the floor for this and attach two wires to it. The intersection of the two wires should be perpendicular and directly opposite the door. The distance of these wires from the wall should be the same as the width of the adapter (including the joint). If the walls are not perpendicular to each other, which is more common in older homes, make sure the tension wires are perpendicular to the door. Then the line of sight of the tile floor will feel nice and straight.
5. Start tiling on the floor area directly opposite the door Prepare the tile adhesive according to the instructions for use. Our tilers often use Sopro FKM XL MultiFlex Glue 444. This is a flexible multifunctional glue with a high plastic content. The adhesive is suitable for underfloor heating and can be used on all surfaces. Don't make more glue than you use in one hour, to prevent it from drying out. Apply the tile adhesive with a trowel and spread it evenly with a notched trowel. Press the trowel firmly against the floor. The glue dries quickly, so do not apply more than 1 m2 of glue. Also keep in mind that glue has to dry for at least 2 hours before you can walk on the floor. So always work from directly opposite the door to the door.
6. Guaranteed flat tiles with our tile leveling system It is wise to lay the ceramic floor tiles with our tile leveling system. The floor is then guaranteed to lie flat and taut. The tile leveling system consists of a plastic strip, a cup and pliers. The thickness of the strip determines the joint width. Different thicknesses are available. The strip has a T-shape at the bottom that is pressed into the tile adhesive at the four corners below and between the tiles. A cup is placed on the strip and fixed with special pliers. In this way the tile will be at the same height as the adjacent tile. During the drying process, the tiles can no longer sink due to the shrinking of the glue.
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7. Mix tiles from different boxes After you have applied the glue to the floor, then coat the underside of the floor tile with as thin a layer of glue as possible. This works best with the flat side of your trowel. Place the first tile neatly in the corner of the two tension wires. If you use our unique tile leveling system, you place the strip with the t-shape downwards on the corners of the floor tile. Now press the floor tile firmly into the adhesive while trying to wiggle the tile a bit. This way, the back of the tile is completely covered with glue. You can also gently tap the tiles with a white rubber mallet to press the floor tiles into the adhesive. If you mix tiles from different boxes, any color differences are less noticeable. Place the next tile tightly against the strips and press it again into the glue after you have placed new strips at the corners. Place a cup on the strips between the two floor tiles and fix it with the supplied pliers. This will bring the tile to the same height as the tile next to it. Continue in this way with the next tiles and regularly check whether the tiles are visually “straight”. As long as the glue is not yet dry, you can move the tiles a bit. With a long batten you can check whether the floor tiles at the front still line up neatly.
8. Make sure the cutting line of the adapter is in the corner Once all the floor tiles are in place, you can start cutting the fitting pieces. Mark the size on the tile, for example with a wax crayon or a felt-tip pen. With a tile cutter you can now cut the tile. If you don't have one, it can also be rented at a hardware store. You can touch up any small corners and edges on the fracture surface with a so-called nibbler, a tile file or sandpaper. If you need to make curved cutouts, use a tile saw. With a profile template you can draw difficult shapes such as a sink drain or pipes.
9. Use a spiral mixer to make grout After approx. 24 hours the glue has hardened and the strips and cups can easily be removed with some handy footwork or with a rubber mallet. The breaking point at the bottom of the strip ensures that no residue remains in the joint. The floor tiles can then be grouted. We recommend using Sopro DF 10 Design Joint for this. This flexible joint is available in various colours, so that a joint color that matches the floor can always be selected. Prepare the joint mortar according to the instructions for use. Preferably do not do this by hand, but with a low-speed spiral mixer. After mixing, the grout must be left standing for a few minutes. Stir it briefly before use and apply it with a rubber trowel. Press the grout well into the joints and work quickly. Grout hardens quickly. Work toward the door and allow the floor to dry for at least 2 hours before walking over it again. It is better not to walk on the floor for about 24 hours, so work towards the door as much as possible. Immediately remove any spilled grout with a damp sponge, being careful not to wipe grout from the grout. All internal connections (i.e. in the corner of the floor-wall) must be free of glue and joint residue and must be sealed with a sealant that remains elastic, for example Sopro Ceramic silicone. This kit is available in the same color as the joint for a beautiful whole. The transition to another floor, sliding door or glass wall should also not be jointed, but should be sealed with a sealant that remains elastic after the floor has dried.
10. Cover the floor with a moisture-permeable fleece To protect the floor during further construction work in the house, you may only cover the floor with a breathable covering fleece. This allows the water that was used for the glue and grout to evaporate and prevents moisture damage to the floor tiles.
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