Begin laying tile in the center of the room and work your way out. The first step in laying out tile is to mark a guideline, or layout line, in the room to make sure your tile pattern is evenly centered. Measure the four walls in the room with a tape measure to find the midpoint.
The line crossing at the room's center are the starting point of the tile. Lay a row of tiles along a straightedge more than halfway across the room. For consistent joints, use tile spacers. This row determines the size of cut tiles along the walls.
It's always advisable to start tiling your grid in the centre of the wall, as it's easier to make sure your pattern is symmetrical. It also means any half-tiles you may need can go at the end of each row and will be of matching size.
You typically want to start your bathroom tile installation in the back corner. But if you just start tiling from the back corner, your most visible areas will not line up as planned. Instead, carefully layout the floor tiles with the tile spacers in between them.
Whilst you can tile either one first, popular opinion based on experience is that is is easier to tile the walls first and then the floor, if you are tiling both in a room. This ensures that you keep the floor tiles cleaner as you won't be doing so much work around them once they are installed.
The bathroom fitters are unanimous—if you're looking for a high quality finish, with a better seal against water damage, then always tile the floor first.
Once level and the mortar has dried, start laying the tiles. Place the spirit level flush against each tile when applying it and with the help of a mallet, push each tile in until it is level. Once you're done with that, use a leveling kit. The kit comprises of two parts.
You should lay out a ceramic tile floor from the center of the room and work your way toward the walls (rather than going from one wall to another) so that the cuts at the sides are consistent.
The advantage of fixing tiles from the corner is that it will be easier to cut the tiles to fit them at the edges. Starting at the corner will also allow you to lay tiles according to your desired pattern. If you begin laying tiles from the center, it will be harder to get the pattern moving evenly at the edges.
To check a row of tile, line up the laser with a grout joint and point it straight across the room. Have an assistant hold the laser while you check from one end to the next. The grout joint and edge of the tiles should match the laser right to the end; if they don't, the tile is not straight.
You can install the tile directly on the concrete. You can install a CBU or cement board on the concrete, then the tile on top of that. Finally, you can use an uncoupling membrane between the tile and the concrete.
Measure the length of the wall, and divide by two to establish the center. Make a mark on the floor corresponding to the center point. For example, if the wall is 20 feet long, the center point is 10 feet from either end -- 20 / 2 = 10.
Lippage can be eliminated on most walls by hanging new drywall or backerboard before tiling. If you're tiling directly onto the wall, however, leveling clips and wedges will force the edges of the tiles together and create a smooth, even wall tile installation, no matter how uneven the wall is.
Most tile installations require a 3/16-inch layer of mortar beneath the tile. A mortar layer 3/16 an inch thick is accomplished by spreading mortar with a 3/8-inch by 3/8-inch square-notched trowel. This thickness is ideal for most tile installations. However, sometimes a thicker layer of mortar is required.
Here's what you need to know. As a whole you can install tile on an uneven floor, what you need to do first is apply a layer of levelling compound. It will fill in any gaps, and go hard like concrete. You use a trowel to spread it out and make it flat and even.
Lippage occurs when one tile edge is higher or lower than the adjacent tile. The topic receives a significant amount of coverage in written documents as well as everyday conversation because it occurs entirely too often.
Choose the Tile Direction Well
Its direction is similar to a brick wall, where the longer side is across the surface. This creates a more pleasant layout and makes the room look wider. For a much smaller space, such as the bathroom, it's best to lay down the tiles the long way, where the longer side is set vertically.
If the tile is 12 inches, create a gently staggered pattern by measuring in one inch, and marking it there with a wax pencil. For a more pronounced pattern, measure 6 inches from the edge or the middle of that 12-inch tile, instead.
The toilet flange needs to be on top of the finished floor. Meaning the bottom edge of the flange needs to be on the same plane as the toilet. So if your toilet sits on the tile, the flange needs to be on top of the tile too. The spacing of the toilet exit "horn" and sealing surface is designed for this height.
If you're installing a new floor, pedestal sink, and toilet, you should install the laminate flooring first so it's under the sink and toilet. Because laminate flooring floats above the sub-floor on top of underlayment, it will expand and contract slightly with the temperature and humidity of the room.
If you have the luxury of not needing to use the bath, then tile before you put it in. It's much easier & less chance of damaging the bath. Just fit the last row of tiles adjacent to the bath after fitting.