If you’re planning a new tiled floor for your kitchen, bathroom or conservatory and have prepared your surfaces, cleared out your furniture and planned your tile design, the next stage is to begin laying your floor. Below is an easy guide to DIY tiling that will tell you how to go about getting a good tiling finish.

Step 1: Laying Tiles

Most floor tiles are laid running in the same direction, starting from the centre out. The best approach is to lay whole floor tiles on an even spread of tile adhesive making sure you use a notched adhesive spreader according to the adhesives instructions. Only spread roughly 1 square metre of adhesive as it may dry out if you use too much, and make sure the floor tiles are pushed firmly but not too hard into the adhesive. Place tile spacers between each floor tile that is laid and continue until you have reached the edge of the adhesive before spreading some more.

Step 2: Fitting Border Tiles

When all main floor tiles are laid you can then measure and fit the any edging tiles. This can be done by laying a tile exactly over the last whole floor tile, place another tile on top of this and butt it against the wall. Mark on the bottom tile and you will have the measurement for the edge tile. To ensure a clean cut and neat edges for your tiles, cut the floor tiles using a scribe and a tile cutter.

Step 3: Finishing Off Your New Tiled Floor

Ceramic floor tiles need to be grouted. You would ideally need to leave them for 24hrs for the tile adhesive to dry and then mix the tile grout to the manufacturer’s instructions. Apply the grout using a grouting tool and wipe off any residue with a damp sponge and leave it to dry.

You should now have a beautifully tiled conservatory or kitchen floor that will give you many years of use thanks to the durability of tiles. But fitting tiles yourself isn’t everybody’s cup of tea so why not get your floor tiled by a local tiling professional to save you the hassle of a DIY tiling job? This will save you time and will ensure a great tiled finish in your home. You can get a quote now from up to 6 local quality tilers from localtraders.com

Related posts:

1. A Guide To Planning A New Tiled Floor
2. A Simple Guide To Applying Wall Tiles
3. Preparing to Lay a New Floor with Carpet Tiles or Vinyl Tiles
4. Alternatives to Tiles – Tile Effect Laminate Flooring
5. Tiling A Room – Tile Over Existing Tiles or Start Afresh?