How to Lay Ceramic Tile

In laying ceramic tile, the first and most important step is planning your layout. You should not just take your new tile to the center of the room and start installation. If you immediately install your tiles, there will be no turning back. During your layout & planning stage you can afford to make mistakes and still have plenty of time for fixing them and ensuring your new floor is as beautiful as you imagined.

Before you can begin your layout you'll need to first examine the room. The best layout is having the tiles straight and square to the walls, but of course houses aren't built with perfectly square floors. So you need to establish which of your walls is the more visible in the room. This is what you will want to emphasize, and you should lay tiles square to this wall. To begin, make a reference line - find the center of the most visible wall and make a line at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the opposite wall. Then you'll want create another line perpendicular to your first (which will appear parallel to your most visible wall). If you have equally visible walls, just find their midpoints and draw lines from them towards the opposite walls. The result should be two perpendicular lines crossing in the room's center point. Ensure that the lines are perfectly square with the use of a level or t-square. These lines will be your main reference, and your starting points, in laying your ceramic tile.

Before we can start laying ceramic tile we need to test the layout. You should place your tiles along the reference lines, and be sure to allow space between them for grout lines. Using your tile spacers will ensure the spacing is 100% accurate. This will give you an idea of how the tiles will look on the floor once installed. After placing the tiles along the lines, check the tiles at each wall. If you've left space for a cut tile check to see if they are less than half the size of the original tiles. If so, we advise that you adjust the placement to allow for an entire 1/2 tile (or larger) at each wall. If one row is visible, start your full tiles there. If both ends of the row are visible, the end tiles should be cut the same size. Behind doors and under cabinets, or anywhere out of the main view of a room, are the best places for your cut tiles. The idea is to place full square tiles in places that are more visible and hide half-sized and smaller cut tiles in places where there is less visibility.

If you have adjusted the placement of the tiles, make a new reference lines based on this adjustment. Now, we can begin your grid.

The third step is to make a grid pattern, or sections, for your layout. It is much easier to install tile in sections, rather than all at once. This will also ensure the tiles are straight and square. To make grid patterns, layout a small portion (2' or 3' square) of the room, leaving enough space for grout lines. Measure this small portion and use this measurement to make grid lines all across the floor. Some sections against the walls will not be full size, but it's ok. Remember, the more lines in the layout the better. Mistakes can be avoided if you use the grid & section layout system to guide you in your tile installation.

These grid lines are your final reference for laying ceramic tile. Now you can confidently began your ceramic tile installation, working on one section at a time until you have installed your beautiful, completely tiled floor.