Do-it-Yourself Ceramic Tile Installation
- 1). Divide the room into four squares, snapping two perpendicular, intersecting lines with a chalk snapline. Lay a carpenter's square at the intersection as you snap the second line, adjusting the snapline to ensure it's exactly perpendicular to the first line.
- 2). Cover two or three square feet of the floor with thinset, using a notched trowel to spread it into one of the four corners formed by the two lines at the intersection.
- 3). Press the first few tiles in place at the intersection, alongside the lines. Put spacers between them to place them evenly spaced from one another.
- 4). Spread more mortar and lay more tiles, building out from the center toward the perimeter of the room, using the lines as guides.
- 5). Cover the entire floor with tiles. Use a tile cutter to cut the tiles at the perimeter as needed. Set them with the cut sides facing the walls.
- 6). Allow the mortar to set for 12 hours. Pull out the spacers.
- 7). Grout the tiles by spreading grout over them with a grout float, pressing it into the spaces and scraping it off the surface. Use a damp sponge to wipe up the excess grout.
