How to install ceramic tile flooring Part 5

At this juncture, you've prepared your floor plan, made sure you've got the right tools on hand, and ordered your chosen ceramic tile. Once your batch of ceramic tile has arrived at your site, you've let it acclimate � that is, you've allowed it to expand and contract along with the subfloor in the environment where it is to be laid. At this point, you are ready to actually install ceramic tile flooring in your chosen space! It�s the moment you�ve been waiting for! Here are some initial steps to make sure things continue to go smoothly:

• Find the center point: Once you�ve consulted your plan and confirmed the measurement of the space, find its center point. Finding the center point is critical for laying the tile as it helps you determine where to lay your first tile along with the ones that will follow. You can find this center point by drawing lines from the mid points of all the floor walls. These lines will intersect each other at a single point in the mid of the room (in case of a square or rectangular room). This point will be your center point and it will divide your floor into 4 equally sized quadrants.

• Tile laying "dry run" Lay your tiles as a "dry run". Think of this stage as a sort of "rehearsal", in that you'll be laying down the ceramic tiles without adhesive to make sure they fit together as planned. Starting at the center, lay out the tile pattern by on the floor, placing the first tile at the corner nearest to the center point. You will work in one quadrant at a time. Begin placing tiles in a straight line towards either wall, leaving a small space in between the tiles. Later, when you are laying tiles with adhesive, you will use tile spacers to provide uniform joints between your tiles. For now, leave a space approximately the size of the tile spacers you will use (either � inch or � inch, depending on your preference for joint size).

• Connecting center point and walls: Once you have laid a row of tiles in one direction, lay another row in the opposite direction, and continue following this pattern until you set the last tile in the corner, kitty corner from the center point.

• Cutting Tiles: To cut the tile, you can use a tile cutter or a glasscutter. While using a glasscutter, put a straight edge along the tile and score the line only once with the glasscutter. Place the tile on the edge of a workbench and snap off the cutoff piece. For complex cuts, you can use a tile saw or tile nippers.

• Covering the remaining quadrants: Follow the same process for the other three quadrants. Once you have laid out tiles on the entire floor, check to make sure that the spacing is ok. For tiles closest to the walls, you will have to either cut them or slightly realign your center point. Most people choose to cut rather than realign, depending on whether or not the bordering tiles will be visible to the eye. However, you can adjust the positioning of the tiles to a reasonable degree so that you end up with as many full tiles as possible. This will avoid excessive cutting.

When all tiles are laid out, measured, and cut, and appear to be to your liking, you are ready to lay the adhesive.