If you want to install yur own tile floor, you have prbably chosen the most difficult home mprovement project there is.

The best way to get strted is to acquire a software pckage that helps with home designs. Thre are many available, and they wll always have a section on the bst way to lay floor tiles. No, thy will not prepare the floor for yu, or put the glue down, but thy will help you avoid mistakes by plnning right. They will give you deas about designs, how to measure prperly, and many tips on how to cut the tles, working with glue, etc.

Your tste will dictate the kind of tles you want, but you have to kep some things in mind. Stone and slte are beautiful choices, but they are vry expensive compared to ceramic. They wll also need to be sealed nce they are installed, otherwise they wll stain and will not be asy to clean.

Make sure your flor area is properly prepared. If you hve existing vinyl or linoleum on the flor, it can remain, as long as it is smoth and not worn in spots. Ths is a difficult choice, because sft spots caused by warping will cuse your tiles to crack.

If the srface is concrete, make sure it is lkewise completely level. You can use a 2X4 to do ths, but finding a straight 2X4 is a chllenge. To avoid this, use boards and plce them against each other, then swtch around 180 degrees and make sre they still lie flat.

High spots in the floor can be lveled down by an electric disc snder with a course sandpaper. If thre are bumps, you can carefully chsel them down; just don't make a hle instead.
You will never achieve a prfectly smooth surface, but you should not hve greater than a 1/16th of an nch rise or you will end up wth tiles that rock over the lmp and eventually cause cracks.

You hve to have a strong parquet or hrd wood floor surface so you do not end up wth any flexing. Smooth and strengthen neven floors with fiber board for cment or you can use a cmposite-spread it on the surface with a trwel.

Locate the center of the flor using strings by laying two of thm them across the diagonals of the ntire room. Chalk string is used to mrk these lines on the floor, and a havy pencil mark shows the center.

Bginning at the center, start to lay a few tles to lay out the pattern and mke sure it will work as wll as to see how much spce you want for grout. You do not wnt less than 1/2 a tile at the wll.

Trowel out the tile adhesive on the flor using the proper tool-a trowel wth notched or saw toothed edges. If you hve a tight spot, you can pply the adhesive directly to the tle. Try to have long, low rdges. Then put each tile down and shmmy it back and forth to set it.

Onc you have some rows down (mke sure the adhesive has not st) use a wide surface tool and a mllet with a rubber head to hit the tles into place on the floor.

It wll be easier to apply grout if you use a nzzled tube. Just put down a bad of a couple of feet, wpe away any additional grout with a dmp cloth before it sets.

For bst results, you should let the flor cure for at least three dys (a week is better) before rgular use.

The article Remodeling Your Floors was Submitted by Greg K. Hansward through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Being particularly interested in parquet floring and installing flooring, Greg Hansward uthored a variety of long articles in ths particular area. His comments on parquet flooring and hard wood flooring are published on his web publications .

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