DIY Guide >> DIY Guide Floor Tiling
Setting out for floors
Place a tile in one of the right angles formed at the centre. Now place a row of loose tiles along each line from the centre to the nearest full tile to each wall (allowing for grouting space between them). You will have to cut tiles to fit any spaces left.
If too narrow for a tile cut, adjust each row to allow for a cut tile to be as close as possible to half a tile.
Concrete floors
These must have been poured for 28 days and be structurally sound, clean, dry and free from paint, dust, oil, grease etc.
Where fails to draining outlets are required and no fall has been built into the floor slab, build up the powder based adhesive to create a 25mm in 6 metre fall.
Wooden floors
Before tiling over wooden floors you need first to restrict the movement which takes place in it, otherwise cracks in your tiles may appear. This is best done by covering with dry fibre cement underlay sheets. Lay them smooth face down and securely fix them according to the manufacturer's instructions by nailing 25 or 30mm x 2.5mm annular threaded nails at 75mm centres around the perimeter and 150mm centres throughout the sheets. Leave a small gap at the junction with the walls around the edges of the room. After fixing apply a coat of Plastinex Primer and allow to dry.
To fix floor tiles, select the appropriate adhesive from the chart in this brochure. Spread the adhesive with the appropriate sized notched trowel or spreader. As a guide:
3 to 6mm for Mosaics
6 to 10mm for Floor Tiles
12mm for Quarry Tiles
The first rule here is to lay your tiles so that they are square in relation to the doorway. Set out a line at right angles to the doorway and another at right angles across the centre of the room.
Spread only 1 square metre at a time to avoid drying out of the adhesive while laying tiles. With deeply ribbed quarry or lugged decorator tiles, spread the adhesive both on the back of the tiles and also on the floor.
Use tile spacers between the tiles to create even joints and to make grouting easier. Generally, the larger the tile, the larger the gap between them.
Tile out from the centre line to the floor edges, taking care to keep the work straight.
Tap tiles firmly down in the adhesive. You can check row direction by setting up a String Line. Also check levels with a straight edge. Lift one tile from time to time to check adhesive contact area. No air pockets should occur under the tiles.
After tiling the main area fit in cut tiles around the edges of the room. Remember to keep edge tiles back from the walls the width of a joint. Cut edge tiles as described under "Tiling Walls".
Grouting
Allow 24 hours for the adhesive to cure. Select from Morgan's range of coloured grout.
Handy tips
To cut circular holes: Scribe the circle on the glazed side of the tile so that a drill can start without skewing or slipping, then using a slow speed drill with a Masonry bit, drill holes as close as possible through the glazed side of the tile. Tap the circle centre out and clean up with tile nippers.
