Where Do I Start to Lay My Floor Tiles?

Frequently the question is asked: Where do I start to lay my floor tiles? And without fail someone comes along and says: You must start in the middle of the room and lay the tiles from there. Then along comes someone else, another well-meaning sole, that says: NO you don't, you start at a wall and use tile spacers. Which one is correct? The truth is^they are both somewhat correct and they can both be problematic. One must keep in mind that not all rooms are in fact square mathematically. Starting at a wall and moving across an area using tile spacers will most certainly skew a tile installation in an area that isn't perfectly square. The side of the room where the project is begun will look good but by the time the project traverses the area the opposite side of the room can be unbelievably askew and look really bad. You cannot depend on tile spacers. In fact thay aren't at all necessary in most applications. One should also be aware that most tile-lots contain tiles that are in fact not perfectly square for one reason or another. It doesn't matter why they aren't square at this point. Suffice it to say it is just a fact of life and you should be prepared to deal with the issue. The best way I have found and the method used most often by the pros I know, is to lay down a grid pattern. This "grid pattern" is done by first measuring out the room usually beginning with a single line in the center of the room from one end of the room to the other and defined by using a chalk line to mark the floor. You will need a helper to snap down the chalk lines. In addition, another line is put down perpendicular to the first. The thing is you can't just measure from the wall to the center in both directions and expect to have intersecting lines that are square to one another. This is because rooms may not be square. I generally choose the longest unobstructed wall in the room (if there is an unobstructed wall) and begin my measuring there. I measure the room over-all near the end of the room but not exactly in the corner. I measure across the entire room but away from the corner eighteen inches or so. This way you aren't measuring any bulky fill that may be occurring in a corner from the compound used to finish the wallboard. This first measurement is then divided by two to arrive at the measurement needed to determine the center of the room. A mark is then made on the floor at that center measure. I then go to the opposite end of the room and do it again measuring from the same wall and make a mark at that end also. Across these two marks is where the first chalk line is placed. Now you have an imaginary centerline to work with at this point. The next thing to do is to then measure from that centerline back to the opposing wall that is parallel to the first wall you started with. First one end of the room then the other. This will tell you if your two walls are parallel. If the measurements are the same the walls are obviously parallel. This doesn't mean the room is square, this just means the walls are parallel. If the measurements are not the same you then must establish a new line by averaging the difference and remarking both ends of the room so that all measuring from the centerline measures the same to all four corners of the room respectively. Not all of these measurements will necessarily be the exact same measurement but you get the idea. This way you know where you need to make corrections in your layout. You are trying to determine the more center-most place to lay down the first chalk line. Once this is done you have now established your "base-line". All future reckoning is now derived from and dependent on that single baseline. Sounds like a lot but this is very simple and may actually take you all of four minutes to complete. Okay, moving right along. Now you need a chalk line in the other direction. This is a line defining the centerline of the room in a perpendicular direction to the first line. Start measuring again to determine the center point. But, this time the second line must be perpendicular and SQUARE to the first line. Square is the key so you'll need at the very least a framing square or roofing square or carpenters square. They are all the same thing in my thinking. This is the tool that is shaped like an "L". This particular "L" has one leg that is 18" long and the other leg is 24" long. If you have access to an even larger flooring square that would be great but the everyday framing square can be used. Now you can use three more measurements. The first two measurements are measuring as before from near the corners to the center of the room in the other direction, and marks are made. The third measurement is along the newly established baseline. You need a mark on that baseline also. Now place your "L" square with the short leg along the baseline. Be sure the corner-point of the "L" is exactly on the mark you made on the baseline that defines the center of the room using the second set of center-finding-measurements and that the short leg is exactly on the first chalk line/baseline. Now stretch your chalk line between the two far apart marks of the second set of measurements, (don't snap the chalk line just yet), see if it crosses over the center mark on the first chalk line and also see that it also perfectly parallels the long-leg of the framing square you have pre-positioned along the baseline. If the chalk line does not match the edge of the framing square perfectly then gently adjust the string so that it does match perfectly. Snap-down that chalk line. You now have a primary baseline and a secondary baseline established to work from. These two perpendicular lines (if done correctly) will never change and everything you do from now on depends on and refers to these two baselines. Next you need to know the overall measurement of a single tile. You also need to know the width of the grout line you intend to use. Add these two measurements together. With large format tiles (sixteen inches and up) a single tile and single grout line is the dimension that will become your measurement for your grid pattern. In the case of tiles that are no greater than twelve to thirteen inches you can add the measurements of two tiles and two grout lines if you wish. Just keep in mind you will later want to be able to comfortably reach across a grid measurement when placing a tile and a grid of thirty-two inches or so (using 16" tiles) is a pretty good reach for most people and will be out reach for some people. You don't want to topple over and end up with your nose in the fresh thinset. So establish your grid line measurements so that they fit your physical ability to later reach them comfortably with the weight of a tile in your hands. You can now continue to measure out the rest of your grid from the two baselines. This way your grid is square and whatever happens at the walls just happens. Wall cuts may vary due to a room that is out of square but the field of tile will all be the same. After you have snapped all of your grid lines you are ready to begin laying your tiles. Your layout has been established from the center of the room and your balance at the edges of the room is as good as it is going to get. Once you have an understanding in your head of how you are laying the tiles, and understand which side of any given line the tiles will set/match-to, you can start laying tile anywhere. DON'T BEGIN IN THE CENTER OF THE ROOM. The whole point in the above described method is so that you can start at a far wall and back out of the room as you progress. I always cut the wall tiles as I go. This way when I get to the far side and have finished the installation, the installation of the tile is in fact complete. I don't have to return another day to complete the wall cuts. One little trick to keep the chalked grid lines in tact as you crawl around and begin to accidently erase the lines is to use hair spray or clear paint-spray to spray over the chalk lines and permanently affix them to the floor. Some installers will argue that using paint is a not a good idea because paint can be a bond breaker for the thinset but personally, and in this case I believe that to be hogwash. All you need is a slight mist of paint or hair spray to permanently keep the chalk line visible and indelible. In the case of hair spray it is said to be water-soluble and that is viewed as a good thing I suppose, but spray paint is my weapon of choice. Source: diychatroom.com/blogs