Beautiful patterns of ceramic floor tiles beautify the interior of a house. Floor tile installation needs immense expertise in order to get a perfectly designed look. Ceramic tile flooring have been preferred by people long back and people still want to adopt the traditional look due the uniqueness in itself. Professional masons offer various ideas of flooring that are either contemporary or traditional. It's always suggested to know the technique of floor tile installation on concrete, so that you are able to judge the quality of tiles engraved in your floor.
Tips on Installing Floor Tiles
The following instructions on floor tiles shall help you know the quality of floor tile installation and you would be able to give a form to your preconceived idea of meticulously designing your house. Measure the area of your floor. Get the framework from an architect and then determine the number of tiles required for the purpose. Buy good quality tools for the tiling project from reputed hardware stores. Determine the budget and then purchase accordingly. If you are tiling over a concrete floor, ensure it's free from cracks. The floor tile installation underlayment must be cleaned before tiling. The sub floor must be strong and durable so that it can hold the tiles for years. The quality of cement must be the best so that it's long-lasting. Get the clear layout and designs from the architect before they start the construction process. Installation Instructions
The following steps shall let you know how to install floor tiles. You can procure the patterns from experienced architects or plan the design by yourself. The most sought after floor tiles patterns are squares, rectangles and diamond shaped patterns. Once you have decided the pattern, you can go ahead with the process. Prepare the base of the floor by cleaning it completely. Preparing the floor is the toughest part as it involves immense labor. You have to remove the old tiles if you are remodeling the floor. Now lay the floor tiles without adhesive. Just dry run the tiles. Porcelain floor tiles are a good option for kitchen or bathroom flooring. Floor tiling is usually done from the center of the floor to maintain uniformity. Tile spacers are used for accurate placement of floor tiles. Now put the adhesive with a notched trowel. Let the adhesive sit for sometime and then do the layering simultaneously. Make sure you place the tile spacers in between the tiles while applying the adhesive, or else the tiles will cling to each other. Once the installation is over you need to leave it as it is. This implies solid adhesion of tiles over the floor. You need to remove the spacers and then mix the grout as per the instructions mentioned on the product. To apply a grout in between the floor tiles, you need a rubber float. This is usually laid at an angle of 45 degrees. Excess grout is wiped off with the help of wet sponge. Leave it as it is for half an hour and then clean the tiles. The tiles require a period of minimum one week to get completely cured and then it is brushed with silicon sealer. The Cost
For a 10x10 foot room, the cost incurred for ceramic tiles is between $100 - $2,000, while terracotta tiles cost $100 - $250. Porcelain tiles of same measurement are priced between US $200 - $400. Tiles made of granite, marble or slate start from US $200. The price for custom-made art tiles are usually more and can go up to US $2,500, for a 10x10 foot room. The price of stone, glass, metal or asbestos flooring range from US $300 - $2,500. You can procure the types depending on your budget.
Floor tile installation is difficult to do by yourself unless you have the desired experience in that field. However, you can always come up with different types of floor tile design ideas and decide the best interior design for your house.
