How to Tile a Floor

Tiling up a floor can change the look of the flooring to a great extent. Here we shall know more about the methods of laying tiles on concrete flooring. Concrete has a very dull and dreary look and this can be reduced by installing tiles on it that can completely spruce up the space. So be sure that your decision to tile up that concrete flooring can really How to Tile a Floor How to Tile a Floor brighten up your house. The things which are required for this purpose are as follows:

Tri sodium phosphate cleaner (TSP)
Scrub brush
Concrete sealer
Concrete patch
Tape measure
Chalk
Mortar
Tile spacers
Grooved trowel
Grout
Damp rags

The method that can help you out in tiling up the concrete flooring in your house is as given below:

Begin by scrubbing the floor with a brush and Tri sodium phosphate cleaner. This TSP cleaner can be purchased from any of the home improvement stores near your house. They help in removing and cleaning any sort of dirt, oil, grease and debris that is present on the floor. After cleaning the floor, allow it to dry off completely.
Check the flooring properly for any cracks or pits that might require to be filled in. Make sure that the flooring is even and smooth before installing the tiles or else the tiles might move back and forth in position. You can use concrete patch to fill up any cracks or pits in the flooring. You have to allow the patch to dry off before proceeding any further.
The next step is application of the concrete sealer on the floor. This is used because a concrete sealer helps the mortar to adhere to the concrete and also prevents any moisture from getting under the tile.
You shall have to determine the direction and location of where you want to begin your work from. This is very important because you have to end in such a position where the cut pieces of the tiles can be laid.
Use a chalk to draw a straight line that extends across the entire length of the floor. This can be used as a reference by you for laying the first row of tiles so that they are all even and square.
Now you have to mix the mortar. Make sure that you do not mix too much of it at once because they have a tendency to harden up fast. Use a grooved trowel to spread the mortar over a very small area on the floor.
Now start placing the tiles one by one onto the mortar. Remember that you should place tile spacers in between two consecutive tiles. These spacers will make sure that the tiles are equidistant and are laid straight.
You shall have to continue placing rows of tiles until you have covered the entire concrete flooring. Do not forget to use tile spacers throughout the floor as they help in maintaining a pattern among tiles. However you have to be very careful about not touching any tile after setting it up in the mortar. A slight displacement of one single tile can damage the entire pattern.
You have to use a damp cloth for cleaning off any excess mortar from the tiles. Try to clean the excess mortar as and when you are placing the tiles on them. Cleaning of hardened mortar is difficult later on.
Use a grout float to grout the floor evenly. Use the damp cloth to clean off any excess grout. Let the grout dry off completely before you repeat the process of grouting again.
After the flooring has completely dried off, you can use a wet cloth to clean your new tiled floor.