Kitchen floor tiles are available in a number of materials, glazes, and designs including tiles made of ceramic, stone, porcelain, or slate. The key to having a great looking kitchen tile floors is in the meticulous installation.
Tools and Materials
You will need the following tools and materials to properly install kitchen floor tiles in your kitchen.
- Acrylic additive
- Backer board
- Carpenter's square
- Chalk line
- Circular saw
- Dust mask
- Gloves
- Grout
- Grout float
- Hammer
- Level
- Mesh seam tape
- Painter's tape
- Pencil
- Power drill
- Pry bar
- Putty knife
- Razor knife
- Safety goggles
- Silicone caulk
- Small pieces of wood for shims
- Sponge
- Tape measure
- Thin set mortar
- Tile
- Tile cleaner
- Tile cutters
- Tile nippers
- Tile sealer
- Tile spacers
- Towels
- Trowels
2. Prepare the under floor. Remove existing flooring and level the under floor. Use a leveling compound or install a new sub-floor if necessary. It is tempting, but never install a tile floor over a vinyl floor. The tiles will eventually pop loose.
3. Remove the quarter round with a hammer and pry bar. Remove the baseboards only if necessary for fitting the tile underneath when kitchen remodeling.
4. Put down a backer board either 1/2 inch or 1/2 inch thick, depending on the height of the adjoining floor. Choose the recommended type of backer board for your tile.
5. Mix the thin set, making sure to follow the instructions. Spread the thin set evenly on the floor with a trowel and then put the backer board on top of it.
6. Find the center point of the room using the carpenter's square and tape measure. Snap straight chalk lines to follow when placing the first row of tiles against the furthest wall when kitchen remodeling.
7. Mix another batch of thin set. Apply it evenly to the backer board, starting in the center and following along the chalk line for the first row of tiles. Use strong pressure, making and "X" and smoothing it out. Install the first row of tiles over the thin set. Only install full tiles. Do not install tiles at the edges that need cutting. Do not walk on the floor. Let it dry for at least twenty-four hours.
8. After the full tiles have dried, make your cuts on the other tiles and install them. Let the cut tiles dry for twenty-four hours again when kitchen remodeling.
9. Mix the grout and apply it with a grout float according to the directions on the package. Let the grout set for at least twenty-four hours or as long as the manufacturer recommends on the package.
10. Clean the tiles off with water and a sponge. At this point, you are almost finished with this kitchen remodeling project.
11. Apply a sealer according to the manufacturer's specifications and let dry.
It is a long road, but well worth taking once you step onto that beautiful new tile floor you have installed yourself.
