Many people may be a little frightened tackling such a large project as installing floor tile In this article I am going to give you some tips, mainly tips on tile floor layout.
The tile floor layout can make or break a do-it-yourself tile installation. You do not want to overlook this area. It is just as important as the other steps and can pay big rewards if done properly and can cost a lot in materials if done wrong. Nothing looks worse than a row of tiny pieces against a wall or entry way.
It is said that the most appealing room is one where the tile is centered. To begin figuring out your tile floor layout we need to find the center of the room. You will need to find the center going in both directions. Snap a chalk line, indicating the center in each direction. Where the two chalk lines cross should be the center of the room. Make sure the two lines form a 90 degree angle. You can use the 3-4-5 rule to determine if the two lines are square.
The next step is to dry lay the tiles (no mortar). Start by laying the tile in one direction with the proper spacing between the tiles. Notice how much tile is left when it meets the wall. The idea is to have a little less than half a tile as the last tile If you have over half a tile for the last tile you will end up wasting the remainder of the tile.
Complete the tile floor layout in the other direction. If needed, you can try shifting the tiles over the center line to alter the last tile size.