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Tiling: Setting Tiles |
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For a professional-looking job, tiles should be set in straight lines with grout lines of consistent width, and the surface of the tiles should form a smooth plane. Check for both these things every 10 minutes or so; adjusting tiles after that may weaken the thinset bond. Stretch a string line next to a row of tiles, or butt a very straight board gently against the tiles—the factory edge of a piece of plywood works well. Also check that the tiles form a level surface.
To adjust a tile slightly, place your hand on top with fingers splayed out. Press gently as you slide the tile. If you feel resistance followed by a sudden movement, the mortar has probably begun to set. Pick up the tile and attempt to recomb the mortar below. If the mortar has started to harden, scrape the tile and the floor below it clean of mortar and start over. Run the edge of a straight board along the tile surface to test that the surface is level. If a tile is too high, try pressing down on all four corners. If a tile is too low, remove it, apply additional mortar, and reset it. 1. Set the tiles with spacers
Set each tile fairly precisely so you don‘t have to slide it more than an inch or so. Align the first tile with two working lines, and then set several more tiles, inserting spacers at every corner. Don't press down on any tile.
| | 2. Tap with a beater board
Set a beater board over two or more tiles and tap. This helps ensure that the tile bottom is set firmly in the mortar, and it also aligns the top surface of one tile with its neighbor. Periodically check to see that the tiles form a continuous, level plane. | | 3. Check adhesion
About every 10 minutes, pick up a tile that you've just set and look at the back. Mortar should adhere to the entire surface. If you find only partial adhesion, perhaps the mortar is too dry; scrape it off and start again. Or perhaps the mortar was not combed to a flat surface; recomb it. | | 4. Remove excess mortar
Remove any excess mortar as you go as it will be much harder to remove when it dries. A carpenter's pencil works well for removing mortar between tiles. Or you can use spacers. Keep the job site as clean as possible.
| | TIP: Back-butter edge tiles
If a cut tile is narrower than your notched trowel, apply mortar to the back of the tile rather than to the floor. "Back-butter" with care. Apply enough mortar so the cut tile is as high as the adjacent one but not so much that mortar oozes out of the joint.
| | More about tile flooring preparation and installation:
 Complete Tile
Start approaching all kinds of indoor and outdoor tile projects with complete confidence. Includes complete installation requirements with over 150 step-by-step photos of floor, wall, tub shower, fireplace, countertop, and outdoor tile installations.
Copyright Sunset Publishing Corporation
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