How To Tile Your Bathroom Floor Now that your bathroom renovation project is underway that means new fixtures, new walls, and even a new bathroom floor. Installing tile can seem like a daunting task, even in a smaller room like a bathroom. Luckily for you this article provides easy-to-follow installation instructions on how to tile your bathroom floor, and any other rooms that may need tiling! Once you have picked out the tiles that you want to on your bathroom floor you can start the installation process. The materials that you purchase for your tile installation will depend on the type of tiles you choose, whether they be ceramic, porcelain, vinyl, cork, glass, or stone. We’ve included the most commonly needed items below, with our how-to guide covering the standard steps when it comes to tiling a bathroom floor. Things That You Will Need For Tiling your Bathroom Floor: Tiles Measuring Tape Mortar Grout Utility Knife 2 Large Buckets Sponge Old Towel Tile Spacers Saw Chalk Line Level Square Hammer/Nails Vacuum/Broom Pry Bar Notched Trowel Optional: Cement Board Prep The Bathroom Floor For Installation Regardless of what kind of bathroom floor coverings is present, remove it and dispose of it. Check the sub-floor of your bathroom area and make sure it’s level and properly cleaned and vacuumed of any remaining dirt and debris. In the event that your sub-floor isn’t level you will need to address that problem. This can take a lot of time and patience, but it’s important you do it well. Mix & Apply Mortar Follow the instructions on the back of the mortar packaging and correctly mix it together in one of your buckets. The consistency should be thick and mud-like. An important tip to remember is to never mix more mortar than you can lay down within an hour’s time. This is because any leftover mortar will dry up and become unusable. Using a notched trowel spread out a thin layer of mortar onto the sub-floor as quickly and consistently as possible. Spread the mortar evenly in a sweeping back and forth motion. Optional: Affix the Cement Board While not necessary, a cement board can reinforce stability for your new flooring. Start by cutting the cement board to fit neatly over top of the sub-floor. Using a utility knife, score the cement board and lay it over the mortar you just applied to the sub-floor. Secure it with nails and a hammer and make sure the sub-floor is completely covered before applying more mortar over top of the cement board joists. You will need to wait one whole day for the cement board to set and the mortar to completely dry. Reference Where the Centre of the Bathroom Floor Is This step is important if you want to be accurate. It may not be necessary for those with previous flooring experience, but if this is your first time we highly recommend you follow these instructions. Using a square, chalk a line perpendicular (90 degrees) from the wall across from the bathroom door. Following that, mark out another line perpendicular from the one you just created. These two chalk lines will serve as a reference for when your tile installation. Lay The Tiles Down This part requires close attention to detail. Lay down two rows of tiles, one vertical and one horizontal, along the chalked guidelines. Adjust the tiles so that they fit snugly between the walls. Use the tile spacers to control your accuracy when it comes to how far apart the tiles are laid out. After the first two rows, you want to place the next tile in the furthest corner of the bathroom, and then work out towards the bathroom entrance. Press down on every tile after it has been laid on top of the mortar, and be sure it fits securely. You should use a level on the tiles that have been placed to ensure that they’re completely levelled off and perfectly flat. Depending on the fixtures on your bathroom floor you may need to cut tiles to fit around them. Measure out the tiles that need to be fit and cut them with a saw. Let the tiles sit and dry according to the mortar instructions. Grout the Tiles Once the tiles are ready to be grouted it’s time to carefully pull out the tile spacers. Mix grout with just enough water in your other bucket, and apply it with a trowel over the tile lines. Do this in sections, and be sure to remove any excess grout on the tiles with a damp sponge as you go along. A sponge with rounded corners works best for this task. Don’t worry about the grout looking darker than you intended, it will dry to a lighter colour. If you are particularly concerned about the colour, however, dry a patch of grout with a hairdryer to determine what it will look like. Once you’re done grouting the tiles (and cleaning them of any excess grout) allow them to dry. Make sure no one steps on the tiles for at least a day or two. Tiles are especially useful for bathroom maintenance because they are easy to clean and take care of. They are resistant to water so they serve the bathroom both visually and practically. Bathroom tiling can be an exciting and visually stunning renovation! With patience and attention to detail you will feel like a professional after you have learned how to tile your bathroom floor! But, if you don’t have time to tile a bathroom anytime soon – why not give Home Painters Toronto a call? They’ll help you out! Give Home Painters Toronto a call today at 416-494-9095 or email Brian@HomePaintersToronto.com to receive your free consultation and some modern bathroom floor tiles ideas, and also a free cost estimate for your bathroom floor tiling project. Bathroom Floors Tiling and Renovation Before After Pictures