Tile Floor Installation 101

New floor tiles, aside from being practical, durable, and easy to maintain, can also be a fantastic way to breathe new life into your living space, make it reflect your personal style, and improve the overall look of your home.

Although the choice of tiles is something you can and should do yourself (after consulting experts) to make sure you’ll end up with the result you’re satisfied with, the actual tile installation is something you should leave to Fort Collins professionals. 

However, if you’d like to tackle the task on your own, just follow the steps below and you will be tiling like a pro. Let’s dive right in!

How Do You Install Tiles?

How Do You Install Tiles?

Make no mistake – tile laying is not an easy job – it requires serious preparation and time. Most tiles are not flawlessly made – sometimes the patterns don’t match perfectly when you put individual tiles next to each other, or they might not be ideally flat which makes creating a level surface quite challenging. Various unpredictable issues may arise and cause even the best professionals to make mistakes – luckily, they know how to fix them fast.

It’s also worth noting that removing the existing flooring is quite messy, and some of the chemicals used can be dangerous, so protective gear is necessary to avoid compromising your health. During the removal of tile and thinset mortar, particles of carcinogenic crystalline silica dust are released into the air and can be inhaled. Additionally, cutting and grinding ceramic tiles exposes you to dust that may cause various diseases. Even an acute inhalation can cause respiratory disease.

What Are Common Mistakes When Laying Tiles?

Being a quite demanding process with a lot of variables, floor tile laying can easily go wrong during every step of the process. Some of the most common mistakes that people make when trying to lay the tiles themselves are:

  • Insufficient preparation and not planning the layout properly.
  • Choosing the wrong type of tiles. Indoor and outdoor tiles are different, as well as floor and wall ones. Most floor tiles can also be used on the walls but wall tiles are thinner so they wouldn’t be able to sustain the same weight.
  • Failing to prepare the laying surface properly.
  • Uneven spreading of grout across the entire surface.
  • Using the wrong adhesive material (particularly important when tiling surfaces that get wet, like bathrooms).
  • Not having or not using proper tools.
  • Buying fewer tiles than you need – you should always get 10% more as some get broken during cutting. You might also need to keep some extra ones so you can replace a potentially damaged tile in the future.
  • Buying the wrong size – large surface tiles are better suited for bigger rooms, while smaller, or mosaic styles are better for bathrooms or kitchens.
  • Opting for lower price instead of quality. Low-cost tiles will most likely need to be replaced sooner so you’ll end up spending more money overall.
  • Trying to do it yourself. Unless you have extensive experience with tile laying you should hire a professional.

How to Find Dependable Tile Installation Professionals in Fort Collins?

The main conclusion we can draw from the abundance of mistakes that can happen at any stage of the tile laying process is that you should hire professionals for a job this complicated. With Handyman Connection of Fort Collins at your corner, you can rest assured your preferences and needs will be met. We have a team of dedicated and seasoned experts ready to make your home work flawlessly.

Installation usually takes a few days, so you should take this into consideration as you’re not supposed to walk on the floor for at least 24 hours. You can turn this into an opportunity to get out of the house and do something fun. Choose one of the relaxing recreational activities, like going on a hike in one of the Fort Collins natural areas, like the gorgeous Fossil Creek Trail while tile installation experts do what they do best. Get in touch with us today!