Simplified Floor Tile Installation

By Greg Vanden Berge

The author has simplified the process and will even reveal a few” treasured secrets,” tile setting professionals have gone to great lengths to protect over the years.

We Will Teach You How to Select the Right Tile.
How to Lay out One Bedroom or the Entire House.
How to Mix the Thin Set Properly.
How to Start Your First Row of Tile and Where to Start It.
How to Install the Tile Effectively.
How to Avoid Working Yourself into a Corner.
How to Eliminate Tile Setting Nightmares.
How to Grout the Tile and Finish the Floor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greg Vanden Berge
• Release date: Jul 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476437361

Greg Vanden Berge

Born, raised and still living in Southern California, United States of America. I don't know if I would consider myself to be another typical high school dropout, but in the 11th grade I took and passed a high school equivalency test that allowed me to leave school one year early. From then on it was the school of hard knocks and when I finally figured out this wasn't going to work, became a student of life. I have over 35 years of experience building, remodeling and repairing apartments, condominiums, residential homes and commercial as well as industrial properties. My interests are history, psychology, business, construction, gardening and thoroughly enjoy sharing the things I've learned with anyone willing to listen. There is nothing better than spending time with friends and family having a wonderful meal, a few beers and intelligent conversation.

Book preview

Simplified Floor Tile Installation

By Greg Vanden Berge

Published by Greg Vanden Berge at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Greg Vanden Berge

Revised on July 25, 2012

Greg's Other Books

Home Buyers Checklist

How To Build Strait Stairs

501 Contractor Tips

Simplified Stair Building

Simplified Stair Building With Landings

Advanced Stair Stringer Layout Methods

Simple Stair Stringer Layout

Guide For Hiring Contractors

Simplified Bracket Stair Building

Simplified Tile Floor Installation

Simplified House Inspection Checklist

Simplified Home Inspections

http://gregvandenberge.com

http://gregvan.com/book_deals.htm

http://gregvandenberge.com/contact.htm

Disclaimer

Greg Vanden Berge, and its owners, agents and employees, make no warranty respecting the accuracy or currency of any information in the content or pages of this book or any source document referenced herein or linked to herein.

Use of this book is conditioned on the user's understanding and agreement that we shall not be liable, on any theory whatsoever, including but not limited to negligence, for any damages attributable to that use.

In no event shall Greg Vanden Berge, its owners, agents or employees be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken by in reliance on any content created by Greg Vanden Berge or other individuals, companies, corporations or parties.

Greg Vanden Berge and its affiliates, agents, owners and employees shall not be liable to you or anyone else for any damages, including without limitation, consequential, special, incidental, indirect, or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Your use of this book and all related rights and obligations, shall be governed by the laws of the United States of America, as if your use was a contract wholly entered into and wholly performed within the United States of America.

Any legal action or proceeding with respect to this book or any matter related thereto may be brought exclusively in the courts of the United States of America. By using this book, you agree generally and unconditionally to the jurisdiction of the aforesaid courts and irrevocably waive any objection to such jurisdiction and venue.

Do not copy or distribute this book. This manual contains materials protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

Table of Contents

Introduction

First Things First

Tools

Safety

Materials

Removing Old Floor

Damage Repairs

Preparation

Layout

Layout Problems

Visual Grout Lines

Laying Out Multiple Rooms

Setting Tile

Cutting Tile

Grouting

Final Clean Up

Questions And Answers

Video Link

Introduction

This book will provide you with simple methods for laying floor tile, but a little effort will still be required on your behalf. If you haven't laid tile before or the first time you laid it, you had nothing but problems, I know exactly where you are, because I've been there before.

I didn't have access to a book like this one years ago or I would have bought it in an instant and sucked all of the tips and tricks right out of it. There weren't a lot of books like these available in the 1980s and this one probably wouldn't be available today, if I didn't write it.

One of the biggest problems I have faced in the past and homeowners are still facing today has a lot to do with the way the information in these so-called do-it-yourself for dummies books have been put together.

Some of their information is relevant, while some of it isn't even close. Some of their information applies to bath tubs, showers, swimming pools, ponds, walls and ceilings, yet all you wanted to do was install a simple tile floor.

You don't need all of the extra fluff, gadgets or gizmos, just the basics and of course the secret that will eliminate practically all of the frustration from the project. That's right, by the time you finish reading this book, you should have the confidence and skill required to install practically any tile floor.

For example, large floors can be difficult to install, especially when the tiles aren’t perfectly square, but with a few simple tips out of this book, even these floors will seem like child's play.

The secret is in the preparation and layout and can make practically every do-it-yourselfer look like they have been installing tile for decades.

If you're ready, let's get started.

First Things First

Okay you've accepted the challenge and you're ready to install your new tile floor, but we need to go over a few things before we get started. I love the quote from Vince Lombardi, when he introduced himself to the Green Bay Packers Football team for the first time.

He held up a football and asked the football team, Does anyone know what I'm holding in my hand? One of the players responded, It's a football. Yes, today we're going to start with the basics and learn the fundamentals of football.

Even though the football team, had a pretty good idea what a football looked like, Vince Lombardi wanted to make sure and it wasn't long before the team was winning football games. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. So let's take a look at the fundamentals of laying a tile floor.

Color

A don’t know how many times I've worked for someone who purchased something that was simply adorable. They've already purchased the tile and it looked great on the showroom floor, but wasn't going to look good in their home.

Be careful, picking out colors that aren't going to look good in your home. If you're good at picking out colors great, but if you're not it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a few pictures of your home and the area that you're planning on tiling down to your local tile store.

Ask for their opinions, but use them cautiously. Remember, some sales professionals won't know any more than you do. Ask others for their opinions, but use them cautiously also.

One time I was talking to an interior designer who admitted talking people into things they didn't really want, because she made more money selling them. Like I said, use a little common sense and everything should be okay.

Just be careful picking out wild colors. Earth tones and neutral colors often go good with everything. Red, green, purple, black and blue, might look good on your floor today, but won't in the future, if you remodel or change any of your furnishings.

Size

You've often heard women say that size is important, but were they actually talking about floor tile? They just might have been and let me tell you why. Larger floor tiles are usually easier to lay than smaller ones. However, the floor had better be flat, otherwise large tiles can be a nightmare to install. I will explain this in more detail, later in the