Saturday, February 28, 2009

What You Need to Know to Get Perfect Ceramic Tile Installation

Ceramic tile installation is usually left to the pros. That often is a good idea too because there are quite a few tricks to laying ceramic tile. But people having been installing tile for many hundreds of years. Tile setting isn't exactly rocket science. If you get the general idea right, most anyone can complete a tile project.

Tile installing is mostly the same no matter what the project. If you can lay floor tile, you can set wall tile or tile a counter top for that matter. The really trickiest project is building a ceramic tile shower pan. But even that just requires an understanding of a few tricks. Getting started on a tile project just requires getting the basics done right.

Often the first stumbling point is the base itself. The surface on which the tile is laid must be right. Now there are many surfaces that are a fine base for tile. Why you can even lay tile over tile itself. But whatever the base, it must be solid. That means no moving around is allowed. If the base moves, the tile or grout will crack. So a solid foundation is the place to start a tile project. Once you have a solid base you can lay that first tile.

Before the first tile gets set though, do some careful measuring and marking. Decide where you want the tiles that will be cut so they are least visible. That may determine where the first tile goes. Then you'll want a way to mark lines to guide you in setting the tiles. Straight tile joints are key to a professional installation. Get the tile started right and half the job is done.

Pros hurry because time is money, but you can take your time. With care you can carefully align tiles and get an installation that's straight and level. It just takes time and care to put each tile in exactly the right place. There are quite a few tricks for cutting tile and getting the spacing just right. Plus there are several tricks to help you keep tiles aligned just right.

Ceramic tile installing may be a project that you want to do. With the right tools and some instruction, you can install tile like a pro. Tile installation depends on getting a few basic steps right. Get the basics right and the only thing separating you from a pro is speed. If you can learn a few tricks even the speed will come with practice.

Get access to video tutorials showing the professional tricks of ceramic tile installation on our ceramic tile website.

Al Bullington invites you to visit http://InstallingCeramicTile.net for answers to your tile questions.

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