Installing Ceramic TileWritten by Mark Donovan
Ceramic Tile brings a texture, richness and color to a room that Linoleum has yet to truly mimic. Tile floors can be installed in any room, however they are most frequently seen in Bathrooms and Kitchens. I particularly like them in entryways, where they serve as a transition point from outside to large carpeted or hardwood floored rooms. They make for easy clean up and are impervious to water damage.Tile Types Ceramic tiles come in two basic types. Glazed and Porcelain. Glazed holds up best for heavy traffic areas and porcelain works well in bathrooms. Porcelain is typically more expensive, so consider your budget and size of area you want to tile. Tiles also come in many shapes and sizes. For flooring, however, I would suggest using larger tiles up to 12” x 12”. Underlayment For proper installation base foundation or underlayment is critical. Typically it consists of ¾” to 1 ¼” of plywood. Tiling over Linoleum or existing tile is also feasible, as long as it is solid. I also recommend when Tiling over Linoleum that you first apply ring nails or screws 6” on center over entire area. Tiles can also be installed directly over Concrete. Make sure in all cases that floor is level and free of dust and debris prior to installation. There are leveling compounds that you can apply before applying tile if necessary. Preparing Site Before actually installing tile, it is best to lay it out in room to see how it will look. Pay close attention to how it runs out toward walls, in corners and next to cabinets, tubs and toilets. The trick is to lay tile out such that stubby tiles do not show up in highly visible spots. Once you have completed this, make two marks with a pencil outlining most centered tile. These lines should be perpendicular to each other. Also take note of wall that is most visible from all others. Now remove tiles. Next draw or snap a line perpendicular to this wall that is in line with one of marks you made on floor. Then, draw a perpendicular line to this first line. This second line should be centered with first line and fairly in line with second mark you made on floor. Once you have completed this task, re-layout some of tiles along perpendicular lines and observe if they run out in a way that will limit cutting and stubbed tiles. Once this is completed, remove tiles and prepare for actual installation. Installing Tile Again, make sure area is free of dirt and dust. Next apply ceramic adhesive or mastic to flooring, starting in center, where two perpendicular reference lines intersect. Apply enough material to cover 6-10 square feet, if no cuts are required. If cuts are required limit amount of mastic application to about 2-4 square feet. When applying mastic, first spread it with flat end of trowel. Lay it on relatively thick, approximately 1/8” to 3/16”thick. Then turn trowel around and run notched edge over it. This creates ridges in mastic that helps to hold tile down more securely. The larger tile, larger notches should be. For example, I use a ¼” notched trowel for 12” x 12” tiles.
| | Installing a Brick or Paver WalkwayWritten by Mark Donovan
The key to installing a Brick or Paver Walkway is to first properly prepare area where bricks/pavers are to be installed. The area should be dug out at least a foot down, removing all topsoil and clay soil.Once area has been dug down, 3/4" gravel stone should be laid in and tamped down tightly. Then sand, or stone dust should be spread over gravel. Again sand/stone dust should be tamped down. Stone dust is preferred. Now that you have a stable base, place a 1" pipe or ledger board length of walkway on either side of walkway. Then using a flatedge, e.g. a 2"x4" slide it over two lengths of pipe/ledger board. In doing this you will create a level surface area to lay bricks/pavers. Now place on level sand/stone dust strips of plastic brick borders. Install a run on both sides of prepared area. These strips will act as your walkway border and help to maintain integrity and shape of walkway. You can get these plastic strip borders at most Home Improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. The strips should be anchored down with 12" galvinized nails. You should sink these nails into ground and through strips every foot. Once this is done, you can then begin to lay bricks/pavers. There are many patterns you can lay. I particularly like Herring Bone pattern. The key to laying bricks/pavers is to ensure that they interlock with each other. Always stagger adjacent rows of bricks by 1/2 of a brick to interlock them. This will again help maintain integrity of walkway.
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