Search This Blog

Showing posts with label backerboard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label backerboard. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Tile Installation Formulas for Floors and Walls


Tile Installation Formulas

[for installing tile flooring and tile walls)



  1. How to Figure Out Square Footage
  2. How to Know How Much Tile to Purchase (once you have sq. ft.)
  3. How to Figure Out How Much Thin-set and Grout [setting materials] You'll Need
  4. How to Know How Much Hardi Board or Durock to order


Unknowingly experienced tile installers use formulas every day.Through experience  we just automatically figure in our thinking of jobs using unnoticed formulas every day.It just dawned on me the other day on the job   that I could share-some of these formulas to readers and it would help them understand more about what it takes to install tile and how to understand more about how to find a reasonable installer for their job.

1 .the first and foremost formula  is the figuring of  square footage 
  • the ft of the length multiplied by the ft of the width determines the total sq ft.
    •  for instance  a 5 ft room length  by 5 foot width = 25 total sq ft
  • a 10 ft wide room by 20 ft long = 200 total sq ft room

2. After you know you sq ft of tile to be installed .you need to know  how much tile to order.Generally you need 10%more tile than the actual area to be tiled to account for cuts and waste when installing straight line tile .If you are going to lay tile in a diagonal pattern you will need to add 15% more tile than actual area to be tiled because with a diagonal installation there will be more cuts and waste

3.The formula to figure setting materials grout and thin setis pretty straight forward. For every 100 sq ft of tile you will need 50 lbs of thin set mortar  and 25 lbs of grout

4 .Hardi Board and Durock is generally sold in 3ft by 5 ft sheets= 15 sq ft per board. So you need 1 board of Hardi Board or Durock for every 15 sq ft of tile to be laid.It takes one half pound of nails to nail each board. So 1 lb of 2 inch roof nails for each 2 boards of 3 ft by 5 ft Hardi Board or Durock boards to be installed.

These are some  formulas needed to understand basic tileinstallation . All tile installers even if unknowingly use these formulas every day when pricing and preparing for tile installation. Tile jobs are priced upon the sq ft of tile to be installed the sq ft of the Hardi board or Durock and the shape of the area to be installed in.

Other factors include:

  • the materials to be installed , mosaic tile , marble or slate
  • tiles are more labor intensive and cost more per sq ft to install than ceramic or porcelain tiles. Every tile installer has a different cost base according to their expertise,
  • overhead,and how busy they are. Shop around, get references
  • be comfortable with whomever you hire to install tile in your home.
  • But most important remember tile in your home when installed correctly will be there for many many years so make sure from the beginning it is exactly the look you want!

Hope this info has been helpful and as always If you have specific questions we are always here at Tile Excellence  to answerany questions you may have about your tile installation project
thanks again

Chris & Diana

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Economical shower waterproofing for ceramic tile, marble,slate.and all natural stone materials

In my 30 year career I've repaired and seen hundreds of showers that had water damage both inside the shower and inside the wall. Many times the mildew had eaten away at the wood studs in the wall and caused the grout to turn black from the inside out causing costly repairs and complete tear outs to redo the wood studs.In severe cases mildew can be dangerous to the health of the elderly and the very young. The following "how to" will explain the most economical "ultimate shower waterproofing " technique to insure a "never leak shower" and insure a "no mildew" tile installation. There are other options out there but this is by far the most economical sure fire way to know you will never allow water to penetrate your shower walls.

I am currently working on this job in Byfield mass. and all the walls and floors will be slate and marble finished.The contractor on the job was responsible for installing all the backer board and The contractor used durock on all the inside shower walls not Hardy board as I would have preferred. ( see my blog "hardy board vs Durock) When the home buyer called me to get a estimate he voiced great concern about waterproofing his shower walls so as not to have mildew or water damage in his shower walls ever. Since durock was already installed in all the showers and not hardy board it was required to completely seal every sq inch of the shower walls as well as seal all joints to insure no water ever got to the wood studs in the wall.  

The first step was to use "silicone II"  to seal every seam of the durock including all corners being careful to smooth out all caulk to insure a clean glob free seal. Step 2 all the joints were taped with anti crack fiberglass backer board tape and skimmed with superflex thinset to insure no cracks form over the years.

The third and final step was 2 coats of "Redgard"anti crack paint on waterproofer one coat rolled on horizontally and one coat vertically .All corners are painted with a brush to insure proper sealing.There were as well inset soap boxes framed into the wall that were also caulked and then painted with the regard to complete the sealing process. The tile can now be installed in the showers with no worry of leakage or wood rotting for a lifetime of leak free showering !

All products used to completely seal up these 3 showers in Byfield mass are all available at Home Depot and can insure you never have any water damage in your home from shower leakage.Have your tile installer follow this process or do it yourself for total piece of mind when creating your new shower in your house . For a full list of other options and great advice on the many waterproofing options go here and check it out. www.floorelf.com/preparing-a-shower-wall-for-tile

Pictures below are as follows left to right in order. 1-Silicone II caulk product, ,2- Redgard waterproofing crack supression paint on sealer product,3- Marble and granite modified thin set product, 4-Durock taped and thin setted, 5-Durock sealed with Redgard6-,Inset soap box caulked and Redgard sealed, 7-Floor Durock redgard sealed 3 ft out from wet area














Featured Post

Home Renovation From Gut Rehab in Less Than 4 Months!

Home renovation finished products This house is a gut rehab ¹ job. My team and I started this project in April 2019 and it is now compl...

Our Most Popular Posts