Basic Tools You Need to Lay Tile

The basic tools needed to lay tile are available at Home Depot, Lowes and most tile stores.

Tile tools are pretty cut and dry, and the basic set of essentials will cost you about $100. I've taken photos of my tools for this blog  and these are not new tools  They have been well used  on a daily basis. These are the required tools to do a tile job in or around your home.  The wet saw is included but not required. All the cuts can be made with the 4 inch grinder and the tile cutting machine

Tools for Laying Wall and Floor Tile

Picture 1: notched trowels used to spread thinset on floors and walls .The notches allow for consistent thicknesses of thinset before you lay your tile. from left to right the first is a 1/2 notched trowel used for natural marble and slate tile, The second is a 3/8 inch trowel for large format floor tiles. The third is a 1/4 inch notched trowel, The most common used for floor and wall tile. Finally there is a finishing trowel for skin coating  thinset smoothly on a surface.,

Tile Tools: Stone Chipping Hammer, Margin Trowl,Tile Nippers

Picture two (2) shows from left to right, a stone chipping hammer for chipping concrete, flattening nails and basic hammering, which will be required every now and then. Then there is a margin trowel use for spreading thinset and mixing thinset in a bucket. The third tool is also a margin trowel bit it is a 1/4 inch notch margin trowel used to spread a consistent 1/4 inch thickness of thinset in corners and around edges. Finally there are tile nippers used to take small nips of tile off of the edge of cuts to make precise fits when cuts are just a bit too large to fit,

12 inch speed square and 6 inch speed square plus 2 levels

Picture three (3) shows 2 speed squares. One is a 12 inch square and the other is a 6 inch square used to draw straight square lines on tile to make cuts. There are also pics of two  levels . One 2 ft level and the other is a 4 ft level used to check rows of tile for levelness and also to keep lines straight.

Bag of spacers. Used to keep tile staight and lines even

Picture four  (4) shows a bag of spacers. These are very important  in the tool bag for keeping tile     straight and lines even.

Hand broom, tape measure, grout float and razor knife tile laying tools

Picture five (5 ) from left to right : the all important hand broom to keep all surfaces free of debris and dust before laying tile, On top, the tape measure, used often . In the middle, the grout float used to grout finished tile. Finally,  the razor knife to sharpen your pencil and also will be useful for many other tasks.

4 inch grinder with a 4 inch diamond blade

Picture six (6).  This picture is of a 4 inch grinder with a 4 inch diamond blade to cut tile. Very useful on the job and will cut tile ,stubborn toilet bolts, copper pipe, steel  nd just about anything that hampers you from laying flat tile.

Hand Tile Cutting Machine

Picture severn (7) is a  hand  tile cutting machine for straight tile cuts and may take some time to master its use  but will really be helpful along walls where many cuts the same size are needed.

Tile Cutter

Picture 8:  Another view of a tile cutter

Tile Cutter Ready to Cut Piece of Ceramic Tile

Picture nine (9) a side view of a tile cutter with a tile on it ready to be cut

Wet Saw Used by Professional Tile Installers

Picture ten (10)  is a wet saw used mostly by a professional tile installer and needed for any marble installation.

Picture of Wet Saw

Picture 11. Another view of the wet saw

7 inch diamond bladee wet saw

Picture 12:  Final picture of wet saw  equipped with 7 inch diamond blade

Bucket for water and mixing thinset.

Sponge Used in Laying Tile

Installing Natural Slate Tile | Here's How to do it

Natural Slate is One of the Most Challenging Materials to Install 

because of the variation in the natural materials. Some pieces of slate can be as thick as 3/4th of a inch while other pieces are only 1/8th of a inch. So when installing this beautiful material  it is required to start installing  the thickest pieces first  then build up with thinset the thinner pieces to make your installation flat and flush. As well as being different thicknesses, the slate is also different sizes in square dimension. It is very imperative that you use care and patience to space and keep your lines  as straight as possible. Natural slate tile is one of the most color variant material I install. I often refer to it as rainbow slate because of the wonderful color variation in the material. 

Installing natural slate is most certainly not to be done by the inexperienced tile setter and a slate specialist is a true artist. I love the challenge myself and the slate material is without a doubt my favorite natural material. I hope you enjoy the  pictures below and appreciate the care and patience it took to install the tile in the photos  See previous blog on slate installation on Tile Excellence's Google+ page. THANKS  Chris

Side View of Slate Showing Variation in Thickness of Material

Wall Slate Ungrouted Showing Variation in Size of Tile

Grouted Wall Slate with Design Strip

Ungrouted Wall  Slate

Grouted Wall Slate with Design Strip

Shower Wall | Ceiling Slate

Shower Wall Slate

Slate Tile in Wall Soap Box

Wall Slate | Slate Backsplash

Slate in Wall Soap Box

Wall Slate and Floor Slate

Floor Slate | Wall Slate

Design Strip Slate Meets Shower Wall Slate

Wonderful Color in this Slate Floor

Slate Shower Curb Shower Floor | Outside Bathroom Floor

Do it Yourself [DIY] Backsplash Secret Techhniques

A tile backsplash is one of the quickest easiest ways to improve your kitchen without spending an arm and a leg to get it done. There are certain pointers and techniques that I've learned over 30+ years of tile installation that will make the job more manageable.

The first consideration is the tile you pick out;  it makes all the difference in the world. Remember a kitchen backsplash is a "right in your face" kind of tile installation . You will see it many times each day and it's the first thing seen by anyone who ever goes into your kitchen, Make sure you pick out a tile that  compliments your  décor. If you plan on doing the [DIY] tile yourself it's probably a good idea to keep it simple.

There are some extraordinary glass tiles available at Home Depot or Lowes for great prices or online.  Be aware If you shop at a tile store the designers there tend to market/push more intricate tiles and more complicated iinstallation designs. As you add to the intricacy of the design then you also add to the complication of the installation. Subway tile is about the easiest installation out there and some pencil strips of color  all along on top of a  row of tile is a nice simple custom installation yet still uncomplicated. 4 inch by 4 inch tile in squares with some deco tiles added in also is a non complicated colorful installation. Each of these tile installations require no spacers because they are self spacing tile and use unsanded  grout. Glass mosaic tile has some complications in cutting the material and it would be advantageous to pick out a glass tile that will require at least cutting as possible. 1/2 inch squares or 1 inch squares usually fall close enough to corners and under cabinets that little cutting is necessary . When installing a backsplash I would recommend using Thinset concrete and not a adhesive because of clean up and grouting issues. Just remember thin set is concrete and  ALWAYS wash it off your tile before it dries or tomorrow you will need a chisel.

There  is a secret I am about to share with you now about glass tile installation that makes all the difference in the world because of the nature of the material. Some glass tile is transparent and you can see right through it. Other types of glass tile are  very,  very thin and it is impossible to thinset the tile to the wall without getting thinset in all the joints of the

and hampering grout coverage.

The info I am about to give you I have NEVER shared publicly before and Is a method I figured out on my own some years ago.  When installing glass tile I always  use unsanded grout  and I get a shade darker grout than what I want as a finished color. NOW here it is:

Using white thinset mix the grout color into your thinset and color your thinset to your grout color the ratio would be about 2 parts thinset to 1 part grout .

You could also do this with acrylic paint coloring your thinset to the desired grout color. Then your transparent tile shows behind the tile and any thinset bleeding through the joints  with thin tile will cover with grout. I've been installing glass tile in this manner for many years and have had great success as you can see below .

Marble Mosaic Picture Framed Backsplash

6”by 6” Tile Picture Frame | Hand Cut 3” dots

Pencil Trim Marble Picture Around Marble Mosaic

Glass Subway Tile with Diamond Design

Flower Marble Backsplash Behind Stove

Glass and Marble Tile Backsplash

4 by 4 Tile with Glass Tile Mosaic Tile

Custom Glass Tile Countertops with Colored Thinset Rainbow Glass Mosaic Tile

Flower Design Marble Tile Backsplash

3 ft by 6 inch Tile with Design Strip Custom Backsplash

Teardrop Glass Tile  Cut at Every Straight Edge

Glass Tile Fireplace With Colored Thinset Used to Grout this 90 sq ft of Tile Glass Tile Fireplace With Colored Thinset Used to Grout this 90 sq ft of Tile Glass Tile Centered Backsplash with Travertine Border Glass and Travertine with Marble Pencil Border with 45 Degree Angle Cut

Mother of Pearl Glass Backsplash

Rainbow Multi-Color 1” Glass Mosaic Tile

I hope this info on backsplashes has been helpful to you and as always I'm here to field any questions you have to help you out   thanks  Chris

Laying a Travertine Marble Tile Floor Successfully

Laying a travertine marble tile floor

seamlessly (i.e., without grout) is a skill that you can easily develop. Only a little bit of knowledge, a few tools, patience, and diligence are required to complete this job successfully.

There is no need to be intimated by this type of project. After all, if the ancient Romans and Greeks were able to do it, why can't you?

There are only a few things besides the tile that are required to complete this kind of home improvement job: a thin-set mortar, notched trowel, a level, and a soft rubber mallet. The difficulty level of this do-it-yourself project is considered to be medium or moderate; however,that is due to the fact that some tiles may need to be reset in order to ensure a level plane across the floor.

It Is All In the Preparation

Preparation is key to a seamless installation of this type of natural stone. Ninety-nine percent of all successful home improvement jobs start with proper prepping of the working surface. For any surface--whether it be a floor, countertop, or wall, make the working area as level as possible before you do anything else. Check your work with a level prior to any travertine tile installation.

Application of Thinset On Flooring - Kick It Up A Notch

Working from the middle of the room, use the trowel's notched edge to apply an even coat of thinset mortar to the flooring surface, spreading it evenly in the area where you will set the travertine. Take your time when doing this in order to avoid ridges and/or air pockets which may cause the tile to settle improperly.

Application of Thinset On Back of Tile - Flat Is Beautiful

Now it is time to use the trowel's flat side to apply a skim coat thinset to the back of the travertine marble tile. Ensure it is evenly distributed throughout, taking care to coat the edges of the tile.

Apply the Tile With Gentle But Firm Persuasion

Set the tile in place on the floor, applying pressure, and moving it back and forth in all directions to form a good bond and to eliminate any unforeseen trapped air bubbles/pockets.

Then it is time to set the second tile next to the first, lining up the corners, and moving that tile back and forth as you did the first one.

Make sure the tiles are the same height. Using a soft rubber mallet, tap gently on the second travertine marble tile until it abuts the first tile. There should be a tight fit with no gaps.

Keep a Level Head and Get a Level Floor

Lay a level on the tile floor to ensure that tiles are flat and flush. If a tile is too low, remove the tile and add more thinset on the floor. If the opposite is true and the tile is too high, pry up the travertine and remove excessive thinset. Either way, there is a remedy so you can get a level floor by keeping a level head and doing what needs to be done to get the perfectly seamless travertine marble tile floor.

Working with travertine floor tile [http://www.travertinetilestore.com/travertine-floor-tiles-2] is not as difficult as you might have been told or think. Laying a travertine marble tile [http://www.travertinetilestore.com] floor seamlessly can be completed easily and successfully as a do-it-yourself project.

By Mary Ruff-King  |   Submitted On July 08, 2010

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4631730