Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Installing 12x12 Ceramic Tile - 5 Tips For Success

Installing 12x12 ceramic tile is a great way to cover a lot of surface in a hurry. With large tiles there are several points you can consider. These large tiles work better in many areas, especially if you plan ahead. Planning is the key to success to any tile project. Installing ceramic tile is a series of fairly simple steps, but there are tricks you need to know.

Basic to success with any tile job, especially with larger tiles, is getting the mounting surface right. If you see a cracked tile surface, the base over which the tile is mounted has moved. Take the time to get the mounting surface very stable. Often the best way to do this is to put down cement board as a backer.

Most rooms aren't exactly square. Most rooms aren't even close to being square. Carefully measure to find where your best corner is. That's often the right place to start, especially on a tile floor.

The first tile you lay is the most important. That's because all the other tiles are positioned off that tile. Take plenty of measurements and know where that tile needs to go to get the best finished appearance.

An easy way to visualize how the surface is going to look is to lay out dry tiles. Once you have laid out some lines for guides, set out some tiles to see how they look. Time spent simply setting out tiles will help you see whether your plan looks good on the surface.

Cutting tile is one of the arts it takes some practice to master. Wasting big 12x12 tiles can get quite expensive. So practice a bit and plan your cuts carefully. Your tools are important too. Some inexpensive cutter boards don't score the tiles well enough and you can break tiles if you're not careful. Proceed with care.

Installing 12x12 ceramic tile is a fast way to cover a surface. Larger tiles look better in many areas. With larger tiles you can easily waste a lot of material if you make mistakes. That's why you should really think through each step. If you can get an experienced person to help you with some of the basics, that's a good way to get started right.



Autor: Al Bullington Al Bullington
Level: Platinum
Al Bullington is a former cowboy, oil field roustabout, farmer, certified public accountant, college instructor, General Motors engineer and quite a few other things. He ... ...

You can get access to video tutorials showing the professional tricks to installing 12x12 ceramic tile on walls, floors, showers and counter tops at our tile website.

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


Added: February 10, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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