Today, finishing materials cost too much. Plus you need to pay for the work of the master. Not everyone can afford it. Therefore, laying tiles on the floor with your own hands becomes more relevant than ever. If you know the basic rules, it will turn out to produce a high-quality and beautiful finish.
Surface preparation
It should be remembered that the work is complex and time consuming. Do not relax. But with detailed instructions at hand, laying the tiles on the floor with your own hands in the bathroom can be done easily. It is worth measuring the area of the working surface. If possible, you need to use a laser meter. When using construction tape, the length and width of the room are accurately measured, after which they multiply (this will be the surface area for the cladding).
Choosing a tile is a crucial step. It is believed that in the bathroom it will be easier to do work than in the kitchen or hallway. The brand and model of finishing material are different. The choice takes into account not only size, but also other indicators:
- Durability. When the service life is high, then the surface does not wear too much. It depends on where it is located. In the kitchen, they always go a lot, wipe the floors more often, but in the bedroom they mostly move barefoot. This reduces the load on the surface.
- Slip level. On the packaging, this is an indicator of R with a digital value. A slight relief or convex fragments appear on the surface, which prevents slipping and promotes safer walking.
- Resistance to heat. This is important for the kitchen, because various troubles can occur there (drops of hot fat and temperature changes). Not every tile can stand it.
- Resistance to chemical compounds.
- Water absorption.
- Hardness. It is important that no deformation occurs during mechanical action.
If the choice falls on a tile with a pattern, then the material should be suitable for the overall design of the entire room. When work is done in public places, the best option is porcelain. When working with such building material, it is always worth taking with a margin, because marriage is difficult to avoid even for professionals. When several tiles remain, they will always come in handy for replacing the unusable one.
Manufacturers
There are enough of them in the market. These are countries such as:
Many manufacturers have become famous around the world, so it is better to choose them (Marazzi, Ragno, Bardelli, La Diva, Impronta). The price for them is not low, but the presence of a certificate will allow you to purchase really high-quality goods. At the same time, you can always turn to domestic manufacturers (for example, Uralkeramika or Iddis).
What do you need to have on hand?
Do-it-yourself tile laying on the bathroom floor cannot be done without tools. If something is missing - it is better to purchase in advance, otherwise it will not work to achieve the required quality of the flooring. So we need:
- Spatula (need dentate and ordinary).
- Rubber hammer for fixing.
- The rule is aluminum.
- Means for cutting tiles (suitable electric - it will be faster and better).
- Building level. Without it, it won’t work.
- Mixer.
- The material itself is tile.
- Glue and cement.
- Diamond file. It is necessary to carefully cut holes in the tiles under various pipes or something else that occurs on the way.
- Roulette.
- Any capacity.
- Sponge.
- Cord.
- Pencil.
- Plastic crosses.
To make it easier to lay the tiles on the floor with your own hands, a step-by-step instruction is useful. Having collected everything you need, we begin the next stage of work.
Methods of fixing the finishing material
Once the tile is purchased and the tool is prepared, it is worth considering how to lay it. There is one important point. Do not be lazy, and before starting work, simply lay out the building material without fixing it on the floor and evaluate how it will look.
If necessary, make adjustments. Otherwise, after mounting it will be difficult to dismantle. Installation itself is performed by several methods. It:
- Laying tiles on the floor with your own hands in a basic way. To make the process easy, large material is selected. In this case, the use of drawings or non-standard ornaments is completely excluded. The only thing that can become unique is laying the tiles diagonally under the warm floor with your own hands. This method is suitable for those with uneven walls. But to cope without a tile cutter will not work.
- Laying ceramic tiles on the floor with your own hands unscrewed. The starting point is the center of the room. For this, a rectangular tile is purchased. The other will not look aesthetically pleasing.
- Chess order of calculation. The basis is the use of two colors. This has its advantages. This is an opportunity to decorate the room and hide the existing bumps in the interior. But the choice should be made with care so that it does not turn out to be pockmarked.
- Lines. Everything is simple here. The laying method is elementary, but several colors are used. Tiles are glued in lines. The relationship to each other can be different, at will or design decision.
- Carpet distribution. Patterned tiles are used to create a carpet effect. Most often in the middle there are some colors, and around - something simple.
- Layout of the ornament. There is a wide range of color solutions on sale, so laying the tiles on the floor with your own hands can be done in the form of a picture in one place or around the perimeter. This is thought out in advance, without going beyond the design solution of the room.
Everyone can create something original and complex. It is only necessary to think over everything, make a diagram and get to work.
How to stack?
Once the first touches are completed, the next step begins. Therefore, laying the warm floor under the tiles with your own hands is not so difficult - only additional components and several hours of time are required. What technology to choose? Masters believe that the best way is seamless styling. For this, special finishing material is acquired (it is much easier to work with it). Sometimes tiles are simply laid butt. But there is a chance that the house will precipitate and the material will burst or swell. In addition, not everyone can create a completely flat surface.
Standard way
The standard way is the presence of open seams. There is a small gap between each component. To make it the same, special crosses are used (most often made of plastic). Once the entire surface is filled, a paste is used to grout the joints. You can choose any of the methods. To create markup, you need to start from the most prominent angle. It’s easier to answer the basic questions - how many incomplete tiles, how best to lay, etc.
Work with ceramics
Each material requires its own approach. Therefore, laying ceramic tiles on the floor with your own hands is done in a certain way. First, beacons are installed. With their help, you can create a flat surface. Any available method is suitable - rail, bars, ropes, etc. Then the solution is prepared - cement and sand are mixed. The proportion does not change over the years: one in three. Water is added according to the recommendations on the cement packaging. A large amount of solution does not mix (you need to have time to use up everything).
You can work with an adhesive base. All data will be presented on the packaging of the selected product. Before starting, the surface of any floor is primed. Even laying tiles on an uneven floor with your own hands starts from the far corner. Then the solution is distributed. Without experience, the first application area will be no more than one square meter. This is done with a spatula.
What next?
After one tile is put. She taps to maximize shrinkage. Some apply the adhesive to the base and the tile itself, but carefully (excess can ruin the work). A notched trowel is used. Plastic crosses are stacked in the process, if this implies the selected technology. When a solution appears, it is cleaned with a damp cloth. Do not forget about surface level control. Crooked tiles should not stand.
Once the entire perimeter is laid out, it is worth letting the composition dry out (at least a day). Next you need to overwrite the seams. If a composition in color is selected, then after drying it is slightly lightened. A rubber spatula is used in the work. Some places are treated with sealant.
How do I lay tiles on a wooden floor with my own hands?
At the first stage, you need to create a flat surface without damage and cracks. It doesn’t matter what basis the work is going on with - it should be perfect (without nails, old paint and any cracks). When the boards are played, they are changed. If necessary, strengthen.
Often you need to make such a finish in the bathroom or bath. If the rooms were already in use, then the flooring is completely changing. The fact is that constant humidity in the room greatly damages the board, and you may not notice how it was deformed. As a result, dismantling will be required.
What else do you need to know?
Ceramics are in demand. Many people know about it, but an alternative has appeared on the market. This is the laying of PVC tiles on the floor with your own hands. Before starting work, it is laid out in the room and left for 24 hours to align. The temperature should be at least 17 degrees. There are no features. Here, on a flat surface with the help of adhesives, lay tiles.
Material is glued to the wood floor only after the nails are removed. Another important point is the dryness of the floor. You can purchase special adhesives for PVC tiles. As a rule, there will be no difficulties during installation.
It is believed that the easiest option is to lay the tiles on the floor in the bathroom with your own hands. After all, the area of the room is small, and not everyone can see the permissible errors. Masters do not advise to start working with expensive finishing materials without experience. You always need to take with a small margin to lower for marriage, or during operation for a replacement.
How does work with vinyl tiles work? It is believed that such material is the easiest to install. The fact is that manufacturers easily simulate any surface. Some people choose this material instead of laminate. This option is quite suitable for laying tiles on the kitchen floor with your own hands.
Before starting, a flat surface is created. A good option is a bulk floor. Plywood is also suitable, but you will need to grind the seams and remove the nails. The work itself occurs according to the standard method. The adhesive composition is selected and work begins according to the above scheme. The range of such tiles on sale is diverse. One has only to take into account your needs and the motive of the interior.
Conclusion
The work is simple, if laying the tiles on the floor with your own hands occurs according to detailed instructions. The technologies used in the process are available to everyone. In any case, a perfectly flat surface is created, lighthouses are built and only after that the main work is done to apply the finish. Each stage is important. Do not forget about the nuances and be negligent. After all, small missed moments will turn into serious problems.