Laying floor tiles in the kitchen - tips, warnings, recommendations?

[matt]

Hey y'all,

I need to tile my kitchen floor, which is something I have no experience in. The kitchen is not very big but has a number of fixed floor units that stand on metal legs (which I will have to work around). Is it as easy as: remove lino > clean floor (it has solid surface under lino, not floorboards) > buy tiles > put "glue" down > cut and lay tiles? Or is there some crazy advanced DIY procedure to work through in order to avoid an embarrassing bodge job?

Any tips or past experiences to share? Am I better off buying the tiles and paying for a real man to lay them? It needs to be done before Christmas if I am to stand any chance of getting Black Ops in my stocking.

Cheers

 

[Woodchip]

Ceramic or vinyl?

 

[matt]

Ceramic.

 

[Superphil]

Sounds like you've got it pretty much Sussed. My only bit of advice, get a decent tile cutter, worth the (minimal) expense rather than trying to do it with a scribe.

 

[Woodchip]

http://www.lowes.com/cd_Install+Floor+Tile_688517080_

 

[Woodchip]

Oh and speak to [MENTION=3468]Bakesy[/MENTION] as well. He's a bathroom and kitchen fitter.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Start with a centre line and work outwards so your cuts are equel each side. Nothing looks worse than full tile one side and two inch wide strip the other side.
Are the legs adjustable, if so wind them up and tile under them, save a lot of time cutting round them.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

The legs should be adjustable to accommodate uneven floor levels. You'll get a more professional finish by tiling under them instead of cutting around.

 

[Since1982]

We've just had our kitchen walls and conservatory floor done by this guy Michael Penny, Bluebird Tiling, Burgess Hill, 01444 248489, mikep17@googlemail.com

Did a superb job, reasonable price and thoroughly recommended.

 

[Shoreham Gull]

Might sound funny, but watch tips on : you tube..

They talk through it and show u what to do, tilers are expensive and doing the job yourself and spending time on it, will give u more pleasure then paying someone else..
I done ensuite all walls and floors with no experience, easy to do just takes time.

Just get/borrow a wet cutter , circular blade cutter.. It will cut tiles neet and fast

 

[Paul Skinback]

I'm a tiler and for what it's worth, do not buy a cheap adhesive and grout mixture, it's overly expensive for what it is, takes ages to dry and is generally very poor material. See if you know anyone who has an account at Topps Tiles/Tile Giant, you can buy 20kg Mapei kerraquick rapid set (3 hour) adhesive which will stick to anything (interior and exterior), especially if you roll on a decent primer (not PVA). Pull up all existing floor materials and making sure it is 'bump' and dust free and take out 'kick boards from under cupboards. When you tile, go up to the feet of the cupboards, you may have to slightly cut the height down when you replace them but that isn't a drama. If you need to cut tiles, depending on what you have chosen, soft stone such Travertine, Limestone etc you'll have to use a water cutter to get the desired cut finish. Porcelyn and ceramic can be cut using a manual cutter, but neither of these will be able to cut curves* or holes. As stupid as it sounds, always work away from yourself, pre planning is ALL in tiling. When you have your tiles, work out where you want full tiles shown, the last thing you want to see is a slither in a prominant area and a full tile where it's virtually hidden. Too much/little adhesive makes things awkward, spacing is paramount especially if you want straight lines, the cheaper the tile the less straight. As much as it might sound snobbish, i avoid B&Q/Homebase mass produced tiles, for the time they take it 'straightening them out' it's better to go to the above mentioned. 3 x 60cm x 60cm gloss tiles for £11 in B&Q might sound a bargain but when the sunlight hits them after they've been grouted, the scratches look awful.
Failing that, contact a local tiler and ask to see past work, not photos on his phone. I repair people's property all the time where the photos look the nuts but on closer inspection a kid could have done it. If you decide to get your tiles at Tile Giant i will get a you a discount, not loads but it all helps. For adhesive, you pay £40, i pay £28 for white, £18 for grey, that £12 saved means you get your 5kg of grout for £1 (if you buy white). You cannot use grey adhesive on soft stone as it will suck the colour into it and stain it beyond repair/cleaning. Remember too when buying tiles that not all tiles are actually 'waterproof'. You can buy 'polished tile' sealant for porcelyn, seek advice from tile distributer on what sealants as these vary depending on what the tile is made of.
My final piece of advice, when cleaning any tiles, do not use Cillit Bang, it quite literally eats grout. To clean grout, use a scrubbing brush and mild cleaning agent. The reason your grout lines look dirty is because the ingredients in shower gels and shampoos these days have bacteria in them that stick to grout to change it's colour. Any questions i'll be happy to put you on the wrong path!!

 

[Paul Skinback]

The legs should be adjustable to accommodate uneven floor levels. You'll get a more professional finish by tiling under them instead of cutting around.

This is correct but when retiling an existing kitchen you can put excessive strain on worktops (especially if heavy granite) and cupboards that will sag if not replaced within hours. I had this happen many years ago and i had to adjust doors for bloody hours. If you go up tight to the legs the kickboards will cover the tiles by at least 15mm.

 

[Official Old Man]

My advice.
Get someone in.

 

[Paul Skinback]

My advice.
Get someone in.

Is the correct answer!

 

[Dominoid]

Never do what a trainee did under my did years ago and start working from the doorway in!

 

[Garage_Doors]

Never do what a trainee did under my did years ago and start working from the doorway in!

As Paul said above this is exactly what you do.

If tiling on a wood floor you will need a minimum of 18mm (3/4) ply on the boards first.

 

[Uncle C]

I'm a tiler and for what it's worth, do not buy a cheap adhesive and grout mixture, it's overly expensive for what it is, takes ages to dry and is generally very poor material. See if you know anyone who has an account at Topps Tiles/Tile Giant, you can buy 20kg Mapei kerraquick rapid set (3 hour) adhesive which will stick to anything (interior and exterior), especially if you roll on a decent primer (not PVA). Pull up all existing floor materials and making sure it is 'bump' and dust free and take out 'kick boards from under cupboards. When you tile, go up to the feet of the cupboards, you may have to slightly cut the height down when you replace them but that isn't a drama. If you need to cut tiles, depending on what you have chosen, soft stone such Travertine, Limestone etc you'll have to use a water cutter to get the desired cut finish. Porcelyn and ceramic can be cut using a manual cutter, but neither of these will be able to cut curves* or holes. As stupid as it sounds, always work away from yourself, pre planning is ALL in tiling. When you have your tiles, work out where you want full tiles shown, the last thing you want to see is a slither in a prominant area and a full tile where it's virtually hidden. Too much/little adhesive makes things awkward, spacing is paramount especially if you want straight lines, the cheaper the tile the less straight. As much as it might sound snobbish, i avoid B&Q/Homebase mass produced tiles, for the time they take it 'straightening them out' it's better to go to the above mentioned. 3 x 60cm x 60cm gloss tiles for £11 in B&Q might sound a bargain but when the sunlight hits them after they've been grouted, the scratches look awful.
Failing that, contact a local tiler and ask to see past work, not photos on his phone. I repair people's property all the time where the photos look the nuts but on closer inspection a kid could have done it. If you decide to get your tiles at Tile Giant i will get a you a discount, not loads but it all helps. For adhesive, you pay £40, i pay £28 for white, £18 for grey, that £12 saved means you get your 5kg of grout for £1 (if you buy white). You cannot use grey adhesive on soft stone as it will suck the colour into it and stain it beyond repair/cleaning. Remember too when buying tiles that not all tiles are actually 'waterproof'. You can buy 'polished tile' sealant for porcelyn, seek advice from tile distributer on what sealants as these vary depending on what the tile is made of.
My final piece of advice, when cleaning any tiles, do not use Cillit Bang, it quite literally eats grout. To clean grout, use a scrubbing brush and mild cleaning agent. The reason your grout lines look dirty is because the ingredients in shower gels and shampoos these days have bacteria in them that stick to grout to change it's colour. Any questions i'll be happy to put you on the wrong path!!

Good advice, but just to be pedantic

"The reason your grout lines look dirty is because the ingredients in shower gels and shampoos these days have bacteria in them that stick to grout to change it's colour"

These products do not contain bacteria (that would be pretty dodgy to us all) but the residues on the grout support the rapid growth of bacteria.

 

[kevinyount958]

Very useful. Thanks Woodchip.