Ceramic tile installing is often left to the pros. There are many good reasons why the average do-it-yourselfer avoids ceramic tile projects. There are a lot of tricks the tile guys don't want people to know. Otherwise more people would tackle tile jobs and save a ton of money.
Whether you're laying ceramic tile on a counter top, wall, floor or even a ceramic tile shower, here are some potential traps to avoid.
Trap 1 - Layout Messes
A key step to a beautiful tile project is the initial layout. For all the joints to look good and the overall appearance to be great, you must get started right. Many times the right place to start is in the center of the surface. That way the tiles on the edges will be the same size. You must carefully plan where any trimmed tile will be to make the best finished project.
Trap 2 - Buying Cheap Tile To Save Money
Many times cheap tiles vary in size more than better tiles. Imagine the problems you cause for yourself or your tile setter if every tile is a different size. How can you possibly keep the tile edges aligned so the grout lines look right when tile size varies. Someone will spend far more time on alignment with cheap tiles than the saving in the price.
Trap 3 - The Wrong Backing
Many materials can be used for tile backing. But often it's better and faster to just use the best backing. You can often save time and money just using the backing the pros use. That's often a cement board, installed the proper way.
Trap 4 - Breaking Tiles
Tiles are expensive, especially granite tiles and marble tiles. Break a few tiles wrong and you've got a big waste. Make sure you have the proper tile breaking tools and the proper saw for cutting tile or you will be crying over a pile of wasted tile.
Trap 5 - Uneven Joints
A seasoned pro tile setter can align tiles just by looking. Less experienced folks usually use special tile spacers which come in several standard widths. It's also important though to align the tile edges up and down. If the tile edges go up and down too much, the finished surface is wavy. This really looks like an amateur job.
Many homeowners do a great job installing ceramic tile themselves. But there are some real tricks to ceramic tile installing.
Puzzled about how to lay ceramic tile for your project? Need more information? Visit our site to get ceramic tile installing resources and tips.
We invite you to visit http://www.InstallingCeramicTile.net for answers to your ceramic tile questions.
|
