Using a notched trowel, spread the adhesive onto the floor, starting where the reference lines intersect at the center of the room. As you work, use the notched edge of the trowel to create grooves in the mortar. This will increase the adhesive strength of the bond between the cement board and the bottom of the marble. Spread enough mortar to easily cover the bottom of a single tile, and make sure that its entire surface is notched.
Gently press the first tile into place, aligning two of its edges with the chalk lines in the corner of the layout. As you press it down, twist the tile slightly to ensure that it properly sets in the mortar bed below.
A rubber mallet is a large hammer with a soft rubber head. Use this to lightly tap the surface of the marble tile, pressing it more firmly into the mortar. However, be careful not to tap too hard, as marble is a relatively soft material and can crack rather easily.
Avoid moving the tile as you are setting it. Continue to spread mortar for each tile, then place the tile before moving on to the next one. Follow the reference line towards the wall, using it as a guide to keeping your placement straight.
Use tile spacers to maintain consistent spacing between tiles. The spacers should be selected for whatever width you have chosen for the joints. Spacers help ensure the grout lines are sharp and uniform. After placing every three or four tiles, use a 2-by-4 to ensure that they are at a uniform height. Place the board across the tiles, and tap the board lightly with the rubber mallet. If the marble is polished you may want to cover the front of the wood with a piece of carpet to prevent scratches.
You can also do this across multiple rows when you have more tiles installed. Once you reach the wall with the first row, take note of the gap at the end that may require a custom-cut piece. Then, move back to the center point of the reference lines, and continue to place tiles adjacent to the first row. Take a moment after every few tiles to ensure that all of your lines meet up and the entire floor looks sharp and consistent. As you work, be careful not to step on any installed tiles.
Typically, marble floor tile should be allowed to set for at least 48 hours after installation. Because of this, you have to be careful not to tile yourself into a corner that you can not escape from.
You want to install the tiles from the center point of the room so that they radiate outward instead of abruptly going from one wall to the next.
Find the midway point of two opposite walls, draw a chalk line to connect them and then measure the center of that line and use a T-square to make an intersecting chalk path to the other two opposite walls.
Doing this will indicate the center of the room while also dividing it into four neat quadrants. Each manufacturer has specific instructions for mixing their mortar, so be sure to closely adhere to those rules.
Time to bust out the trowel. Starting from one of the corners of the intersecting chalk lines, apply a layer of mortar with the flat side of the V-notched trowel, creating grooves in the mortar as you go.
A small twist will help the adhesive bond more tightly to the tile. Use a rubber mallet to lightly tap the marble tile firmly into place. Despite its durability, be careful not to tap too hard as marble can crack.
Before you start laying your marble tiles, inspect them to ensure none are broken or defective. Continue on in this way with the rest of the tiles, following along on the chalk line you made for reference. Using a tile spacer will assist in maintaining uniform grout lines. Grout is much more forgiving than thinset when mixing, it needs to be runny enough to be able to fill in the gaps but dry enough that it stays in the gaps.
When mixing the grout you only need to add very small amounts of water. Similar to making icing with water and powdered sugar, a small amount of water can take it from too dry to too runny, really quickly.
Using a rubber paddle, spread the grout on the tile making sure to force the grout into the gaps. Try to remove as much of the grout from the surface of the tile as possible so as to make clean up much much easier. Only spread a small amount of grout at a time, say about 6 or so tiles worth. Then taking a new and clean sponge with a clean bucket of water, wipe the grout off the face of the tiles and the spaces.
Do not put too much pressure on the sponge as this will make the grout and tile surface uneven. Also try and make long sweeps with the sponge, short back and forth motions will only remove too much of the grout from the cracks. If you are finding that you have to scrub grout that has started to dry in order to wipe it off then either your grout is too dry or you are trying to spread too much at a time.
The last stroke of the sponge across the surface of the tile should be with a clean side that you just rinsed off in the bucket. This means you get two swipes with the sponge before rinsing out again. Be sure to keep your bucket of water as clean as possible. This will help you to keep a film of grout from drying on the surface of the tile.
On some tiles this film is very difficult to remove and is better if you clean it off when it is wet rather than when it dries. Using a new sponge for every tile job will help you to keep the grout even and looking professional, a ratty sponge will gouge the grout and ruin all your hard work. After the grout has had a chance to setup for a few hours, take a clean towel and gently wipe the grout film from the surface of the tile.
This should come off as a light dust without any scrubbing and is one more step towards keeping a haze from permanently forming on the surface of the tile. There are many different types of tile sealer on the market, they all have detailed instructions on how to apply them. Most of them are very simple and require you to spray them on using a spray bottle they supply or I have even used a weed sprayer to apply on large surfaces.
After you spray it on a manageable section, wipe it with a sponge or rag to spread it around and make sure you cover the entire area. Wait a couple of minutes and then wipe off the excess. Feel free to check out our b athroom reveal post for more details of this space. Yes, sign me up! Absolutely gorgeous! We are thinking about using marble tile in our bathroom makeover so thank you very much for this tutorial!
So if you want to more about APK Authority visit our dedicated website. You amaze me! SO beautiful! Marble tile is utterly gorgeous and gives your bathroom a timeless look. Thanks for walking us through the process! I am guessing you will probably delete this, but I cannot even begin saying how bad this installation is. Mold has already started growing in your tub area.
I give you props for trying to save a buck, but you failed the installation miserably. Brad, I actually really appreciate your opinions. I like to learn as much as I can, mostly for my readers sake. Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles.
Article Summary. Part 1. Wear gloves, eye protection and a facemask. These will protect your hands, eyes and lungs as you install your marble tiles. Remove any existing tiles. If you are installing the marble on a floor that is already tiled then you must remove the old tiles first. Ceramic tiles can be smashed with a hammer and then removed. Try to hammer the ceramic in a localized area, starting from the middle and moving out. Vinyl tiles should be ripped up with a pry bar. Clean the floor surface you plan to tile and allow it to dry.
Before installing any tiles you will want to make sure that the floor surface beneath the tiles is thoroughly cleaned and dried. Use a long level to make sure the floor area is level. Marble is a very soft tile and can be particularly susceptible to cracking if it is not installed on a level surface. Use the longest level possible to make sure your floor is level. You can try sanding down any bumps that raise the floor or filling in any depressions in the floor surface with thin-set cement.
Wait for the cement to completely dry before continuing. You may also need to lay a plywood subfloor to make the floor level. Inspect the tiles. Run your finger nails over the tiles to make sure there are not cracks or gaps in the polished surface of the tile.
You should not use any tiles that have these cracks or gaps because they might break in the process of installation or use. Most hardware stores will accept exchanges of tiles that have cracks or gaps in them.
Measure the length and width of the floor and create a layout on paper. Plan your installation on paper using the floor dimensions and sizes of the tiles. Decide on your pattern for laying the tiles. You can lay them in rows or in a pyramid-like structure or in other patterns. Draw the pattern to scale on paper. You want to keep most tiles full-sized so that you do not have to cut them. You also do not want strips of tile that are less than 2 inches 5 cm wide.
Mark the center of your floor. Measure the center of each wall and make a light mark with a pencil. Then take a chalk snap line and hold it to either end of the centers of two opposing walls. Lower the line and snap it to the floor to make a chalk line. Do this for the other two walls as well. Where the two chalk lines meet is the center of your floor. You usually want tiles to radiate from the center of your floor. Mark your grid on the floor using the chalk line.
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