How to Tile Floors

If you ever had to pay someone to put in a new floor, you know the labor alone is really pricey. And let’s face it, a tile floor installation is a quick way to make a whole room look more cohesive, brand new, and even larger! Tile is a great choice now, and it’s not just for bathrooms anymore. Porcelain tile is being used in new builds throughout the home as an alternative to wood flooring, and is gaining steam fast. There are so many choices too, including tiles that look just like wood! They are durable, easy to repair if a tile gets cracked or scratched, and lets face it… just plain pretty!  So here it is, quick primers on how to tile floors, along with great actual DIY tile floor projects that you can do to transform your space.

 

 

 

So we are starting with this tutorial from ‘Lowes‘, because its a beginners guide on how to lay floor tile. This is the perfect place to start to get the basics down before you move on to the other projects here. Step by step instructions and photos for you too!

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Josh from ‘A Beautiful Mess‘ did this guide on how to tile floors on a home for Habitat for Humanity! (Yay!) He has a lot of good tips in there, and walks you through exactly what he did with photos and easy to understand instructions.

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Plank tile flooring, which is really popular right now, can be used anywhere in the house. It can look like stone, wood or other patterns. It also can make a narrow room look larger by leading the eye across the room. ‘DIY Network‘ has a tutorial on how to install a tile floor using ceramic plank tiles. This project is complete with supply list, tips and step by steps.

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One of the biggest complaints we hear about tile flooring is that it can be a little chilly, especially in the bathroom. Courtenay from ‘The Creek Line House‘ shows us how to install heated tile floors. Oh, and she shares with you what NOT to do as well! Love it when bloggers share their missteps, because we can learn from them!

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At ‘Sarah M Dorsey Designs‘ they show us how to tile floors using herringbone marble tile. Is this amazing, or what? The pattern offers the room an optical illusion, leading the eye to suggest more space. And it’s just darn pretty! Great project for a smaller space!

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Young House Love‘ has a tutorial on how to install porcelain tile in the laundry room. This is the same tile look we saw over and over again in the home shows this year.

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This Old House‘ polled top contractors for their best tips, and this was one great tip how to tile a bathroom floor. The foundation! It’s really important that the proper subfloor is underneath tile. This infographic gives you a quick view of what to look for. When learning how to tile floors, make sure you read the tips from the pros. It can save you a ton of time, money and effort!

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Want to know how to lay tile over existing tile? If you don’t want to demo a whole room full of ceramic tile, then use this tutorial from ‘Family Handyman‘ to get you there!

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Finally… Ok, so maybe you just finished a tile floor installation following one of these tutorials. Now you notice one of the tiles ended up cracked. Or, an old tile floor still works for you, but needs some repair? Learn how to replace a floor tile from ‘The Home Depot‘.

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Ready to give it a try? Now that you know all about How to Tile Floors, we think you will love to learn about How to Reupholster Almost Anything and DIY Projects to Boost Your Home Value! If you want a truly simple and cheap flooring idea, check out the Brown Paper Bag Floor DIY over at Tbd…

Image Credits: Lowes, A Beautiful Mess, The Creek Line House, Sarah M Dorsey, Young House Love, This Old House, Family Handyman, Home Depot
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Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates & Steve Bates (co-owners) – Woodard Bates Media LLC consisting of three blogs: TheBudgetDecorator.com, OhMeOhMyBlog.com and TheGardenGlove.com.

Kathy Bates’ previous writing credits include:

Former home decorating expert for Lifetime TV, Galtime and Country Woman Magazine.

Her book spent time at #1 on Amazon’s Home & Garden Topseller List in 2002.

Published or featured in numerous national publications, including:

Country Sampler’s Decorating Ideas magazine, Woman’s Day magazine, HGTV, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Marketwatch, Decorating Solutions magazine, Decorating Ideas magazine, The Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune, Kansas City News, The Oklahoman, Akron Beacon Journal, Pensacola News Journal and The Telegraph.

2 Comments

  1. Deborah Hill
    March 21, 2019 / 2:18 am

    Thanks for writing. Tile flooring is a natural choice for kitchens. Tile is hard, durable, water-resistant and shrugs off stains.

  2. Dean
    December 10, 2015 / 9:11 am

    Just what I was looking for. These suggestions will make my re-tiling job go much more smoothly this weekend. Thanks a ton!

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