How to Install Bathroom Tile Flooring

Choosing the right flooring for your bathroom is essential if you want the floor to last. It must be water resistant, and the best water-resistant flooring is tile.

Feeling handy? Follow these steps to install your own bathroom tile flooring:

What you’ll need:

Broom, tape measure, tile, tile cutter or wet saw, trowel, mortar thinset, and grout.

• Sweep and clean the floor. To ensure the tile adheres properly, you must have a clean surface.
• Measure the surface area of your floor. Before you purchase the tile, you’ll need to know how much square footage you’ll be covering and about how much mortar thinset you’ll need for the project.
• Dry lay the tiles to get an idea of your layout. Creating a simple square grid pattern is a cinch, but if you want a more creative look, you’ll need to pay great attention to detail. Laying the tiles out beforehand will give you the best idea of your pattern before you actually start installing your flooring.
• Using a floor trowel, spread the thinset. Spread thinset in a 2-3 foot radius at a time.
• Press the tiles in place. Carefully set the tiles on the thinset using as much pressure as possible. Give each tile a slight twist to make sure it’s set. Step back after every few tiles to ensure they look like they are aligned correctly.
• Cut tiles where needed. To properly place tiles around the toilet base and vanity, you may need to custom cut tiles. Use a snap cutter or rent a wet saw.
• Grout the floor. Once all of the tiles have been placed, use a rubber grout float to spread grout between the tiles. Then use a damp sponge to clean up any excess that has spread onto the tile itself.

When installed correctly, tile floors should last forever. For most bathrooms, it can be done in a quick two-day process.