Plus, one of the most fun parts about installing new tile is in removing the old tile. Here is a simple guide that will instruct you on the finer points about how to safely and easily remove the old tile before installing the new tile.

First, you need to understand that different applications will have different rules. If you are removing an old tile floor, there are a few things that you will need to do differently than if you are removing tiles from a counter top or a back splash area.

Tools That You Will Need

Roofing Shovel

Eye Protection (This is how you know a job is fun!)

Putty Knife

Grout Saw

Hammer

Cold Chisel

Gloves

Removing Old Tile from a Back Splash

Chances are that if the old tiles are adhered right to the dry wall or sheet rock behind them, you will likely have to replace this anyhow. This can make the process rather simple if you are not interested in saving the old tiles for any reason. Simply chisel out a perimeter around the tiles with your grout saw or with a cold chisel and a hammer, and then take a powered hand saw and remover the dry wall or sheet rock with the remaining tiles still attached. If you do plan on saving the tiles for future use or resale, then follow the same instructions that follow for removing floor tiles, modifying them for use with your back splash.

Removing Old Ceramic Tile from a Floor

Your first step is to thoroughly break up the old grout that lines throughout the grid of tile all along the floor. Use your hammer and cold chisel to accomplish this, though if you plan to save the tiles for future use or sale, be extremely careful when breaking up grout. A wrong or errant hammer strike could damage several tiles in one fell swoop.

After the grout is broken up, you will need to use your roofing shovel to ply up each individual tile. Simply place the flat end under the tile, and push up while tilting it forward. Each tile should peel up relatively easily with the grout broken up. Scrape off all of the residue from the old tile adhesive, while thoroughly scrubbing and cleaning the entire vacated area with a heavy, industrial strength cleaning agent. You need to ensure that all spots of oil, grease and other residue are completely removed, as your new tile adhesive will not be able to function in those spots with such remains still in place.

Tips for Quickness

Use the grout saw instead of the hammer and cold chisel for big floors, large surface areas or for long straight lines of grout.

If You Only Need to Remove a Single Tile for Replacement

This does occur sometimes. It is possible to pull out one tile and replace it, though be warned that it will look obviously newer than the old tile surrounding it. Simply take your hammer and chisel, bust up the grout surrounding that one tile, and use a putty knife to ply the old tile up and out of the surface area.

And, whether it is laying down a new floor in your kitchen or bathroom, or if you installed new tile work in a back splash area, or throughout a shower stall, there are a number of things that you need to do that are universal to all tile installing projects. Most notably, you will have to install grout around and between all of your tiles to make sure that they properly seal, and that the adhesive underneath is protected from moisture and debris over the course of time.

So, if you have taken the time to measure the space, cut all of the tile, lay it out, do a dry run, adhere everything, trim up everything, space everything out, cut out end tiles for borders and edges and set everything else up, congratulations. You are now done with all of the difficult aspects of laying out floor tile, counter top tile, or back splash tile. The remaining tasks, grouting and finishing off, are the easiest parts of the process.

Tools You Will Need

Grout

Water And Latex

Rubber Float

Grout Tool

Grout Sponge

Bucket

How to Mix Grout

The first thing that you need to be aware of is that you will need to properly mix the grout with either the latex or water, depending upon the type of grout and the nature of the application. Mixing your grout with latex will enable the grout to last longer, and hold up better to the ravages of time and use. Water, on the other hand, is free. The choice is up to you. Since every type of grout will require a different mixture amount, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the grout, and mix until the grout has a creamy, fluid texture.

How to Apply the Grout to the Tiles

What you want to do here is start at one corner of the tile area. If it is a floor, start at one corner of the room. If it is a back splash or a counter top, start at one corner of that. Use the flat end of your rubber float to spread the grout. Make sure that you are properly packing in enough grout between the tiles. Use fresh water and the pointed end of your rubber float to then squeegee the grout around the joints, and to level it off. Clean the tiles periodically, as a thin film will set in over the course of the project.

Next, take your grout tool and run it along all of the grout lines to trim excess, and to ensure that the grout is packed into the crevices.

Finishing the Tile

Next, you will want to apply caulk to the joints of the tile, ensuring that everything has a tight, proper and waterproof seal. Especially if you are working in a “wet” room where there is constant exposure to water.

You will want to keep the grout moist over the next 24 to 48 hours, because if the grout dries out too quickly it will become brittle and it will fragment almost immediately. Use a bottle mister to gently keep all of the grout moist – but not wet – as it dries.

Your first step for any tile job will be taking the proper measurements of the areas where you want to lay down the tile. Calculate the surface area that you will need covered by tile, than calculate 10 percent of that area. Add the 10 percent number to the surface area number, and get enough tile to cover the area of the sum of both. The extra tile will be for trimming, ensuring a proper fit, and to give you some practice with cutting and forming tile.

Next, you will need to rent a professional grade wet saw tile cutter, and cut the tiles to fit the exact layout of your project. If it is a floor, make sure to account for the trim in all areas that go around fixtures and moldings.

Tools You Will Need

Cut and measured tiles

Sponge and soapy water

Trowel

Tile Cement

Grout

Caulk

Square

Fiberglass Tape

Bathroom Flooring

If you are laying down a floor in your bathroom, the process is pretty simple. Once the old floor is removed, take a look at the baseboards and see if they are in good shape. If they are not, you will need to lay down a new floor before you continue on with the tile work. If the floor is fine, then you will need to lay out the tiles, starting from the exact center of the room, and work your way outward toward each wall. This dry run will allow you to ensure that all of the tiles are cut properly and that everything is measured out. Be especially careful to ensure that all of the tile fits around the toilet, the cupboards and other fixtures.

Then, use the tile cement and carefully dollop on a bit to the bottom of each tile as you go, using tile nippers to cut any excess adhesive or material to ensure a tight fit between tiles. Then, let the adhesive dry for at least 24 hours before using the floor.

Bathtub Back Splash Area

If you are replacing the tile in a back splash area behind and around a tub, you will need to take the same kind of measurements that you would for a floor, but account for any curves that you might have in the floor, or around the top of the tub. The trick here is to measure everything carefully, and cut out curves into the border tiles before you begin. Double check that all tiles fit before actually cementing any of them into place.

Bathroom Shower Stall

Doing the tile work in a shower stall can be the most difficult, if only for the shear number of tiles that you will have to install, but with the same level of preparation it is not a terribly difficult project. And, unless your shower stall has odd curvatures, you should not really have to do too much cutting of tile to make everything fit. Arrange the tiles as you want them, remembering to leave a ¼ inch alley between tiles for grout and caulk to seal everything in.

Once everything is measured, lay the tiles as you would for a floor or a back splash, working from the bottom corner of one end, outward and upward. Then, grout the alleys between tiles, and seal them up with caulk for protection from water damage. Let it dry for at least 24 hours.

For most popular projects that take place in the kitchen, there are three basic tile installations. There is the installation of tile along the back splash of the counter, and around certain plumbing fixtures like faucets and the like.

Then, there is the installation of inset tile in a kitchen counter top. While most modern homes now use a slab of slate granite or marble as the surface area for a counter top, the owners of many older homes are choosing to go the retro restoration route and simply update and replace the existing tile. This should be the preferred option for many art deco home restorations as well.

And, of course, there is the installation of a tile floor in the kitchen. The kitchen is the most popular place to install a tile floor, unsurprisingly.

Back Splashes/Kitchen Counter Tops

The back splash is typically the area that runs behind either the stove or the sink in a kitchen, but really it can be anywhere. The difficult part about replacing the tile in a back splash is the relatively small area that you have to work with means you will need to get the right kind of tiles, and be very adept at measuring, cutting and trimming them. Be careful.

First, you will need to strip out the old tile, and inspect the condition of the wall underneath. If it is in reasonably good shape, you will be able to simply clean if off and place the new tiles right on. If the wall is not in good shape, you will need to redo the dry wall on the area before you can continue on with the tile work. If the back splash is near or behind the sink, you will want to use green drywall, otherwise standard will work fine.

Clean the area and prep it for installing the tile by using a heavy, industrial strength cleaning agent. Make sure that there is no loose debris or material left behind at all.

Then, once you have measured the area for the back splash, and you have acquired the tiles, cutting them to fit (with a rented wet saw tile cutter) you can arrange them in the pattern that you wish. Make sure that the tiles are cut to fit, and make note of any severe gaps or overlap in the tiles. Cut and trim where needed to make everything fit.

Then, use the tile cement, place a dollop on the back of each tile, and arrange them as you had planned. Start from the bottom corner of one end, and carefully work your way outward and upward with the tiles. Clean and trim off excess adhesive or materials from the tiles as you are laying them down.

Once the tiles are laid down, grout the gaps between the tiles and allow them to dry for one day.

Kitchen Floor

Laying down a kitchen floor is somewhat similar, but it will require you to clean and prep the entire floor, work with the arrangement of the tiles from the center of the room, outward, and you will need to make sure that all tiles fit snugly together as you go.

Tools That You Will Need

Enough tiles to cover the surface area plus 10 percent, already measured and cut

Tile Cement

Grout

Square

Cement Board

Level

Tile Nippers

Knife

A Bucket Of Clean Water

Silicon Caulk

Fiberglass Tape

Prep The Wall

First thing’s first. You need to make sure that the wall surface area that you plan to put the tile on is completely clean, clear and fully prepared for the installation. If it is not, you will only be setting yourself up for problems in the not so distant future. Too many Do It Yourselfers neglect this simple step, or do not accomplish it properly, and it can lead to headaches and ultimate failure. First, clean down the wall with a heavy, industrial strength cleaning agent. If you are installing the tiles onto existing drywall or cement board, inspect it carefully to see if it is viable. If it is not, you will have to install a new “wall” before you can continue with installing your tile.

You can use green drywall if the tile is going in a wet place, such as a bathroom, a shower or as a back splash for a plumbing fixture. Make sure that the installation is even and smooth, and that when you are done, you clean the entire surface area so that it is free from dirt and debris.

Do a Dry Run with the Tile Layout

Once the wall is prepped, take the tiles that you have already measured and cut, and arrange them how you want them to be. Check to see if there are any gaps or overlaps, and if there are, cut new pieces of tile to fit. Once you are sure everything fits, you are ready to intsall the tile.

Install the Tile Carefully

Place the tile cement on the back of each tile, and carefully stick each one into place, starting from the bottom corner of one end, and working outward and upward as you go. Use your tile nippers or a knife to trim out any excess tile cement or material as you go, to ensure a snug fit. Make sure that when you measured everything out, that you left a ¼ to ½ inch alley between tiles for grout and caulk.

Grout the Tiles into Place

Once all the tiles are in place, carefully lay a line of grout between each and every tile, and if the tile work is going into a wet area, seal that with a layer of caulking.

Finish It Off

Once all of the grout and caulking is in place, allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before doing anything else, and before allowing it to come into contact with water.

Tools And Items To Have On Hand

Enough floor tile to cover the surface area of the floor, plus 10 percent

Wood Plane

Accurate Level

Square

Tile Nippers

Chalk

Sandpaper in a heavy grit

Mastic And Trowel

Tile Cement

These are the most basic tools and materials to have at the ready, prepared to go if you are installing a basic ceramic tile floor over wooden baseboard. If your applications, materials or intentions differ in any way from this, be prepared for additional research into the specific needs of your own circumstances.

Prepare The Baseboards

Once you have all of the tools and materials that you will need ready to go, you will need to begin the prep work of the existing floor. If you have not already torn out the old floor, do so before you begin anything else. You need to start from the baseboards and do the appropriate prep work on those.

First, you will need to clean off all surfaces of the baseboards with a heavy, industrial strength cleaning agent with a grease cleaning capability. If there are any oil or grease spots left on any part of the baseboards, the adhesive for the ceramic tile will not adhere to the baseboards themselves, causing a rather detrimental state of affairs for the project.

Next, take a wood plane and shave down the high, rough and uneven spots all along the surface of the baseboards. They need to be clean, even and perfectly level before you even prepare to lay down the ceramic tiles. Also use the heavy grit sandpaper to ensure that you are getting an even and smooth result. If there are any loose baseboards, re-nail them down and ensure that they are tight.

Then, you will lay out your tile. Basically, you should have everything measured clearly, and all of your tile cut to fit. So, install your new floor by laying out the tile exactly as you had measured it. Make sure that all tile pieces fit snugly together, and that there are no gaps, but also no overlaps. When laying down flooring tile, always start from the center of the room, and work your way outward toward the walls.

Once you have ensured that all of the tiles fit snugly but not too tightly together, and that there are no gaps, overlaps or other mishaps, you are prepared to apply the adhesive and lay down the new permanent flooring. Carefully apply the tile cement to each piece of tile, and lay each one down carefully where you had planned to put it in the dry run that you just completed. And, just like that dry run, start from the center, and work your way outward toward the walls. As you go, be sure that each tile is still fitting snugly, that there are no gaps, and that you trim off any adhesive that squeezes out from under the tile as you go along.

Remember, that when you approach a wall, that you will need to use the shorter tiles that you had cut specifically to fit there. There should be no problem with any tile not fitting, if you have taken the time to do the dry run with laying down the tile.

When cutting tile, especially, be very careful, ensure that you have the correct tools on hand, and that you keep these helpful tips in mind as you go. They can save you a lot of time, frustration and effort.

The Tools That You Will Need To Cut Tile

Tile Nippers – These are essentially heavy grade scissors or trimmers that are designed to clean off the loose and rough edges of tile pieces, so that they will mesh together when you lay them out. Once you have cut a piece of tile, you will need to use nippers to trim up the edges on all sides of the tile, to ensure that they are free from all rough material and debris. This is one of those areas where being extremely careful here can pay big dividends throughout the rest of the project.

Wet Saw

For stone or granite tile, or really any other type of tile, you will need a heavy, professional grade tile cutter that is more commonly known as a wet saw. Due to the high level of friction that is built up when a saw blade cuts through heavy tile, heat build up is almost immediate, and it can be severely devastating to the tile and to the saw. A wet saw keeps everything nice and cool all day long.

Hack Saw

You will also need a hack saw for smaller pieces of tile, and for cutting tile at certain angles.

Practice!

Practice cutting on a few spare tiles to get the feel for the saw, for the nippers and for everything else.

Cutting Straight Tile

Cutting straight tile is about the easiest part of the process. Use your wet saw, and run it through like you would a piece of lumber on a circular saw. Check your measurements carefully.

Cutting Tile On An Angle

Though you can use a wet saw (with the proper attachments) to cut tile on an angle, many craftsmen find it much simpler to use a hack saw, and carefully cut the tile, as needed, on the appropriate angle.

L-Shaped Cuts For Tile

If you need to cut tile in an L-shape to fit certain parts of a counter top, a back splash or the perimeter of the floor, carefully measure out where you need the L-shape to run, and decide if the wet saw, or the hack saw would be more advantageous to use. It all varies by situation. You may get a quicker, straighter cut with the wet saw, but if the size of the L-shape is too small, a hack may be required to get it just right.

Cutting Tile On A Curve

Also, if you need to cut tile on a particular curve, to fit a counter top, or to fit around a plumbing fixture, you will likely have a far better rate of success with the hack saw.

Any skill that you do not currently possess can be learned, any talent that you do not have for such projects can be gleaned in the process, and as long as you have the fortitude to see it through to completion, there is literally nothing in your home that you cannot accomplish.

When it comes to tile work, whether you are redoing a kitchen counter top, your bathroom floor or custom insets near a plumbing fixture, the absolute most important thing that you need to make sure you do, and do well (this is where preparation comes in very handy) is to measure, and measure again. Though it is a rather famous adage, it holds true that you must measure twice before cutting once, because you will never have a second chance to get the cut right.

And, laying down new tile, no matter what you are laying, and no matter where you plan to lay it, comes down to proper measurements. Here is a quick guide to measuring tile for a variety of applications.

Basic Math

First, you should make yourself familiar with basic math formulas for determining the perimeter of an area, and for determining the surface area of a given space as well. Both of these will be necessary in order to establish the amount of tile that you will need to buy, and for determining the best way to lay down that tile.

The formula for the perimeter measurement is fairly simple. All that you need to do is add up the lengths of sides of the room, and you have your perimeter. For surface area, it becomes a little more involved, but for a rectangular room, you will need multiply the length of the room by the width of the room. Say that you have a room that is 10 feet by 20 feet. Multiply the length of 20 by the width of 10 to get 120 feet of surface area. This will be the most important measure that you take for your tile needs.

So, for the given room, you will need to measure the length of the room and the width of the room, and you will need to write these down. It helps to draw it out. Also, you will need to account for any areas where closets, doors or other things jut out into the room. Chances are that the room you are laying tile in is not a perfect rectangle. Measure every length involved in the given room.

Once you have determined the surface area that you require, multiply that figure by .10. Then, take whatever that number is and add it to the surface area. This is because you will likely need more tile than what the surface area suggests due to cutting and fitting. A standard rule of thumb has long been, for measuring tile, the square footage plus 10 percent. So, for the example given earlier, you will need to take with you to the tile store 120 square feet, plus 12 equals 132. This means that you will need enough tile to cover 132 square feet of space.

Remember, too, that choosing the right type of tile can be the single determining factor to deciding the ultimate success or failure of your project, so be sure to choose the tile that is absolutely right for your intended use. Before you buy, it might be helpful for you to consult with the manufacturer of the tile that you intend to purchase, to ensure that the tile that you are buying has the full protection of warranty, and that the use for which you intend is covered by that warranty. If you are beginning to plan such a home improvement project of your very own, here is a breakdown of the types of tile, what they can be used for, and some of the pros and cons of each type of tile.

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile is the common type of tile. It is incredible versatile, it can be used in a variety of different applications or projects, and its best feature is that it is highly cost effective. Per square foot, it is usually the cheapest tile that you will find in the marketplace, and for many applications ceramic tile will be all that you will need to complete the project. Made from shale and clay, ceramic tile can be, in some instances, quite brittle, and working with it can be tricky if you do not have much experience with the intricacies of this type of tile. Ceramic tile is best for projects in kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and counter tops.
 

Marble And Granite Tile

Marble and granite tile is basically tile that is made from marble or granite stones. It can be highly costly, but it is often considered the most aesthetically appealing tile material on the market today. It is perfect for counter tops and back splash insets, but you would likely not want to use it for flooring.

Vinyl Tile

Vinyl tile is the most popular type of tile used for flooring, and it comes in a variety of different finishes, colors and patterns. Due to the fact that it can sold and distributed in sheets, it is perfect for use with expansive flooring projects in the kitchen, bathroom and even in dining rooms and service porches.

Porcelain Tile

Porcelain tile is highly delicate, but can be aesthetically appealing in retro resotration projects for old Craftsman style homes.

Slate Tile

Slate tile is perfect for flooring, for staircase work and for other extensive areas that need tile treatments. Slate is a porous rock that is highly resilient to most typical stresses.

Mosaic Tile

Mosaic tile is highly popular for use as insets with kitchen and bathroom counter tops, and as back splash insets as well. They often exude an art deco feel and are great for many types of retro remodels.

Travertine, Laminate And Linoleum Tile

These three types of tile are the most popular types used for flooring today, and they are often highly cost effective as well.