Monday, August 13, 2012

How To Tile A Herringbone Floor | Part I



We tiled this herringbone floor ourselves, and it has a big impact on a tight budget. Now we are NOT professional tilers so take all this advice at your own risk. This is just what we did, and what we have found works for us. This is about our 5th floor that we have tiled ourselves. Doing projects like this yourself can save you a boatload of money!

We started out on a cement floor. If your tiling over cement floor you do not need to put cement board down. If you are tiling on wood, you must put cement board down first before you begin these steps.

To create this pattern you must start at an angle. It is very helpful to open a few boxes and lay the tile out and make sure it will work. For us it was the entryway into the Family Room. It reduced the number of cuts that needed to be made and helped us start with a straight line. A helpful tip is to use a laser level to make sure you have a straight edge. Don't go off the wall lines, walls are almost never straight!

Once you figure out where your starting lay your Thinset down. We found it easiest to use a putty knife to put it down then use the trowel to go over it. The trowel will insure that you have the same thickness all over. Make sure that your thinset goes up to fill all the holes in the trowel. Only work in small sections, you don't want the thinset to dry before you can lay the tile down. We do a little section, lay the tile, then move on.

(Using the putty knife to put the thinset down.)

Once you have the thinset evenly placed down, lay down a piece of tile. Just move it a little back and forth while pressing down firmly. The Herringbone pattern is simple to create, the trick is to make sure you keep the pattern consistent when making your cuts. Having a reference picture on hand can help to lay the pattern. Try to lay your tile so you never have to step on it again, the last thing you want is to tile yourself into a corner! So it's always good to plan it out ahead of time! =)
We chose to lay down all of the solid pieces first and let them dry in place. Coming back another day we did all of the edge pieces that needed to be cut. This allows you to pre-cut the tile before you mix the thinset instead of cutting the tile as you go and battling thinset that is drying up.
(Scraping the thinset with the trowel)
 Before you put your spacers in, run it along the grout lines to remove any extra thinset. This will help prepare the tile for grout. We used to always put our spacers in the four corners where the tile meets. But we found they are really hard to get out when it's dry. So now we place them like this, on there side and about 4-6 per side.

 
Then you're just going to let it dry once it's all done for 24-48 hours or follow the manufactures instructions on your bag.

Part II coming tomorrow!

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29 comments:

  1. I love the look that you created here. Great job! Megan

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  2. Just amazing! It is going to look so good! You must be very excited!

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  3. It looks awesome!! I love the herringbone look!

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  4. I love this tutorial. I am always afraid to do tile. I am your newest follower. I have a link party on Wednesdays, and I would love it if you would link this post. It is called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party.
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/08/pink-honey-beeswax-lip-balm-and.html
    I hope to see you there. Have a great Day.
    Debi Bolocofsky
    Adorned From Above
    www.adornedfromabove.com

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  5. It looks absolutely beautiful! Wonderful job!

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  6. I love the herringbone look! This turned out amazing. I think your directions are great! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. :)

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  7. Wow! This turned out so great! Love it! XO, Aimee

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  8. WOW! We were going to do this exact project but plans changed since the space is super small and our tile selection was limited. I LOVE it! I'm going to include a link back to your Part 1 and 2 in tomorrow's highlights. ;) Thanks so much for sharing! Beautiful work and great tutorial!

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  9. Awesome, where did you find this desk?

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  10. Great work on the tiles! I tiled our whole house after one workshop at our local DIY store and was amazed how easy and satisfying it is! (plus a great workout!)
    Love that you've got a little helper removing the tile spacers too!:)


    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  11. Love love love the herringbone pattern!
    Sarah

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  12. I must admit, tiling a herringbone floor is one of the toughest jobs to do, even for an experienced contractor. But I have to commend you for trying to do it! Although it seems the installation process had a big impact on your tight budget, I'm sure it was all worth the hard work and extra bucks. Well, experience is the best teacher, and your readers should definitely take your tips for real. :)

    Regards,
    Alana Geikie

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  13. Do you have a list of your tools and products used?

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  14. Great job for a DIY'r...we lay tile professionally and were just curious where we could get our hands on one of those really cute "tiling midgets" like you have!?

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  15. Hi there! So glad I found your post on Pinterest -- this is exactly what I've been wanting to do in my entryway! Would you mind sharing what kind of tile you used? I've been searching for a white/grey marble look, but everything seems a little pricey... Any hints would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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  17. Hi, how nice your services. I am very interested that. More services you are provided to us and personal thanks for that. I like your services. I am happy for your Marble tile de Flooring tile dealersalers and we are satisfied of our services. Nice site about flooring tile dealers and you are work professionally. For more about Flooring Tile Dealers

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  19. I love the look of your floor - can you tell me what size tile you used?

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