Lessons learned from a newbie floor tiler

Sure, there are lots of tutorials online about the right ways to tile a floor. But do they tell you the mistakes they made the first time they ever tiled? I think not; where would your vote of confidence be if they did that?

Well, for all you newbies out there, here's how we screwed up and what not to do when you take on your first floor tiling project.

Mortar, Mortar Everywhere

When mixing the mortar, don't forget to add that Super Flexible Additive stuff, or so "they" will tell you. We forgot, and so far, the tile is staying put. So OK, maybe the tile will crack in twenty years, but we have bigger problems than that to worry about. Read on . . .

Oh, but before we get to that, a rubber mallet would have come in handy to set the tiles into the mortar, but a good ol' bang with the fist really wasn't too shabby.
The Ins and Outs of Grout

No matter what the directions on the box say, don't mix the grout according to directions. Instead, try mixing up a little at a time, and add just a titch more water than they say. It will dry out on you quickly and will become crumbly. Yes, we know this. We really, really know this.

If you do screw up the grout, just grout over it. Dig some out and start again. What harm can it do?

Oh, and use the right tool this time. Not that metal thing you used to scrape the old tiles off. And not that rubber thing that looks a bit like an iron, with the handle sticking off the back. Use this one; you'll have more control with the handle on top.

If it doesn't end up looking the way you want it to, after several tries at the grouting, relax. Realize that most people will be looking at it from five or six feet up, and it looks a whole lot better given some distance. After all, it is doing what it is intended to do: hold that tile together.

Really, really follow the directions on the grout box when it tells you to thoroughly clean all the grout from the tiles when it is still wet. Just when you think you've cleaned it enough, do it three more times. Or four.

If it turns out that you still haven't cleaned it enough, try a product like a grout haze remover or a simple sugar and water solution, add more elbow grease than you thought you could muster and maybe, just maybe, if you work at it for seven or eight months consecutively, you will remove all of the excess grout.

Just a hint -- the tumbled marble, rustic look is a blessing if your grout job looks like ours does.

We Did It, We Did It, We Did It, Yay!

Believe it or not, there are some things that did work like a dream for us on our first venture (and probably last) as floor tilers.

Lay out tiles ahead of time, and have all the pieces pre-cut before you begin tiling. Mathematics and planning; beautiful things.

Use spacers. Maybe the grout looks crummy, but at least there is an even amount of chunky, crumbly grout in-between each tile.

Last, but certainly not least, do you know how trendy throw rugs are right now?