Step 18: Tile

Now that the painting is done, we can start installing the tile flooring.  We aren't doing tile everywhere, but there will be tile in the bathrooms and in the front entry.  Also we are doing tile on the walls in one bathroom and above the counter top in the kitchen.

Before we can put tile on the floor, we put down a 1/4" sheet of plywood.  This gets glued down so it stick to the other plywood that is already on the floor.  The reason for more plywood is to make a 1" thick plywood floor that is solid and won't bend because if the floor flexes under the tile, the tile will crack or come loose, because tile doesn't bend.

After adding the plywood to the floor, we glue down the tile.  We spread the glue with a notched trowel, and then put the tile in place.


After the tile is in place, we wait a few days for it to dry.  Then we do the grout - grout is a type of mud that we put in the joints between each tile.