crowbar
tile spacers
tile cutter
tiles
grout
grout spreader
sponge
box cutter
My house was built in 1969, and appears to have had minor remodeling in the mid 80s. I've been working to modernize. When I first bought it (May '08), everything was either avocado green and gold or country blue and pink. The kitchen floor is my current project. The first step was pulling up the old floor. It had wooden planks that were fairly easy to remove. A crowbar is most handy, but a hammer will do in a pinch. If you have linoleum, it usually works to lay new flooring on top of it. Carpet is easily pulled up, but will have lots of tack strips that will need to be pulled up. Ceramic tile is most easily removed by taking a hammer to it and just pounding it into small pieces that can be swept up.
To remove old flooring, you'll want to start at a wall. It's usually easiest to remove the baseboard to get to a flooring edge, but be careful as baseboard splits easily. Ideally, you'll just put the old baseboard back when the tiling is complete. Baseboard requires challenging cuts if you replace it.
lifting my old flooring with crowbar
After the old flooring is removed, clean the subfloor surface. This may just mean a good sweeping, or you may have to use chemical solvents if there is glue present. Essentially, you just want the surface to be clean and smooth.
After the floor is prepped, you will need to underlay if using ceramic tile. Underlay (often called Hardibacker board) is sold in large pieces similar to drywall. You'll need a large vehicle to bring them home, and they must be cut to snugly fit your floor, screwed into the floor at frequent intervals, and lightly grouted between joints and on screws to have a smooth surface again. For this project, I chose to use one of my favorite new products. TrafficMaster (and a few others, but this is the best price on the market now and still good quality) can be grouted to have the look of ceramic tile but doesn't need underlay so it's both easier and less expensive than ceramic. Like linoleum squares, it has peel-n-stick backing. I love it! It looks great and is so much easier than standard ceramic.
When the subfloor is ready, begin laying out your tile in the pattern you've chosen. Mixing different sizes of the same pattern or changing direction of the tile can make for a more interesting pattern. I chose to chose alternating sizes at the entry to my kitchen, then 12" x 12" placed diagonally in the rest of the kitchen.
Lay tiles in your pattern with tile spaces between them. These insure even spacing between tiles and keep your angles straight. They should be placed on every corner of every tile. They are inexpensive, reusable, and sold in large packs.
As you reach walls and work around fixtures, you'll need to cut tiles to accommodate. The type of tile you have will determine which type of tile cutter you need. The cutters will all be in the same section of the store, and will indicate on the box whether they are for ceramic, laminate or linoleum. Nippers for ceramic or box cutters for linoleum work well for cuts that aren't just a straight line.
When everything is cut and layed, it's time to grout. I like pre-mixed grout because I don't have to worry about making too much/little and the consistency will be right. It's not much more expensive than the kind you mix. Scoop grout out of the bucket with the grout spreader (shown in pic below) and spread grout between lines, removing spacers as you go. Make sure to get the spaces filled with grout, and don't worry about getting it onto the tile. Spread small sections (3' x 3' works well). While the grout is still wet, scoop any that you can back into the grout bucket for reuse. Then wipe with a damp sponge until it looks fairly clean. Be careful, as tiles may shift with too much pressure from the wiping. Move to a new section and repeat until entire floor is grouted.
Allow the grout to dry according to directions, typically 1-2 days. The floor will need a final cleaning then to remove the haze of the grout. For ceramic tile, you will need to apply a topcoat of sealant or the tile will quickly look worn and never come truly clean.
That's it! It's a little time consuming, but most projects can be done over the course of three days or so, and it's not very difficult. I did mine by myself, no second set of hands needed (except to move the fridge).
