The first step to laying of floor tiles is to have the floor cleared of debris and dirt as we’ve seen above.
Cement and sand are then mixed in the required ratio which could be 1:4, 1:6, or 1:8. Water is added to the mix to give the cement-sand screed.
On the clean floor, a level is taken above the floor surface and the conduit pipes containing service cables. This level is taken using a line, which is held at both ends of the room/space to be tiled. A spirit-level (bricklayers refer to it as plum) is then placed horizontally along the line to ensure a uniform level above the ground. A sufficient amount of the prepared screed is then placed under this line, and marks are made on the screed level. (in this case with damaged tiles cut into pieces)
The above shows the previous step completed.
The leveled height is then filled with cement-sand screed as shown above.
For easy access, 2 by 12 timbers and some tiles are placed on the screed as shown
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is then placed on the cement-sand screed.
Water is then applied by dipping a foam in a water bucket and squeezing it on the dry cement placed earlier.
When cement paste is formed, tiles are then placed on it. With the help of a metal range the tiles are placed in alignment with the others maintaining the spacing and line. A rubber mallet is used on the tiles to ensure they make a firm bond with the floor.
For tiles laid with spaced joints, the joints have to be filled up with ‘OPC’ paste as shown above.
The above is what you have at the end of this process – A finished floor with tiles.
Simple as “A, B, C”, and shining brighter than Rihanna’s Diamond, LOL.
Note:
i. Placing of tiles may start at the edge or center of the room/space depending on the design.
ii. Joints could be spaced joints or closed joints, depending on your desired result or taste.
iii. White cement can also be used to fill up spaced joints, in fact, it’s widely used but in the illustrations above, OPC was used.
I walked bare footed on a tiled floor, I got ‘cold feet’.
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