Preparing the floor for the tile: what you need, how to spend

Tile as a flooring is a wonderful solution for a living room. And in order for it to last for a long time, it is important not only to properly lay, but also to prepare the surface properly. The floor is considered ready for installation if the surface:

• Clean;
• Flat;
• Hard enough.

At the same time, the nuances of preparation will depend on the material of the base for laying: boards, concrete screed and so on.

What will be needed to prepare the floor for tiles

In order to prepare the floor for the installation of tiles, you should prepare materials and tools:

• Level. They determine surface irregularities that need to be addressed;
• Chalk for marking places where corrections are required;
• Aluminum rule (preferably 2m. lengths);
• Cement, water, sand to prepare a leveling mixture;
• Concrete;
• Primer.

This list is the basic items you may need.

reference! Before starting work, be sure to remove the old coating: boards, linoleum, chipboard.

How to prepare a tile floor

To level the surface, do the following:

• If there are protrusions on the surface, then cut them off with a scalpel or clerical knife;
• First, use a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor of debris and dust:
• Then, using the construction level, determine the existing bumps;
• Mark with chalk the areas to be fixed;
• Next, move the solution and level the floor;
• If there are cracks between the floor and the wall, seal them with concrete;
• Wait until the surface has completely dried;
• Carefully ground the base.

Attention! The floor level directly depends on the purpose of the room. For example, in the kitchen it should be flat, and in the shower - with a bias towards the drain.

Professional Tips

And in conclusion, a few tips from the masters of tiling, which will help to achieve a better final result:

• In no case should the tile be laid on the plank floor, because, despite the level and hard surface, boards begin to “play” over time, which can lead to deformation and breaks tiles;
• The best method to prime the base is to use PVA glue diluted with water. To use it, it is enough to pour it on the floor and, using a spatula of sufficient width, distribute it on the surface;
• In order to smooth out irregularities in the floor, it is best to use special glue for the tiles. It is flexible enough to fill in all the bumps. And in order for the mixture to dry faster, add alabaster or gypsum to it;
• The prepared surface does not have to be smooth, small sinks and irregularities are allowed;
• If a cement-sand screed is planned as the base, then its thickness should exceed two centimeters;
• After preliminary work on leveling the base, wait at least twelve hours. During this time, the screed has time to dry enough;
• If you use a self-leveling mixture, then when working with it, make sure that no bubbles form in the layer. To eliminate them on the surface, you can go through a needle-shaped plastic roller.