Prep for Porcelain and Ceramic Tile Floors

Porcelain and ceramic tile flooring is beautiful, durable and easy to clean—especially in the high traffic areas in your house. For a long-term installation, you’ll need to prepare a solid base underlayment.

Preparation

Floor tile works well in areas of high traffic, but also in rooms with a lot of moisture, such as a kitchen or bathroom. The following instructions will show you how to lay the cement backerboard underlayment for a strong foundation under your tile flooring. In the next video and printable instructions in this series, How to Install Porcelain and Ceramic Tile Floors, you’ll see how to install, grout and seal the floor.

TIP: Materials and installation for installing a tile floor are different from those for wall tile. Make sure you select the appropriate materials for your tile flooring job. Ask a Lowe’s associate if you need assistance.

The following instructions are for a simple stacked pattern using 12" square tiles. Pre-assembled patterns with a mesh back are available for easy installation with similar instructions. Other sizes of tiles also are available.

Prepping The Floor

01 Remove any baseboards or trim as needed to access the edges of the old flooring.

02 Remove old flooring materials as needed.

Carpeting can be lifted at a corner and removed as a sheet. Also remove padding and tack strips.
Vinyl-composition tile (VCT) is either glued in place, stapled at the perimeter or free-floating.
Wood flooring can be removed with a flat-bar or nail-puller tool. Backerboard can be installed on top of wood flooring if any chamfers (grooves between boards) are filled.

03 Calculate material needs. Multiply the length times the width of the room to get the square footage. Add about 10% for potential errors and unusable materials. You can also use Lowes.com/Calculators for help.

04 Visually inspect the subfloor surface for high or low spots. Use a floor patch or leveler to fill those areas following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Patch and leveling products are available for both concrete and wood subfloors.

05 Allow the patch or leveling products to thoroughly dry before continuing.

06 Sweep the subfloor to remove all dust and debris.

Installing Backerboard

01 Plan the layout of the backerboard to ensure the least waste and fewest cuts. Most backerboard comes in 4'x8' sheets.

02 Undercut doorjambs as needed so the backerboard will slide under trim.

Stack a floor tile on top of a scrap piece of the backerboard and position the stack against a doorjamb.
Mark and make a cut about 1/16" above this height.

03 Trim door bottoms using the floor tile/backerboard stack, cutting about 1/8" above the stack.

04 Spread thinset mortar on a small section of the clean subfloor, beginning in a corner of the room.

05 Place the first backerboard and secure it with corrosion-resistant cement-board screws.

TIP: To cut backerboard, score it with a utility knife, bend it, snap it, then cut along the back side.

06 Continue spreading the thinset, then setting the backerboards until the subfloor is covered.

07 Apply alkali-resistant cement-board seam tape to the joints between sheets of backerboard.

08 Cover the seam tape with thinset and spread smooth along the seam using the flat edge of the trowel.

Marking Reference Lines

For symmetrically straight tile lines, you need reference lines on the backerboard. Smaller tiled areas, like entryways, don’t need reference lines as much as larger rooms.

01 Mark the centers of two opposing walls.

02 Snap a chalkline between the center marks.

03 Repeat the marking and snapping process using the other two walls to form a cross in the middle of the work area.

04 Verify that the intersection lines are perpendicular using a carpenter’s square.

05 Verify that the intersection lines are efficiently placed for tile:

Lay a row of tile (dry; without adhesive) along each of the two reference lines, using tile spacers for accurate measurement.
Allow about ¼" between the perimeter tiles and walls or cabinets for expansion.
If the dry layout leaves less than half a tile’s width at the walls, adjust the reference lines to make the tiles wider along the perimeter. If possible, keep equal widths on each side for aesthetics.

06 Once the intersection reference lines are set, pick up the tile and spacers.

TIP: For larger flooring areas, it may be easier to mark a grid with 3' squares on the floor, making necessary adjustments as you go.

With the underlayment down and reference lines marked, you’re ready to start laying tile. The video with printable instructions on How to Install Porcelain and Ceramic Tile Floors is available online at Lowes.com/Videos.

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