This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Floor & Decor. All opinions are 100% mine.
In this post, I’ll share with you exactly how I installed a tiled floor in my bathroom using Floor and Decor hexagon tiles. Please enjoy this step by step tile installation tutorial and be sure to save it to your favorite Pinterest board for later!
Adding a tile floor to my DIY bathroom renovation!
When we moved into our home, I always knew that I wanted to tile the bathrooms. The master bathroom was the only bathroom that was actually tiled. The other two bathrooms simply had a sheet of vinyl as the flooring.
I really disliked the vinyl floors and decided to add a peel and stick vinyl tile over the top of it. It made me like the space much better and was a great solution until I was ready to tackle tiling!
Finally, after our last phase on bathroom renovations, I decided it was time! I wanted to figure out how to tile so that I could complete the bathroom with something I wanted all along: a real tile floor!
When it came to choosing the tile, I knew I needed to go to Floor and Decor! They have the largest in-store selection, and something for every budget! We took a look around the showroom and I loved being able to see all the options up close! I went with a black hexagon tile and it turned out so amazing!!
Step one: Starting the demo process
To start this project, I needed to prep the space by removing the toilet and all the baseboards. Once that was done, I would be able to access and remove the existing flooring.
Once I peeled back the peel and stick tiles along with the original vinyl, I could see that the vinyl was adhered to a 1/4 sheet of plywood that was attached to the subfloor.
I needed to remove the 1/4 plywood so that I could get down to the subfloor. To do that, I used my circular saw to cut it into sections. Then, I used a crowbar and hammer to pry up the plywood.
It did take some hard work, but I got it done! The plywood was attached to the subfloor with about a million tiny staples, so I got to work removing those as well. I needed to make sure that the floor was level and clean before I could start installing the tile!
Gathering the supplies
The following are the supplies I purchased for this project:
- Black hexagon tiles
- Waterproof uncoupling membrane (Schluter-DITRA)
- Uncoupling membrane mortar from Mapei (or Schluter ALL SET Mortar)
- Polymer additive for mortar from Mapei
- Premixed black grout
- Trowel (make sure to pay attention to the size you need for the Schluter-DITRA AND the tile you’re using because they are likely different!)
- Rubber grout float
- Grout sealer
If you’d like to save this tutorial for later, pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
Step two: Dry fit the tile
The first thing I wanted to do was dry fit my tiles and make sure all my cuts were made. I arranged the tile the way it fit the space best and then I filled the entire room with tile. I wanted to make sure that where the tile meets the wall, vanity, and bathtub all looked good and the spacing was appropriate.
I made sure that there were no tiny slivers of tile near the edges that were most exposed (next to the bathtub and vanity) and that overall, I was happy with the layout.
Once everything was in place, I used painters tape to label each tile sheet so that once I was ready to install them, I’d know where they needed to go.
Step Three: Prepare the Schluter-DITRA
I removed all my tiles and stacked them in piles so that they would be in the right order. Then, I laid out my Schluter-DITRA uncoupling membrane. I cut each piece using scissors (but a box cutter would work too) and dry fit that as well.
Schluter-DITRA is specifically made to allow for the installation of tile. It provides waterproofing, load distribution, and vapor management. It can be installed over almost any load bearing, level surface such as concrete or even plywood.
With Schluter-DITRA uncoupling membrane, it’s important to note that you need to use a specific uncoupling membrane mortar. You will also need to note which size and shape of trowel is needed. You can find these specific instructions on the bag of mortar.
Once my uncoupling membrane was dry fit, I was ready to mix my mortar.
Step four: mix the mortar
Simply follow the instructions for mixing the bag of mortar. I mixed the whole bag at one time because I was going to use this mortar to lay the Schluter membrane and then the tile. You don’t need to wait for the mortar to cure under the Schluter-DITRA before laying your tile.
I used a paddle attachment on my drill to mix my mortar. Then, I got ready for installation!
Step five: Lay The Schluter-DITRA
I started to apply the mortar to my sub-flooring. You’ll need to make sure that the Schluter-DITRA is fully covered. A good way to test to see if you’ve used enough mortar is to peel back a corner of the Schluter-DITRA after laying it down. Is it fully covered? If not, add some more mortar wherever you see spots that aren’t covered.
I used a rubber float to really push the Schluter-DITRA into the mortar and continued that process until the entire floor was covered with the uncoupling membrane.
Again, you can install tile right away so that’s what I did!
Step Six: Install The Tile
Since my tiles were already cut and labeled, this was pretty straightforward. Be sure to check the instructions on your box of tiles. It will tell you what size and shape of trowel is needed (this was different than the size and shape needed for the mortar for me so it’s important to note!)
I applied the mortar to the uncoupling membrane, and then laid the tile down. Remember, you can not use regular tile adhesive when attaching tiles to the uncoupling membrane, it needs to be an uncoupling membrane mortar.
These are the black hexagon tiles I used for my bathroom and they were very easy to work with! I simply laid down the first sheet, then I overlapped the next sheet before sliding it into space. After ensuring that the spacing was consistent with the sheet, I pressed it down into the mortar and moved onto the next sheet.
I repeated that process for the whole bathroom and let it cure for 24 hours before grouting.
Step Seven: Grout
Before grouting, I made sure to clean up my tiles the best I could. I removed any mortar that got on my tiles or that squeezed up between the tiles during the installation process.
Once that was done, I removed any dust and collected the items that I needed in order to grout. I chose a black, pre-mixed grout to go with the black tiles and it came out so great! Going with a pre-mixed grout was so easy and saved some extra work and clean-up… totally worth it!
I also used a rubber float and got together a bucket with clean water. Ideally, to make things even easier, you can use two buckets: one for dirty water, and one for clean. This will prevent you from wiping grout water onto your tiles.
I only had the one bucket on hand so I just made sure to swap the water pretty frequently!
I scooped up some grout with the rubber float, and then pushed it into the spaces between each tile. I worked in small sections and when the grout had sat for about 10 minutes, I wiped it with the sponge. I wiped until the tiles looked clean and I was happy with the grout lines.
Remember, the more pressure you put on your sponge, the more grout will be removed and the skinnier your grout lines will be.
I repeated that process until the room was grouted and I was happy with my grout lines!
Step Eight: Clean and seal the grout
After my grout was set, I cleaned the floors and made sure to remove any grout haze that was left on the tiles. You can use specific cleaners like this one to remove grout haze if necessary.
Then, I sealed the grout. I used a simple spray on sealer and sprayed all my grout lines. I let it sit for 5 minutes and then wiped the tiles clean. You may need to apply 2-3 coats of sealer to make sure your grout lines are fully sealed. Sealing your grout will be important for cleaning and maintenance of the tile!
Step nine: Finishing touches
In order to tile the floor, the baseboards and toilet were removed from the room. Because I had installed a board and batten feature on the walls of the bathroom, I took the opportunity to give the room new trim that matched the board and batten details.
I also took the opportunity to get a new toilet as well. Our original toilet didn’t match the other toilets in the house – it was round (compared to the others that were elongated) and much shorter. I chose a chair height toilet to match our others and installed it in the space.
Once the baseboards were back on, it was time to caulk all the seams and touch up the paint. I opted to paint my baseboards before putting them on the wall and this was much easier than trying to paint them after! I didn’t have to worry about getting paint on my new tile. All that was needed was to touch up the paint where I caulked.
Here’s the finished look:
How to install tile in your space with Floor and Decor
With high quality products, a large in-store selection, and something that fits every budget, Floor and Decor was the way to go when choosing our tile!
They also have professional designers that can help you with your tile selection. These professionals will walk you through the right choice for your budget, and everything you need in order to install it correctly in your own space!
After being intimidated by tiling projects in the past, I can honestly say that this was easier than I thought it would be! The process was straight forward, the products were easy to work with, and the finished look came out amazing. The space I dreamed up is coming to life and I love it!
Be sure to check out the selection at Floor and Decor for your next tiling project!
