Prepare, to Get Your Square Share

Proper preparation is the key to any successful home improvement project. The extra care you take during the initial stages of the job always reflects in the end result.

Take installing ceramic tile, for example. Traditionally, ceramic tile has been the preferred building material for covering bathroom and kitchen walls in high-moisture areas. Tiled walls in shower stalls have long been a sign of quality, and tiled bathrooms--or the lack of tile in the bathroom--may be the deciding factor in selecting one house over another.

Tile is durable, attractive and, when properly installed, highly water-resistant. It can be relatively easy to apply yourself, which makes it a logical choice for homeowners planning to remodel a bathroom on their own.

But before you attempt to install tile, do a certain amount of preparation to ensure that the finished job is straight and square.

The first step in preparing a kitchen or bath for ceramic tile installation is to make sure that the walls you are covering are sound and true. There should be no holes, protrusions, flaking paint or other imperfections on the surface to which you plan to stick the tiles.

The wall should be square and plumb (the corners should be straight and vertical and the surface flat with no waves or bows in it). The maximum deviation you can accept and still do a reasonable tiling job is no more than one-quarter inch.

Check with a level or a plumb line and bob to determine wall condition. If you can see waves in the wall, they will show up in the tiling job.

If the walls do not conform to these standards, remove the drywall or plaster, shim the studs until they are square and plumb and then install new water-resistant drywall.

Finish all joints with joint compound and tape. Sand the joints smooth. While this adds to the difficulty and expense of tiling a bathroom, it’s virtually impossible to do a good tiling job on walls in poor condition.

Next, measure the total square footage on the tub walls or the area you plan to tile. Make an accurate sketch of each wall surface to be tiled including all dimensions and details such as faucet locations.

Show where the tub is in the room, its height from the floor and the locations you plan for soap dishes, towel racks and grab handles. Take this information to a local tile supplier and discuss the project.

Tile shops also have a tremendous selection for walls and floors: unglazed quarry tiles, little mosaic tiles, super-hard porcelain tiles, marble tiles, hand-painted decorative tiles and rustic handmade tiles.

Floor tiles are harder and have less glaze than wall tiles. Floor tiles can be used on walls, but wall tiles are too slippery and fragile for floors. Tiles often have a wear rating either on the back or in the manufacturer’s specifications. A rating of three or more is acceptable for floors.

Tile makers are issuing a variety of shapes in the same color or design to make creative installations easier. One combination might include 4-inch or 6-inch squares with a 4-by-6 rectangle. Molding pieces for the corners help even the amateur installer to make neat turns.

A good supplier will be able to supply the tile, adhesive and grout needed for the job.

Some tiles come pre-spaced on mesh backing, and different tile types are installed in similar but not identical ways. That’s where a salesperson’s knowledge will be helpful.

Tiles need spaces between them for grout. Some tiles have little lugs for separation. Others need plastic spacers: one-sixteenth-inch spacers for wall tiles and three-sixteenth to one-quarter-inch spacers for floor tiles.

Grout, the material used to fill the spaces between tiles, comes in two forms: sanded and without sand. Use the sanded variety for grout lines larger than one-eighth-inch; otherwise, use grout without sand.

Grout comes in different colors so you can make grout lines less visible by matching grout to tiles or more visible by choosing a contrasting color. White grout on a floor will get dirty unless you use a penetrating alkaline sealer after installation. Reapply the sealer as it is needed.

There are two basic tile adhesives: latex-modified thin-set and organic mastic. Latex-modified thin-set adhesive, a cement product like mortar, is the best general-purpose selection. It comes as a powder that you mix with a latex additive. The mixture must be wet enough to stick to the tiles but not so wet that it oozes up between the tiles as you push them down.

To test its consistency, spread a glob on a scrap of plywood, push down a couple of tiles and make sure they stick without adhesive coming up between them. Thin-set is the hands-down choice for surfaces that get wet, such as showers, bathrooms and laundry rooms. It has little odor.

Organic mastic, the other adhesive choice, is slightly cheaper, premixed and gives you plenty of time to work. However, it isn’t waterproof, and it has a strong odor. Also, it can’t fill gaps wider than one-quarter inch.

Most tile stores also carry the tools required for the job, including inexpensive notched trowels for applying the adhesive and rubber-faced trowels for the grout. Many suppliers will lend or rent you tile cutters and other tools to make the job easier and faster.

A tip for amateurs: Try tiling a small table top before tackling a back splash or floor. Also lay out the tiles with as few cuts as possible.