How To Get A Straight Line For Tiling A Floor

The first step in laying out tile is to mark a layout line in the room.

How to get a straight line for tiling a floor.

I think they used a long straight edge too but only to tamp the tiles into line. The tilers who did our hall reproduction victorian pattern drew a line on the floor and used that. For making curved cuts you can use tile nippers. To get a straight level start position a ledger on the wall leaving a gap below about 1 2 in.

Snap the chalk line leaving a straight chalk mark on the subfloor. Find and mark the matching point on the wall directly opposite. Watch this video to learn how a pro does it. In general to lay the tile itself mix thinset and spread it on the floor using the notched edge of a trowel starting at the intersection between your chalk lines on the floor.

Use a chalk line to extend this line from one side of the room to the other. You ll see how to s. If the wall is too long to snap the chalk easily kneel by the midpoint of the line and press it down to the floor with one hand. Planning the layout for a tile project is usually the hardest and most time consuming step.

Use a tile cutter for small straight cuts. Use a tile saw or wet saw both rentable if necessary for cutting numerous or thick tiles. Pull the line very taut and the hold the line down on the mark with one hand. Snap a chalk line between the marks from wall to wall.

Pin a line of string across the room and use that to line up the tiles. The ledger shown here is a length of steel angle held in place by wood blocks screwed to the wall. Clean up right away. If the tile is too thick for nippers try the following method.

And mark the center point on the floor. Less than a full tile. Starting with the room s longest straight wall use a tape measure to find the center point. A strip of plywood or a perfectly straight board will do the job too.