Tips for Cutting, Laying and Cleaning Ceramic Floor Tiles

Although they can be cold to stand on, ceramic floor tiles are durable materials that are resistant to water, stains and spillages. Ceramic floor tiles are generally made of natural clay decorated with colored glaze on one side and are available in a wide variety of colors, patterns and shapes.

While not as highly polished as wall tiles, the surfaces of ceramic floor tiles can have a matte, glazed or unglazed finish. For unglazed ceramic floor tiles, they must be sealed with a proper proprietary sealant once they are are laid. Stronger ceramic floor tiles come in larger sizes and tend to be thicker and darker on the underside. These tiles are vitrified, which means that they are fired at higher temperatures so the particles fuse together, making them almost unbreakable when laid.

Cutting

Due to their thickness, ceramic floor tiles are cut using a floor tile cutting tool with angled jaws. The length of tiles should be marked along its length with a wooden stick, keeping in mind to allow spacing for grouting, which can also be used later as a tile gauge. Of course, it's always a good idea to buy a few extra ceramic floor tiles to keep as handy replacement tiles in case they crack or break while cutting them to fit, or to store as convenient spare tiles if they are damaged in the future.

Laying

When laying out ceramic floor tiles, it's important to lay the first tile correctly because its position will determine and affect the position of the other tiles afterwards. Apply a layer of adhesive on the back part of the tile and press into the desired place. It's recommended to use a waterproof, floor tile adhesive, which allows slight flexibility when set. To ensure a straight edge positioning of the tiles, a batten nailed to the floor can be used as a guide, while plastic spacers or a thick card can be used to evenly regulate the space between tiles. When the floor tiling is complete, these areas will then be grouted, so they should be equally spaced in order to have neat, accurate results.

Cleaning

Since they already come with a natural glazed or matte finish, ceramic floor tiles do not really require much polishing. When cleaning the surface of the ceramic floor tiles, it is much more preferred to sweep them rather than to vacuum the tiles, as some vacuum cleaners have attachment ends that could scratch the surface of the tiles.

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