When you are ready to begin a natural stone tile installation, there are some important steps that must be taken. This is true whether you are trying to do the installation yourself or if you have hired a professional natural stone fabricator to install the tiles. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with these steps may help to ensure that your finished installation provides you the satisfaction and beautiful end results that you have imagined.
The first step will be to choose the type of natural stone you want and to pick a design for those tiles to be placed in. These two decisions may be influenced by the budget you have established for the natural stone tile installation project. Other factors will include the appropriateness of the stone for the application, the colors of the stone, the amount of traffic the stone will have to stand up to and the size and shape of the space to be tiled.
The next step in tile installation is to install the tile backer on the surfaces to be tiled. The backer that you choose will be influenced again based on where the tiles will be installed and might also be influenced by building codes in your area. In some instances, the backing may need to be accompanied by a moisture barrier to prevent water from seeping through old, dry grout. Any joints between pieces of the backing will need to be covered with tape and mortar or, in some cases, with joint compound.
Next you will lightly sketch out a pattern for the tiles and then begin the process of spreading the adhesive mortar and adhering the stone tiles. The process of natural stone tile installation is similar to the process used for installing ceramic and other tiles. One of the biggest differences will be in the type of cutting tools you must use. Diamond-edged cutting tools will be necessary when you are working with natural stone tiles. Incidentally, this may be a good reason to rely on professional natural stone fabricators to complete the installation for you.
As you worked through the tile placement, you will have used spacers between the stone tiles. When all of the tiles have been laid and have had the appropriate time to sit, you’ll fill those spaces with the grout of your choice. Working in small batches and working in small sections at a time, you’ll need to stop every fifteen minutes or so to wipe grout off of your stone tiles.
The final steps will include caulking and cleaning up. The finishing touches on your natural stone tile installation will complete the project.
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