How to tile a floor

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walkthrough draws on the Tommy’s Yard tutorial "Tommy’s Trade Secrets – How To Tile A Floor", a concise and practical guide from professional tilers that covers the full process from sub-floor prep to grouting. The close-up demonstrations of notching out adhesive and keeping tiles level are particularly useful.

1. Check and prepare the sub-floor

Get down and inspect the floor carefully. Walk it, kneel on it, press it. Any flex or give and you have a problem. Floor tiles need a completely rigid base — even small movement will crack the grout and eventually the tiles themselves.

On timber floors, screw down any loose boards and consider laying 6mm or 12mm plywood over the top to create a solid, level surface. Use floor-grade adhesive to glue it down as well as screwing it at 150mm centres. On concrete, check for dampness and level any dips with self-levelling compound.

2. Plan the layout

Find the centre of the room by stretching string lines from the midpoint of opposite walls. Where the lines cross is your starting point. Lay a row of tiles out dry from the centre to each wall to check what size the cut pieces will be at the edges.

If an edge cut would be less than half a tile wide, shift your layout by half a tile so both sides end up with a reasonable cut. Thin slivers of tile along a skirting board are difficult to cut neatly and look poor once done.

3. Mix floor tile adhesive

Use a proper floor tile adhesive — not wall tile adhesive, which is not designed to bear foot traffic loads. Follow the manufacturer’s mixing instructions to get a smooth, peanut-butter consistency. Mix only what you can use in 20 minutes or so; it stiffens quickly once spread.

For large-format tiles (400mm or bigger), use a rapid-set or S2 flexible adhesive to allow for minor movement. Standard adhesive is fine for smaller format tiles on a solid concrete base.

4. Lay the first tiles from the centre

Spread adhesive with a notched trowel, covering roughly a square metre at a time. Hold the trowel at a 45-degree angle and comb the adhesive into consistent ridges — these ridges collapse under the tile to give full contact. Spot-bedding (five dots of adhesive) is not suitable for floor tiles.

Press each tile firmly into the adhesive and give it a slight twist to bed it in. Check it is flat with a spirit level. Use tile spacers to keep consistent grout joints. Back-butter large or porcelain tiles on top of the adhesive layer.

5. Work outward in sections

Work from the centre outward in manageable sections, keeping your string lines visible as a guide. Step back regularly and check the tiles are sitting flat and consistent across the whole area. A straightedge across several tiles will show any high or low spots quickly.

Do not walk on freshly laid tiles. Use a kneeling board to spread your weight if you need to reach over. Mind you, with floor tile adhesive, even light pressure in the wrong place can push a tile out of level.

6. Cut tiles for the edges

Measure each cut piece individually rather than assuming the gaps are consistent — rooms rarely are. A wet tile cutter gives cleaner, more precise cuts than a hand scorer, especially on porcelain or large tiles. Keep the cut edge toward the wall where it will be hidden by skirting.

For awkward cuts around toilet bases, door frames, or pipes, make a card template first and transfer it to the tile.

7. Leave to cure fully

Most floor tile adhesives need 24 hours before light foot traffic and 48–72 hours before grouting. Read the product instructions and do not rush this stage. Walking on uncured adhesive pushes tiles out of position and reduces the bond strength.

If the room is cold or damp, allow longer. Underfloor heating should be turned off during installation and for at least 72 hours after grouting.

8. Grout and seal the floor

Remove the spacers and mix the grout to a smooth, slightly firm consistency. Work it into the joints with a rubber grout float, pressing firmly across the tile faces. Clean off the excess with a damp sponge before it hardens — once grout has dried on the tile face it is hard work to remove.

Once the grout has cured fully, apply a grout sealer to protect against staining. Unglazed or natural stone tiles should also be sealed across the surface before use.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the sub-floor needs significant levelling, if there is underfloor heating to work around, if the tiles are large-format porcelain that needs a wet cutter, or if the room is awkwardly shaped with lots of cut pieces. Floor tiling is one of those jobs where the preparation takes longer than the tiling — and getting it wrong means cracking tiles a few months later.