Tile floors are some of the most popular model floors on the market today due to the beautiful designs and patterns to choose from, its durable long lasting features as well as ease in its care. Laying a floor with a tile medallion creates an especially attractive centerpiece for your home and can enhance an entranceway or formal dining room. Due to the accessibility of designs of tile medallions, you will have no problem finding a particular design for your home décor.
Tiles also come in many colors, textures and materials such as porcelain, stone, man-made tiles or wood. A tile floor can be laid in diverse patterns to reflect the ambiance of your home décor. Patterns may include triangle, diagonal, diamond or custom design. The following tips may be helpful when laying a tile floor in an original pattern of your choosing.
The first step would be to make a rough sketch of the floor design you desire on a piece of paper so you can envision what it will look like once it is laid out on your floor. Take your time to decide the type of pattern you want as this is probably the design you will have in your home for years to come. Carefully consider how your design will mix and match with the rest of your home décor or how in the future it will be easy to match another décor with your design. Also take into consideration the placement of your floor tile medallion that it coordinates well with its location.
The next step is to measure the entire floor space where your tile is to be laid and copy these measurements onto a sheet of graph paper. You are going to transfer the outline of your design to the graph paper with the same proportions of your actual tile. This will aid you in laying down the tiles to exact specifications. Next make ready the base floor by cleaning, leveling and smoothing its surface. For optimum results make sure your floor is prepared as best as it can be.
Beginning with one side of the floor start laying the first set of tiles, conforming to your original design on graph paper. Check and doublecheck your work to make sure everything is being done correctly. Then spreading mastic or floor cement over the back of your first tile, press it into place, repeating this process with all the remaining tiles. Last apply your grout in the cracks between your tiles as needed.
Mosaic tile medallions can be created in either a direct or indirect method. Using a direct method entails setting small pieces of tile directly onto your cement. The indirect method requires a little more work. The pieces are first laid face down on paper or some other surface with a temporary bonding agent to complete a design. Then the entire section is set onto a floor setting and the paper is removed. The results is a lovely mosaic floor.
Once your entire tile floor has been laid it is suggested you observe a waiting period of at least two days before allowing walking or other use of the floor. Room temperature should be kept normal with no additional moisture so both mastic and grout can dry properly.