DIY Help With Laying Victorian Floor Tiles

The flexible uses of Victorian tiles in outdoor and indoor areas span patios, bathrooms, walkways, kitchens, fireplace hearths, hallways, outside steps, foot trails, swimming pools, conservatories and the garage.

Before laying Victorian floor tiles, familiarize yourself with different tile constructions. Materials include vitrified clay, unglazed stone, travertine, slate, quarry, porcelain, onyx, marble, limestone, granite, glass and ceramic. Surface finishes may be textured, satin, metallic, matte, glossy, glass or encaustic. Reproduction Victorian tiles often come straight out of genuine 19th century patterns, geometric, floral and mosaic in particular. Do-it-yourself projects should take advantage of Victorian designs available at arts and crafts shops.

Separate tessellated tiles in all sizes and shapes comprise most Victorian floors, which join together as a singular pattern. Wholesale and retail providers can bundle tile pieces according to personalized designs. Be thorough when laying Victorian floor tiles. Start by seeing to it that the floor is in good shape to be tiled on. Cleanse it of oil, wax and grease that prevent adhesives from cohering as much as they can. No nails should be jutting out of floor boards so level them off. Be prepared for re-boarding the floor such as with plywood or hardboard if it is too problematic.

The very first tile should be laid from the center, not the edge of the room as is often misconstrued. Imagine the room as square and free of indentations. With each pair of sides facing each other, get the length to find the middle and then trace a line between two mid-lengths. The spot where the lines crisscross is the center. To make sure you have the right spot, take a right angle from your center, measure 3 inches towards one line of the right angle and 4 inches towards the other line. There should be 5 inches between the 3rd and 4th inch points.

Practice laying one run of tiles without using adhesives, starting from the center going to one edge. The distance between the last tile and the wall should be 2 inches or slightly more. If not, bring the spot marked as center closer to that edge by half a tile and remove 1 tile from the count. You are now ready for laying Victorian floor tiles using adhesives. Be sure not to leave any space between two tiles. When tile cement is tacky but does not stick on your thumb, it is ready to take tiles.