Tiling for the first time! Pantry floor
Okay, so I’ll admit that for my first time tiling, a pantry floor was a bit over my head. But I grew up watching my mom do this stuff! From tiling floors and backsplashes to refinishing floors and everything in between, my mom had done it while I was growing up. So I knew it was possible!
Now that my husband and I had bought our first house, it was time to start renovating. With my husband overseas in Italy just a few short weeks after closing on the house, I was determined to get a move on! See the picture below. This ugly pantry floor was just screaming, “Tile me!”
Choosing the right tile… and researching!
My first challenge was to pick out the tile. My mom recommended slate tile. Now that I have more experience, I would not have chosen slate. But as a beginner I was taking more advice and I decided to only look at slate tile.
It seemed Floor and Decor had the most selection and best prices, so I was browsing there. I was also doing a ton of research on the actual installation. What mortar is best? Where could I find the epoxy grout my mom had raved to me about?
The internet can be a VERY confusing place. You will find so much conflicting information. That’s okay! There are many correct ways to do things, and tons of opinionated people. I used a combination of forums, blogs, and YouTube videos to figure out the best way forward.
I settled on a basic Mapei thinset from Lowes, Laticrete’s epoxy grout from Floor and Decor, and using an uncoupling membrane (also from Laticrete) instead of cement board.
Laying the uncoupling membrane
Okay, so after my novice research I decided to use an uncoupling membrane. Since Schluter’s products are so expensive, I decided to go with the slightly less expensive Laticrete Strata Mat. Another option is to screw down cement board. The uncoupling membrane is thinner and much easier to work with, so I decided to use that. Here are the steps I followed:
- Cut the membrane to fit the floor
- Trowel thinset on the plywood (manufacturer’s instructions said 1/4″x3/16″ V-notch trowel, but I believe I used a square notch instead)
- Place the membrane on the thinset and embed it
The cool thing about the Strata Mat is you can see the thinset through it, especially if you use gray thinset. So you can tell if it’s getting a good bond. To be honest, I didn’t get perfect coverage, but man was that thing solid once the thinset dried!
Cutting the tile!
Okay, so my father-in-law is a mason and does tile work and HAS a tile saw. However, he was also away in Italy. Being the impatient one that I am, I decided to rent a tile saw from Home Depot for a day and get all the cuts done.
I have to admit, power tools scare me! And I didn’t realize at the time that tile saws can’t actually cut your flesh, since they cut by friction. So I was very careful and a bit nervous to use the saw!
Thankfully, I didn’t have that many cuts to make since the tile fit very nicely by default in the space:
Sealing the tile
Before installing the tile with thinset mortar, I decided to first seal the tiles. Since slate is natural stone, it is porous and can become stained more easily. I was worried that when mortar and grout got on the surface, it could get stuck on the tiles.
Sealers usually come in little spray bottles. You basically spray it on, wait a bit, then wipe off. I used a sealer that was also an “enhancer”, so it had the effect of darkening the tiles a bit, which you’ll see in the next few pics.
Choosing a good layout
Since this particular slate tile had a lot of variation in color, I decided to put some thought into the layout. I spaced the lighter tiles evenly among the darker ones to create a uniform look. Then I took a picture and numbered them (both in the picture and on the backs of the tiles) so I wouldn’t forget the layout.
Setting the tile
Then it was time to set the tile! Agh! The scary part!
I mixed up a big bucket of thinset mortar and went at it. I troweled out the thinset on the Strata Mat and back-buttered the tiles to get a really good bond, placing tile spacers in between as I went.
Now, the unfortunate thing is these slate tiles were not a uniform thickness. This means they ended up being installed with a lot of lippage. Conceivably, you could install these with more back-buttering and thickening up the mortar as needed for certain tiles. As a beginner, I just went for it. There’s no going back once you set tile! This is the biggest reason I would have gone with a different tile if I were to do it over again.
Grouting… with epoxy grout!
So if you do research on epoxy grout, the most common thing you’ll hear is “it’s so difficult to work with!” To this day, I haven’t actually used normal grout (I’ll report back soon since we’re going to use it on another project soon). However, even for a newbie like me, epoxy grout really isn’t that difficult to use.
I’ve only ever used Laticrete’s Spectralock Pro. It comes with part A&B and part C. This stuff rocks! I’m not saying it’s easy to work with. But it’s well worth the effort and, as long as you follow the directions, you’ll get great results. The grout is stain and water resistant and basically maintenance-free! I especially insist on using it in any wet areas.
Because Spectralock comes in a big tub and the epoxy grout has a very short working time, I decided to mix it in batches. I divided each of the two epoxy bags into four smaller Ziploc baggies, using a kitchen scale to weigh them. This blog online helped me figure it out!
For more information on how to use epoxy grout, check out this post!
Here is the finished result:
Newbie me also didn’t realize you don’t grout between the baseboards and the tile. You should either lift the baseboards before tiling and reinstall them above the tile, or you should add a quarter-round or shoe molding over the gap instead… or both. Whoops!
Finished! And… on to the next project!
Just like that, my first tiling job was done. While it was a bit nerve-wracking at times and I learned a lot in the process, I’m still pretty happy with how it came out. A few months later, I did add a custom DIY oak threshold to cover the gap – you can check out that article here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask down in the comments! I hope this post will inspire others to do their own DIY tiling!
