Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Laying 3-inch Strip Floor Tiles
Because of their smaller size, these new mini-size 3-in. by 12-in. floor tiles let you create a variety of patterns and designs. The ones we used have an adhesive backing for easy placement. The basics apply when installing them so clean the surface of the floor so that it is free of dust and dirt. Underlayment is recommended over a strip planked floor or an existing floor that is heavily embossed.

We used 18-in. wide border with a ladder pattern and field tiles in a herringbone pattern.

The tiles are easy to cut with a straight edge and a sharp utility knife. It is not necessary to cut completely through the tile with the utility knife. First, score the face of tile with the knife and then bend tile along the score and it will break off evenly.

There are many 45 degree angles to cut along a border, so we found it handy to use an old fashioned miter shooting board and a block plane to trim the tiles for a perfect fit. The shooting board is easily made from a couple of pieces of scrap wood. You can make one from a 1x8 base with a 1x6 screwed to the base. A block with sides cut at 45 degree angles is screwed to the top of the 1x6 to form the miter fence.

To use it, place the cut tile against the miter fence. Then put the block plane on its side and run it along the base in alignment with the fence to trim the tile to a perfect 45. You can also shave off razor-thin sections of tile to make perfect fits with this rig.

Installation Tips

1. To lay an intricate border pattern around field tiles, begin by dry testing the design. Trim away the backing paper on all sides of the tile so they can be placed next to one another so you can work out the pattern on the floor.

2. Snap a chalk line 18 in. away from the wall and parallel to it around the perimeter of the room. Check the fit of the border pattern by placing several tiles in place.

3. After the long runs of border tiles are laid out against the walls lay out all outside corners. Snap two chalk lines 18 in. out from both walls to form the outside corner.

4. The tiles come with contact adhesive on their backs so peel off the backing paper and press tile firmly in place. The adhesive grabs on contact so place tile carefully before pressure is applied. Tiles cannot be slid into position. The backing paper is slippery when removed so don't let it scatter around the room, discard it.

5. Follow diagonal layout lines outward with herringbone pattern until the field tiles meet the border. With the backing paper still in place, put the tiles that need to be cut at a 45 degree angle in position and align the straight edge with the border tiles. Score the face of the tile with a sharp utility knife. Then remove tile and break off the waste.

Written by the editors of HouseNet
Copyright HouseNet, Inc.

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