How To Get A Straight Line For Tiling A Floor

Less than a full tile.

How to get a straight line for tiling a floor.

The tilers who did our hall reproduction victorian pattern drew a line on the floor and used that. Watch this video to learn how a pro does it. For making curved cuts you can use tile nippers. To get a straight level start position a ledger on the wall leaving a gap below about 1 2 in.

Use a tile saw or wet saw both rentable if necessary for cutting numerous or thick tiles. Find and mark the matching point on the wall directly opposite. I think they used a long straight edge too but only to tamp the tiles into line. Snap a chalk line between the marks from wall to wall.

If the wall is too long to snap the chalk easily kneel by the midpoint of the line and press it down to the floor with one hand. Reach out with your other hand and lift up the chalk line about 10 to 12 inches from the floor pulling straight up then release the line so it snaps down onto the floor creating a crisp straight line. Pull the line very taut and the hold the line down on the mark with one hand. Square your layout to the room entryway how to square for tiling measure between the two marks and mark the center point.

And mark the center point on the floor. If the tile is too thick for nippers try the following method. Use a chalk line to extend this line from one side of the room to the other. A strip of plywood or a perfectly straight board will do the job too.

The ledger shown here is a length of steel angle held in place by wood blocks screwed to the wall. Planning the layout for a tile project is usually the hardest and most time consuming step. Clean up right away. The first step in laying out tile is to mark a layout line in the room.

Starting with the room s longest straight wall use a tape measure to find the center point. Pin a line of string across the room and use that to line up the tiles. Use a tile cutter for small straight cuts. Snap the chalk line leaving a straight chalk mark on the subfloor.