Hints on Laying Slate Tile

Basically these are hints and tips that you can reference for most types of tile, but we happen to be using Indian slate tile in our bathroom remodel currently.

• You’ll use a lot of tile adhesive, even in a small space, so if you have any more than 65-75 sqaure feet to cover, I recommend getting the five gallon bucket of adhesive. If you have under 75 square feet you can probably get two or three, one gallon buckets.
• Before you lay down your tile adhesive, make a general plan of where you want your tiles to go. This is mostly important when using slate tile because of the irregularity in the pattern and colors. What I did was take them all out of the boxes and stacked them in another area according to general hues and colors. I also separated the really cool, interesting tiles into the ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ piles. This helps when you are placing the tiles into a pleasing arrangement.
• Lay a few rows at a time, and try not to work yourself into a corner! It’s just like painting a floor in that way…leave yourself a way out.
• It’s best to wait at least one day, prefferably two, before walking on set tiles. Even after two days try not to twist your feet when walking. Take slow, gentle steps and pickup and place your feet straight up and down. Tiles can shift even after quite dry.
• After you’re done laying tile for the day, or for a specific area, wipe off the excess tile adhesive around the edges of your finished area. If this extra stuff dries it can be a pain to remove later.

More to come!

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