How to Use Porcelain Tiles to Create Borders & Designs on Floors

Porcelain or ceramic tiles give the imaginative do-it-yourselfer a chance to create a one-of-a-kind design when laying out tiles on a floor. By mixing tiles that have designs or contrasting colors with your field tile choice you can add a border or a special design to the floor. Draw up the design on graph paper first so that you can work out any potential problems before laying the new tile. When you prepare the layout before beginning work, it saves time when it comes to laying out the tile because you will already know where each tile goes.


Pull out the tape measure to measure the dimensions of the room. Measure each wall and make a mark with the carpenter's pencil at the middle point of each wall. For instance, if one wall measures 10 feet, make a mark at 5 feet. If the second wall measures 12 feet, make a mark at 6 feet. Make sure you mark all four walls at each wall's center point.


Calculate the total square footage of the room. A 10-by-12 room has 120 square feet. Add 10 percent to the square footage to get a total square footage of 132 square feet. You will need to purchase enough tiles to cover 132 square feet. This number includes any special or design tiles chosen for the border or elsewhere on the floor. If the fixtures in the room equate to more than 10 percent of the tiles, you will not need to add an additional 10 percent to the total square footage of the room.


Transfer the room measurements to the graph paper to scale. Each square on the graph paper equates to one tile.


Add the location of the room's fixtures to the graph paper. Mark on the graph paper where you want the special tiles to go. For instance, if you would like a design in the middle of the room and a border around the room, add this to the graph paper. Make sure to continue the design around the fixtures in the room appropriately.


Purchase the tile and supplies in the amounts needed to complete the project. Purchase one color that represents the field and any design or contrasting tiles for borders or designs on the floor.


Run a chalk line between walls with the same dimensions from the marked center point of each wall. When complete, you should have a cross in the room. The point where the line crosses is the exact center of the room.


Lay out the tiles in a dry run before you begin to work. Start in the exact center of the room and work out to the walls. This will allow you to see what the room will look like. Make any changes as desired.


Cut all porcelain tiles on the tile wet saw at the same time. Dry fit them to ensure they are cut correctly.


Remove the tiles laid out on the floor and set them aside in an order that makes sense to you.


Mix up the thinset mortar in the bucket, following the instructions on the package.


Start in the center of the room and apply thinset to the floor. Dip the trowel into the bucket and scrape up thinset onto the trowel. Put a 1/8-inch thinset layer on the floor using the mortar trowel. Wipe the trowel across the floor and remove any excess. Once the thinset is applied, turn the mortar trowel on its rake edge and run the rake through the thinset. Place any excess thinset back into the bucket. Make sure you follow the chalk line created and keep your tile lines straight.


Butter the back of the tile with a thin coat of thinset. Place the tile on the thinset and press down lightly to ensure it embeds in the mortar. Insert three tile spacers along each side of the tile if the tile is 12 inches square. For smaller tiles, only insert two tile spacers on each side of the tile. Place the tile spacers so that each arm spans across both tiles, one arm sticks down between the tile and one up in the air. Make sure each tile abuts against the tile spacers so that the grout lines between tiles will be the same dimension.


Repeat Steps 11 and 12 until all tiles are laid out on the floor, including the special design or border tiles.


Let the thinset dry at least 24 hours, or up to 48 hours, depending upon weather conditions.


Remove all the tile spacers between the tiles.


Add the grout to the bucket and mix according to the manufacturer's specifications on the package.


Dip the grout float into the bucket and scrape up grout onto the tool. Apply grout and force it into the grout lines between tiles. First, run across the grout line with the grout float and then down the grout line to ensure grout gets in between the tiles. Use a clean sponge rinsed frequently in clean water to wipe up excess grout from the tiles. Don't let excess grout sit on the tiles and dry, as it becomes very hard to remove later.


Repeat Step 17 to apply all the grout between tiles and remove excess grout.


Let the grout dry 24 to 48 hours, depending upon weather conditions. Drier, warmer weather causes the grout to dry more quickly.


Remove any grout haze from the tiles before applying sealant. Wipe the tiles with a sponge dipped in clean water and squeezed of excess to remove the grout haze.


Add grout sealant to grout lines by putting it on a small sponge and running the sponge down the grout lines. Wipe up any excess grout sealant from the tiles with a clean sponge.


Let the grout sealant dry for the time recommended on the bottle.