You might consider doing yourself Porcelain Patio Tiles installation if you are a DIY-er or handyman. Doing it yourself will save you money over having your new flooring professionally installed. However, it is a process that requires meticulous planning and preparation. If you do make a mistake while making your porcelain tile floor you might have to spend more time (and money!) to fix your errors. You can feel accomplished when you have a plan and the correct tools.

Here are some suggestions and tricks to follow to install your own porcelain tile floor.

You must make sure you prepare your subfloor

You could end up having to start over when you encounter a problem with your subfloor. Make sure that the subfloor is level and if not, use a patch to make necessary adjustments. If you don't plan to put porcelain floor tiles on top of a concrete floor, backer boards can be an option. It's a good idea purchase additional backer boards than the amount you think you'll need (even an additional 10%) to ensure that you aren't running out.

Mix your tiles

You can use multiple boxes of porcelain tile and mix them randomly. This will stop any color differences between tiles from creating a noticeable color shift on your flooring made of porcelain.

Lay out the porcelain tiles

Try laying your outdoor porcelain tiles, in the pattern you want, before applying any adhesive. Put tiles on the floor in the middle, laying them in a straight line toward the wall. Take one quadrant of the room at a time. This step will help to ensure that you have the right amount of tile needed to finish the job. It also allows you to alter your tile such as cutting tiles to fit around bathroom fixtures.

Smooth your mix

Let your grout or thin-set to rest for 10 minutes prior to when it can be used. This allows dry areas to soak up water. Mix it once more before you apply. Your final product should have the consistency of peanut butter.

Back-butter your tiles

Back-buttering your tile involves using your trowel to apply your thin-set directly onto the back of the tile porcelain slabs (you are aware, like you're buttering a piece of toast!). This is useful in situations where you 1) are in a corner and are unable to apply the thin-set directly to the floor using your trowel, 2) need to make the tile sit slightly higher than the others or) the tile is a larger tile, such as 12x12 or bigger.

Get extra porcelain tiles at a discounted price

After you've laid the floor with porcelain tiles Make sure you keep any tiles left over! You can pack them up and label the container with the name of the room you've tiled. If you have tiles in different rooms, it is important to mark it. If you ever have to replace tiles, you don't have to fret about finding a perfectly-matched porcelain floor tiles.