Tips For Installation of Timber-Look Tiles

Home & Garden Blog

Timber-look tiles can provide your home with the classy, traditional look of hardwood flooring at a fraction of the cost.  Here's how to install timber-look tiles for a professional-looking finish.  You'll need a few basic home DIY skills and tools for this job.

Preparation

Before you begin, it's important to make sure that your floor is completely flat and free from imperfections.  If the floor is not flat, the tiles will not fit properly and the finish will be wobbly and uneven.  Uneven concrete flooring may require screeding to make it level, but wooden planking can simply be covered with underlay, provided any protruding nails are removed first.

What you'll need

• timber-look floor tiles
• underlay
• packing tape
• craft knife
• measuring tape
• 2cm tile spacer
• wood quadrant
• glue/nails

How to do it

1. Roll out the underlay to cover the floor.  Tape up any seams with packing tape so that the underlay isn't damaged as you lay the tiles.  Trim off any excess underlay using a craft knife.  
2. When you lay timber-look tiles, you must remember that you should allow a small gap of a couple of centimetres around the edge of the floor in order to allow for expansion of the tiles when the room is warm.  This also applies when trimming timber-look tiles to fit around door frames, pipes, cabinets, and any others items that the flooring will abut.  To gauge the required gap, place a 2cm tile spacer between the tile and the wall/obstruction.  This ensures that the expansion gap will be equal right around the room.  
3. Begin installing your timber-look tiles by starting in the centre of the room and working outwards towards the walls.  This ensures that you won't finish up with an oddly- shaped space left in the centre of the room.  
4. Line up the timber-look tiles and snap them together.  To achieve this, place one tile at an angle to the other so that the tops are touching.  Turn one tile slowly, and push it down until it snaps into place.   
5. To finish the job, you'll need to install wood quadrant edging in order to conceal the extension gaps.  If you have wooden planks underneath your new flooring, you can nail down the wood quadrant, but if your floor is made of concrete, you'll need to use glue.

In conclusion

You can achieve a professional finish to your timber-look tiled flooring by following the installation guidelines above.  For further assistance, consult your flooring supplier or a local contractor.

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18 February 2016