How to lay vinyl tiles & carpet tiles part 2: laying the tiles

now you're ready to work out how you're going to set out your tiles the trick here is to think in advance about your finish lay out on the floor because rooms are seldom perfectly square if you started one edge and worked outwards the tiles would likely end up looking uneven so it's best to start fixing your task from the center of the room and tile outwards towards the walls to get your starting position exactly right you'll need a helper and you'll need to do a little bit of measuring by using a chalk line and some string first using the tape measure find the midpoint of each facing wall then using your chalk line draw a straight line from one side to the other measure the midpoint of this line this gives you the exact center of the area to be tiled get someone to help you by holding the string about 2/3 of its length at the exact midpoint you've already found and use the pencil to draw a circle around it now have your helper move to a point on your line where the circle crosses it now extend the string fully holding one end of the new spot draw an arc at about 45 degrees on either side of the line repeat this at the other point where the circle crosses the center line what you will now have is two points where the new arcs cross one on each side of the center line if you draw a line between these lines it should be at exactly 90 degrees now that you know exactly where the center of the room is and you have Center lines at a perfect right angle you can start working out the arrangement of your tiles to check the arrangement of tiles without removing the backing paper on vinyl tiles lay down a trial row of tiles in each direction to see how the rows will end up at the skirting board or wall if the gap between the last whole tile of either row and the skirting board or wall is small then consider moving the whole row half a tiles width away from the wall so that the cut will be wider playing around with the arrangement of your tiles like this will give you the best look once you've marked down where any adjustments have been made you're now ready to start and hang your tiles for vinyl tiles peel back the backing paper a little way and then carefully place the edge of the first tile at the starting point so that the edge of the tile is in line with your two lines push down on the edge of the tile to stick it to the floor check that it's in the right position and then working across the tile peel off the backing paper sticking the tile down as you go then slowly place and fix the next tile making sure that it's square with the first tile and the edges are lined up build up a triangle across the floor away from your center line and carry on until you have reached as close as you can to the walls with hole uncut tiles you need to make sure that your vinyl tiles are firmly fixed you can use a rolling pin for this but make sure that you put your full waste onto it so you get a really good addition a wall paper seam roller is also really handy to use to make sure that all the joints are firmly stuck down carpet tiles have a natural pile layer and this is indicated by directional arrows on the reverse of each tile this natural parler can lead to very slight shade variations particularly from one production batch to another in order to avoid shading problems tile should be laid with the directional arrows pointing in alternate directions like a checkerboard but the edges of each tile tightly and squarely up to the neighboring tiles making sure you don't trap any carpet pile between each join and secure every fifth row of tiles with a strip of double-sided carpet tape to prevent any movement really take your time when positioning and fixing your tiles as you want your finished floor to look great to fill any gaps between the last HOH tiles and the wall you'll need to cut some tiles for vinyl tiles measure the gap to be filled a metal rule is ideal for this measure twice and cut once is a good rule to follow if the tile has a directional pattern be absolutely sure that you're marking it so that when fixed the pattern will be correct measure a mark up each tile individually this may take a bit longer but will achieve a better finished job because most rooms are not perfect square and most walls are not perfectly flat once you've marked the tile use a metal ruler as a straight edge to cut against and cut through the tile using a sharp utility knife check that the cut tile is the right size by placing it into the gap before you peel it off the back end if it fits then stick it down and continue all around the sides another way of cutting vinyl tiles and carpet ours is to lift the last uncut tile nearest the wall skirting and replace it with the tile to be cut again making sure the pile is in the right direction if necessary then place the last uncut tile on top of the tile to be cut butting it up against the wall or skirting board using the top tile as a template mark the cutting line with a pen or pencil on the bottom tile with carpet tiles put a strip of masking tape down on top of the tile and might directly onto this to avoid marking the carpet and to make the line more visible when cutting you can now replace the whole tile in its original position and fit the cut tile in place against the wall or skirting repeat the cutting process all the way around the edge of the floor secure the cut tiles with double-sided carpet tape

Channel: B&Q

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Keywords: B&Q, bandq, home, garden, flat, house, living, interior, exterior, internal, external, home improvement, diy, renovation, refresh, improvement, do it yourself, how to, ideas, inspiration, guide, help, advice, project, build, fix, indoor, outdoor, skills, jobs, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, room, space, design, plan, building, maintenance, lay vinyl tiles, fit vinyl tiles, vinyl, vinyl tiles, vinyl flooring, sheet vinyl, flooring, floor, bathroom floor, carpet tiles, carpet, lino, You can do it, B&Q it

Id: JBiHNLdrOJU

Length: 5min 54sec (354 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 01 2013