Armstrong floor tiles come in many colors and styles. If you are thinking of installing a tile floor in your home, and the room receives heavy traffic, you may want to consider installing commercial tile. The installation process is no different. Commercial tile is usually at least 1/8-inch gauge. Heavy furniture doesn't dent it as easily as residential grade tile. You may install Armstrong commercial tile over concrete that is level or wood subflooring.
Instructions
1. Clean the subflooring. Mop the cement or vacuum the wood. Repair any cracks in the concrete or plywood subflooring with a coating of patch and skim coat applied with a roller. Allow the coating to dry and then sand off any rough edges. Vacuum the dust away as well.
2. Use a measuring tape to locate and mark the middle of each wall of the room. (See References 3) Snap a chalk line to find the center of the room, making sure the two lines cross at a perfect 90-degree angle. If the chalk line falls on any crack in the subflooring, adjust the chalk line slightly so that it does not fall across a crack.
3. Choose one quarter of the room to begin the tile floor installation. Put enough of the tile adhesive recommended for your tile product on the floor along the chalk line to set seven or eight tiles. Allow the adhesive to become tacky. Set the first tile aligned with the chalk line on two sides. Set the second tile aligned with the chalk line and butted against one side of the first tile. Set the third tile so that it aligns with the chalk line and the first tile on its remaining free side.
4. Continue setting tiles until you cover the amount to adhesive you have on the floor. Spread more adhesive and allow it to become tacky. Work your way to the outer walls of that quadrant.
5. Measure the amount you need to remove from tiles along the outer wall that don't fit. Lay a straight edge along the tile and cut the tiles with a utility knife. If you need to cut tiles in a curved shape, make a pattern template of the shape out of a piece of paper and transfer the pattern to the tile before cutting the tile. Set the tiles in the adhesive.
6. Repeat the process for the remaining three quadrants of the room. Allow the adhesive to dry the recommended time. Depending on the commercial tiles used in the installation, you may need to use a tile roller to press the tiles firmly into the adhesive when you finish.
7. Damp mop the floor when the tiles are dry. Allow the floor to dry. Apply several coats of commercial floor polish, allowing each coat to dry between applications.
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