How To: Install floor tiles.

[BrooklynBay]

My sloped roof in the front of the house was in terrible condition with missing shingles, rotted support beams, etc. It was time for a new roof. All of the existing roof was removed, and replaced with a flat roof. I want to make a small porch on the second floor, and decided that rubberized roofing will get damaged after a while from constant walking, moving chairs, long winters with weekly rain storms, etc. This how to thread will explain how to install 12" X 12" X 1" granite paver tiles. The technique used could be applied to any type of tile job (kitchen & bathroom floor & walls).

Rubberized roofing needs preparation before tiles could be applied. There are two different types of roofing tapes. Basic tape is black on both sides without any reinforcement. Heavy duty tape has several layers with a metal shield. This is how it looks when it's applied:

Here's a close up view of a couple of seams:

Wire mesh is nailed down onto the rubberized roofing so that the adhesive has a place to sink into:

You could see the regular taping in the background. I used a hammer attachment on my multitool to nail down the mesh:

Use caution while working with wire mesh. I still have multiple cuts. Excess wire mesh is trimmed:

Cordless tools made a job like this much easier. Two different types of cutters were used. Here's a comparison photo:

The tool on the right is an old Craftsman cordless shear which is no longer made. The tool on the left is a multitool with a shear attachment:

The next installment will explain how to attach, align, and grout the tiles.

[BrooklynBay]

Exterior grade paste is applied sparingly with a caulking gun:
When tiles are installed without mesh on backerboard or wonderboard, a trowel is used to make grooves in the paste. The tiles will compress the paste, and spread the paste. A square is used to start the alignment process:

Proper alignment is very important since each tile which follows has to have an even amount of space. Tile spacers are placed between each tile:

The tiles are installed, but need grout:

Pavers don't use regular grout like indoor tiles. They require a special sand powder mix which gets activated with water after it's installed:

The paver sealer grout is applied into each seam:

A sprayer is used to apply a fine coat of water to activate the paver sealer:

Water is all over the tiles:

Don't walk on it for several hours until it gets hard. The tile job is done.