Natural Stone | Installation

Use a professional

this type of floor is heavy, difficult work
it’s labor intensive and extremely exacting
not for the do-it-yourselfer
installing stone flooring is a skill that is developed through years of experience

Process

prepare the substrate
cement subfloors can apply the mortar directly to it to lay the tile
wood subfloors require a CBU (cement backer unit)
movement in the substrate material can sometimes occur
for example, water penetrating the grout and/or freezing and thawing temperatures can sometimes cause tile to rise, crack or chip
area gets measured
snap chalk lines for an accurate layout
determine which pieces of tile will need to be cut to fit the area
tiles that need to be cut are measured and marked with a pencil
then use a wet saw with a diamond blade to cut through
begin setting the tile
thinset mortar, which is a cement-based adhesive, is applied to the surface with a trowel
tile then placed into the thinset and pressed firmly into place
imperfections in your subfloor will require differing amounts of mortar to be applied
this installation, known as a medium bed installation, is more time consuming and costly

Grout, wedge or butter

depending on the type of tile, may be installed with narrow grout joints
larger area - wedges or spacers may be used to maintain consistent spacing
installers may also back butter the back of the tile with thinset mortar to strengthen the bond

Grout

after tiles are set and the thinset mortar has fully cured, joints are filled with grout
sanded and un-sanded grouts are used
type of grout used is determined by the tile, grout joint and width
mixture is spread over the tiled area to fill in all the joints
sponge is used to remove excess grout from the surface of the tile

Before installation day

relocate furniture
empty china cabinets and closets
consider removal and disposal of old floorcovering
remove it yourself and leave 1 day before install
moldings and baseboards need to be removed for stone installation
installers not responsible for damage or breakage due to dry or brittle wood
painted baseboards, woodwork and paint may need retouching (this is your responsibility)
existing sub floor may need to be prepared to receive the stone

Door plan

Clean-up

Installation day

Safety

installers use tools and techniques that can be hazardous
make sure that children and pets are out of the work area
follow through with a walk-through
prior to completion walk through to ask questions and be clear on any final details