I can do it!

Just look at her!  She looks feminine but yet tough as nails! I love it!

Women in my family have always been strong and tough.    My grandmother was a "Rosie" during the war.  My own mother was the strongest woman I have ever known.  I never have felt as strong as them, but then something happened in my little noodle head last year...I realized I can do it!  

So guess what I did?  I'm so excited!  I laid a tile floor. all. by. myself!  Yep...all by myself!  Do you see me flexing my muscle like "Rosie"?  I can do it!  And it wasn't really all that hard!  

Here is the picture of my finished floor.  Now, admittedly it isn't that big of a space, but I still did it!  

So if you are going to lay a tile floor here are some of my tips:
1.  Make sure the surface is prepped and ready for tile.  You will have to do a little research to find out what you need to do to prep.  Most likely you just need a clean smooth surface.  
2.  You will need "thin set" to use as the glue to attach the tile to the floor.  There are different kinds out there depending on what surface you are tiling.  Just do a little research to see what you need.  I discovered that I needed one with polymers in it...most flooring surfaces do.  
3.  When mixing thin set or grout make sure the mixture is about the consistency of peanut butter.  And mix only what you can use in about 20-30 minutes.  

Spreading the thin set isn't all that difficult.  First you just spread it around, as if spreading butter.  Then use the grooved part of the spreader and hold it at a 35 degree angle and make the grooves.  Use spacers to ensure the tiles are nice and straight.  Thin set must cure for 24 hours...and no walking on it!

When you tile, you will have to use a tile saw.  You can rent one if you don't already have one or can borrow one from someone.  Cutting tile is fun.  Just remember to make sure the saw tub has plenty of water in it.  Also, slow and steady wins the race when cutting tile.  

Spread the grout into all the grooves using a float.  Makes sure all the grooves  are filled in well.  After  20-30 minutes you can use a tile sponge to clean up all the loose grout.  This is where the "magic" happens!  It will look so wonderful!  After an hour, you can wipe down the tile again to get all the haze off.  Stay off of the floor for another 24 hours since the grout needs time to cure.

I am so excited that I did this!  Now on to the kitchen floor!