Preparation

• 1). Measure the length and width of the area you are tiling with a tape measure.
  
  
• 2). Multiply the length by the width in inches with a calculator to find the total amount of space you need to cover.
  
  
• 3). Divide the number of inches in the area by the area of each tile. If your tile is 4 inches by 4 inches, divide by 16. This gives you the total number of tiles required to cover the space.
  
  
• 4). Mark the center of the surface. To do this, use a tape measure to measure and find the middle mark of the length. Make a small mark at half the length. Do the same for the width and make a new mark in a plus-sign shape that fits the half mark of both the length and width. This gives you a starting point for your first tiles.
  
  

Laying Tiles

• 1). Flip a tile over to the back side. If the backing has a waffle-like appearance, with indents, back-butter it. To back-butter the tile, apply mortar to the back with a trowel to fill in the indents.
  
  
• 2). Apply mortar to the center mark on the surface with a 1/4-inch notched trowel. Press the tile into place so that one corner of the tile rests on the center of the plus-shaped mark.
  
  
• 3). Back-butter and apply mortar to the surface for each tile. Apply the mortar on the surface in medium sized areas, for two or more tiles at a time.
  
  
• 4). Lay the tiles over the entire surface, working outward from the first tile and keeping the edges matched up to avoid a crooked lay pattern.
  
  
• 5). Measure the edges of the tiled area when you reach an area that is too small or oddly shaped for a full tile.
  
  
• 6). Draw the space on a sheet of cardboard, exactly the size that it is on the surface. Cut this shape out with a utility knife to use as a template.
  
  
• 7). Trace the template over the back of a tile with a pencil.
  
  
• 8). Cut the drawn lines with a wet saw or tile nippers.
  
  
• 9). Back-butter and lay the tile in place along the edge of the surface. Let the surface dry and harden for 24 hours to allow the tiles to fully adhere.
  
  

Grout

• 1). Apply premixed grout to the surface using a grout float. Press firmly on the handle of the float to ensure that the grout fills the spaces between tiles and covers exposed edges.
  
  
• 2). Wet a sponge and wipe the surface, keeping the grout in the spaces, but off of the faces of the tiles.
  
  
• 3). Rinse the sponge frequently and use clear water to continue cleaning the faces of the tiles until they are all cleared off. Allow the grout to dry and harden for 24 hours.