Tile step-by-step

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So we're in the home stretch. I think. Yesterday hubbs took off from work so we could tile the laundry room. Whew. It's a small room, but a little difficult to tile due to lack of space for maneuvering. We chose 16x16 ceramic tiles and big grout spacers to make it a little easier on ourselves. Here's the picture proof:


We took the washing machine and dryer out and then pulled-up the remaining carpet. What was left was a yucky looking old vinyl floor with carpet glue stuck to it.


Hubbs had to chip it away with a paint scraper and hammer. This stuff was really stuck so it took over an hour.


We placed the first tile in the corner and then snapped blue chalk lines for guides.


Here's hubbs combing the mortar/thinset with a trowel before placing the tile.


Then he placed the tile down and wiggled it into place. While the thinset is still wet, you can slide the tile as needed to put the spacers in.


Closeup of the spacers. A cross for corners on one side and a bar for in between tiles on the other side.


Half done!


Sometimes a tile space is too small to fit the comb/trowel so you have to "back butter" the tile directly with thinset instead of the floor.


All done! We used 3-different kinds of thinset cuz we wanted to use up what we already had. Two containers were gray and one was white. You'll never see it once the grout is down.

I'll do the grouting later today. Once the grout dries I'll paint the trim and the laundry room will be finished.