When I first heard the name Blue Mountauk, I thought the tile would be more on the blue side, but nope. It's more green-ish.
I'm going to give you a recount of how our slate tile installation went, the materials and tools we used, and some tips that might be helpful if you decide to install slate tile in your own home.
The picture below shows our laundry room after the walls were patched and a new door was installed. The floor... Blah.
That's precisely the first task for any tile flooring installation...
Cleaning the sub-floor and making sure it's level. Place a long level around the space, identify high and low spots, and fix them to make it level. High spots need to be sanded down. Low spots need to be filled with concrete filler. You mustn't skip this step; you might end up with tile chipping or cracking down the road.
Ours was a brand-new subfloor, and we made sure to leave it perfectly leveled. ;)
I ordered these beautiful Blue Mountauk slate tiles online at Home Depot. They arrived very well packed, five tiles in each box, protected with heavy-duty foam at the top and bottom of each box. Only one tile was broken, and one of the boxes was missing one tile.
It is recommended that you buy 10-15% extra slate tile to account for this type of problem.
The materials you will need:
- Blue Mountauk Slate - I bought 35 - 12" x 24" tiles
- Cement board - Durock
- 1 1/4" cement board screws
- Mesh tape
- Thin-set mortar - I bought 2 - 50 lb bags - used 1-1/2
- Tile spacers - I used 1/4" spacers
- Grout - The color I used: Platinum - 1 - 25lb
- Tile sealer - I used SurfaceGard
Required Tools:
- Tape Measure
- Level
- Drill
- Thin-Set Mixing Paddle
- Wet Tile Saw
- Square
- 1/2" Notched Trowel
- Flat margin trowel
- Grout Float
- Extra-large grouting sponge
- Brush
- Five-gallon bucket
- Safety goggles, Work gloves, KNEE PADS
INSTALL CEMENT BOARD
Backer board or cement board was installed over the subfloor as an additional layer of protection and stability for the tiles.
Stagger the Durock boards so that no four corners meet, and secure them in place with 1-1/4" screws every 8" or so.
Cover the seams with mesh tape.
LAYOUT THE TILES
Now is the time to bring in the tiles and decide on the pattern for your flooring.
Doing a dry layout is very important with slate tile. Pay attention not only to the pattern but also to the tiles' texture and color.
I went for a herringbone pattern - a 45-degree angle.
At this point, I was very excited about this project. The room was square, so following the herringbone tile configuration, I started cutting the row of tiles all along the wall with my small wet tile saw.
I went for a herringbone pattern - a 45-degree angle.
At this point, I was very excited about this project. The room was square, so following the herringbone tile configuration, I started cutting the row of tiles all along the wall with my small wet tile saw.
Well, this little saw was taking its time, and I was getting scared it would get burnt. I had to call my friend Donato for a helping hand with his trusty Husqvarna tile saw.
From then on, he took charge!
He used a drill with a mixing paddle attachment to mix the thin-set to a thick peanut butter consistency.
SPREAD THE THIN-SET MORTAR
Using the flat side of the notched trowel, he scooped up some of the mortar and spread it right there in the corner of the room.
Using the flat side of the notched trowel, he scooped up some of the mortar and spread it right there in the corner of the room.
Then, using the notched side of the trout, at a 45-degree angle, he made the ridges or grooves.
He usually worked on two or three tiles at a time.
A little triangle was the first tile to be laid out, continuing to add the cut tiles right along the wall and adding the 1/4" spacers in between them.
He constantly checked the level line from tile to tile/corner to corner with his hands.
However, a level was necessary to ensure an entire span of tiles was perfectly leveled.
The thickness of the slate tile is irregular. Some tiles are thinner than others, and some have thinner corners.
He usually worked on two or three tiles at a time.
A little triangle was the first tile to be laid out, continuing to add the cut tiles right along the wall and adding the 1/4" spacers in between them.
He constantly checked the level line from tile to tile/corner to corner with his hands.
However, a level was necessary to ensure an entire span of tiles was perfectly leveled.
The thickness of the slate tile is irregular. Some tiles are thinner than others, and some have thinner corners.
When he noticed a thinner tile, he made sure to add extra thin-set to that tile.
When having trouble figuring out how to cut a tile to fit a space, he made the same tile configuration outside the room and, using a square and ruler, transferred those lines to determine the lines to cut along.
Well, this is how the room looked as he finished the tile installation:
The next step, after waiting at least 24 hours for the mortar to dry, is to seal those tiles. We skipped that process for the moment because we didn't have time, and went ahead and added the grout.
GROUTING THE SLATE
Remove the spacers and clean the tile thoroughly. If you see mortar between the joints, remove it.
The sanded grout was mixed according to the manufacturer's specifications. Use a grout float to fill those joints with grout, then bring the float diagonally across the tile and at a 45-degree angle to remove excess grout.
Use a wet sponge to completely clean the tiles as you go along.
The next step, after waiting at least 24 hours for the mortar to dry, is to seal those tiles. We skipped that process for the moment because we didn't have time, and went ahead and added the grout.
GROUTING THE SLATE
Remove the spacers and clean the tile thoroughly. If you see mortar between the joints, remove it.
The sanded grout was mixed according to the manufacturer's specifications. Use a grout float to fill those joints with grout, then bring the float diagonally across the tile and at a 45-degree angle to remove excess grout.
Use a wet sponge to completely clean the tiles as you go along.
Make sure the sponge isn't too wet, and clean the sponge after a pass on each side.
We took a long time cleaning the tiles. Slate is very porous, and without sealing it, the grout can be absorbed, especially along those fine lines.
SEALING THE SLATE
After waiting 48 hours for the grout to dry, I applied the sealer with a brush, soaking every single tile and grout line. Spots that dried quickly were given a second coat.
After waiting for about 15 minutes, I wiped off the excess sealer to prevent fogging.
Another coat of sealer was applied to the tiles the following day.
We took a long time cleaning the tiles. Slate is very porous, and without sealing it, the grout can be absorbed, especially along those fine lines.
SEALING THE SLATE
After waiting 48 hours for the grout to dry, I applied the sealer with a brush, soaking every single tile and grout line. Spots that dried quickly were given a second coat.
Another coat of sealer was applied to the tiles the following day.
Here, it was good to see that the previously added sealer was preventing the liquid from seeping through the tiles.
I chose a natural-looking sealer with no sheen. And I need to apply it yearly to keep the tile from absorbing liquids.
Here is how the little room looked while the sealer dried.
And here, all dried! 🖤
Woohoo, one more project checked off the to-do list!! ✌️
The next part of this mudroom project is building and installing storage cabinets. I'm already on that task!
I chose a natural-looking sealer with no sheen. And I need to apply it yearly to keep the tile from absorbing liquids.
Here is how the little room looked while the sealer dried.
And here, all dried! 🖤
The next part of this mudroom project is building and installing storage cabinets. I'm already on that task!
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Here are all the projects that were tackled during this mudroom build:
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It looks beautiful! What a perfect choice for a mudroom!
ReplyDeleteShelley