If you’ve decided to update your office space with travertine tile, you may wonder if you can put the stonework in yourself.
Travertine installation is not too complicated. After employees clear out for the weekend, get in there with your trowel. They’ll come back to a completely transformed work space.
How to do it: an overview
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the installation process for floor and wall tiles differs very little. Whether revamping the reception area, kitchen or bathroom, you can follow these steps.
Before beginning, consult a professional who has worked with travertine. This is more pertinent when installing travertine pavers outdoors, where geography is a real variant, but you still want to be sure of what you’re doing.
First, get the surface you’re going to tile ready. The main concern here is getting it absolutely even. You can use a leveling or spackling compound to do this.
Make the base
There are only a few steps to making the base for the tiles.
First, spread a layer of thin-set mortar over the floor or wall itself. Over this, place pieces of cement fiberboard. Then, seal the parts with fiberglass mesh tape. Last but not least, screw in the fiberboard.
Tiling a floor
When laying down floor tiles, the key is precision. Make a grid-line to follow when installing to make sure that you distribute tiles evenly.
Lay down the tiles in quadrants, using thin-set mortar and a trowel to get the pieces in place.
Additionally, as you put the tiles down, you want to use a level to make sure the surface isn’t off at all.
To leave room for grout, put spacers in between tiles as you apply them with the mortar. Once the mortar is dry, you can remove these.
Finally, you want to apply the grout. White grout works well with travertine, according to the Chronicle.
After mixing the grout with water, you’ll have a paste that you can apply to the spaces between the tiles.
Moving up the wall
In terms of tiling a wall, the process is very similar. Once you have your base, use chalk lines to ensure that when you put down the tiles, they are even. Start from the bottom and work your way up.
DIY travertine installation is very attainable. Above are the general steps of getting tiles in place. Talk to the manufacturer of your tiles or consult a professional for their tips, then get into action. You will be surprised how successful the process is in elevating your office’s look.
