Tile Baseboards – Correctly Fixing the Tile Baseboards With Adhesive
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With your tube of adhesive inserted and flowing correctly from your cocking gun, and your tile baseboards already cut to size, you are now ready to begin attaching tile baseboards to the wall. As a rule of having a nice cosmetic finish, in the most visible parts of your room use the cut tiles which still have the factory finished edges surrounding three out of the four sides. Keep the center cuts for hidden areas or alcoves where they are less likely to be seen, as these will only have factory finished edges on both short sides.
Keeping the factory edge facing upwards when installing tile baseboards, lay the tile upside-down on the floor, and then apply a ‘snake’ line of adhesive to the underside using the cocking gun. Don’t apply too much glue to the underside though, and try to steer clear of the edges of the tile. This will soon spread out when the tile baseboard is pressed firmly in place.
Once applied, release the pressure from the gun to avoid the contents from continuously flowing. Some adhesive may still flow out when this is done, so the best thing to do is place the nozzle end over the following tile to be attached to the wall. This way none of your adhesive will go to waste, and you will avoid getting it stuck on your fresh floor tile layout. The chemicals in the glue will stain the grout if given half the chance to fall upon it, so try to contain drips as best as possible.
Slide the tile baseboard up to the area on the wall where it is to be placed, making sure that it is in alignment with the floor tiles, and flip the tile up against the wall. Press firmly, moving slightly from left to right to gain an even spread, and then align with the existing grout lines. There is no need for tile spacers in this job, so if there are any off sized tiles, just align them as best as possible using your eye, and the glue should quickly hold them in place.
Continue as planned with the remaining tiles, and because the adhesive is very fast to dry, it is actually possible to begin grouting the gaps within about half an hour, or the time it takes you to apply all the baseboards. To be safe though, wait a little longer to avoid tile shifting if there is no rush to finish the job. If you decide to install transition pieces along the edge however, you must do this while the glue is still workable, These will give the baseboards a better finish and hide any visible cuts other than factory finished edges, although they are not entirely necessary and you will find that by applying silicon cocking can be just as effective with less expense.
One final tip: when installing tile baseboards in a room where the floor can expand or shift, for example, the second floor of a house, is that it might be wise to insert a ‘breathing’ gap. This is simply done by leaving a space between the tile baseboard and the floor tile, and can be done by using tile spacers between both in order to raise the tile slightly even just by 1/8″ inch, to then be filled using silicone cocking. If floors did have the ability to shift and expand, then you may find that tile baseboards in direct contact with floor tiles can tend to pop-off the wall due to this unseen force and exertion within the building’s structure.
With your tile baseboards firmly in place, you can then either choose to completely grout them if transition pieces are used to finish the visible top edge, or simply apply silicone sealant cocking. The latter choice will quickly fill lines and hide any gaps, and also apply a waterproof seal to them where they are attached to the wall. This type of cocking is reasonably inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors suited to match your tiling design. By again using your cocking gun to apply silicone, fill the gaps and then simply wipe and form gently with your index finger in continual, even, and singular strokes.
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Source by Matthew Seiling
