How to Tile a Room With Offsets

Lay a chalk snap line diagonally on the floor, from one corner of the room to another, without snapping it. Lay another line diagonally on the floor in the opposite direction, so the two lines intersect in the center of the room, forming an X.

Position a square at the point of intersection formed by the two lines. Adjust the two snaplines as necessary, so the intersecting lines are at 90 degrees to each other. Don’t worry if the readjusted snaplines do not go from one corner to the other, since they only serve as a guideline for laying tile. Snap both the chalk lines once you adjust the center point.

Follow label directions to prepare thin-set mortar in a 5-gallon plastic bucket. Scoop up some mortar and apply it on the floor directly above the intersection in the center of the room using a notched trowel. Apply enough mortar to cover only a few feet to keep it from drying.

Center and lower the first tile on the thin-set mortar, ensuring it is bordered by the two lines forming the X, and its lower tip touches the center of the X. Gently press this tile into the mortar. Lay three more tiles on the mortar where the chalk lines meet, with 1/8-inch plastic spacers in between them. While the side tips of two tiles meet the center of the X, the upper tip of the fourth meets it, thereby forming a large diamond in the center of the floor.

Spread thin-set mortar on the floor along the snapped chalk lines, and continue to lay the tiles over them, with spacers on each side, until you reach the walls where you cannot fit full tiles. This creates a large X made from tile on the floor.

Come back to the center of the room and lay tiles between the tiles in the X, working out into the four sections in between. Put spacers between the tiles. Lay a level over every five or six tiles you lay to ensure they are level, or adjust by tapping a tile in place or adding more mortar under it.

Cut the tiles to fit the edges of the room to size using a tile saw. Insert spacers against the last full-width tiles before you dry fit the cut tiles in the space to ensure they form a tight fit, or trim excess length as required. The tile pieces for the edges of the room are triangular.

Allow the tile to set for 12 hours before removing the spacers. Use a rubber grout float to add grout in the gaps between adjacent tiles. Sweep excess grout off the tiled floor by holding the float at a 45-degree angle.

Let the grout set for 15 minutes before wiping excess off the tiles using a damp sponge. Allow the grout to cure for the time specified on the label’s directions before using the floor.