by Gerald Berdula

Created on: January 06, 2007

This article describes two ways of grouting floor tiles that have been installed next to wood flooring.

The most commomon areas:

1. Installing tiles where the front entrance seperates the living room, kitchen and hallway.

2. Laundry room and mud room.

When you are installing ceramic floor tiles on areas that are next to hardwood flooring, one must take into account the natural expansion and contraction of wood.

Do not install tiles (touching) that will be in contact with your wood floor. If installed in this manner, a solid barrier will be created and the wood floor will be "locked in" with no room to move. The floorboards may then become uneven. In most cases, the grout line around tiles will be 1/4" to 3/8". The grout line between tile and wood should be increased by 30%.

After the tiles have set, apply grout up to this area and stop. Don't fill the gap between the tile and wood floor. Let the grout dry until the next day.

IMPORTANT: Do not mix all of your grout. Keep some dry for the following day.

When the grout has dried, apply a line of wide masking tape on the wood floor next to the gap between the tile and wood. Fill this gap with a tube of clear, exterior grade silicone and while still wet, sprinkle this with the remaining dry grout. Let this set for a few hours and lightly brush off the excess grout. Don't walk on this for 24 hours.

Once this silicone has dried, remove the tape. Now you have a grout line that will be moisture resistant and will allow the wood to move naturally.

If an exact colour match is not important, this can be done with a coloured silicone or an exterior grade acrylic.

Thankyou.

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