Installing 12 by 12 Floor Tiles - DIY Home Improvement Project

You can dramatically change the look of a room by installing new 12 by 12 vinyl flooring. Here are easy instructions to help you do this home improvement project yourself...

Start by measuring the square footage of the room. Measure the width and length of the room and multiply. For example, if your room is 12 feet wide and 11 feet long, then your square footage is 132 (because 12 x 11 = 132).

That square footage is the number of 12 by 12 tiles you'll need, because each tile is 1 square foot. ('12 by 12' means that the tile is 12 inches by 12 inches.) The tiles usually come in boxes of a dozen, so you may need to round up. But that's okay, because you may need extras to go around cabinets, and you can always store the spares in case you need to replace one later.

One of the nice benefits of 12 by 12 tiles is that if one is damaged, you can just replace that one tile. With roll-out vinyl, you'd have to replace the whole room, or make do with an ugly patch. So 12 by 12 tiles are very convenient if your family is likely to be hard on the floors, and you don't want to replace the whole room very often.

Now head to your favorite building supply or home improvement store. Smaller stores may have around a dozen different tile designs to choose from, but your larger chain-stores may have a whole aisle of them. You can also look online, but keep in mind that the colors on your monitor may vary from real life.

Once you find a design that you like, get enough boxes for your project. MAKE SURE that all the boxes have the same lot number on them. If you get boxes from different lots, the dye can be different, and your finished floor will look very weird.

When you get the boxes home, open the cartons carefully and turn over the whole stack of tiles. There will be an arrow or some other kind of marking on the bottom on each tile, to help you line them up. All the arrows should be facing the same way once they're installed. For example, if the first tile you put down has the arrow facing west, then you need to make sure all the other tiles go in with their arrows facing west as well.