- 1). Remove the base shoe, or cove at the bottom of the baseboard with a pry bar. Pull the nails through the back of the molding with locking pliers to preserve the face. Set the molding aside for reuse. Sweep and damp mop the floor with clear water to remove dust. Allow the floor to dry.
- 2). Measure the walls and mark the floor directly in front of the wall even with the center of the wall. Stretch the chalk line between the center marks on both of the longest walls and snap a line, dividing the room in half. Do the same between the marks at the center of the short walls to divide it in fourths, creating four square corners at the center of your space.
- 3). Apply flooring adhesive to the back of one tile with a notch edged trowel. Scrape through the adhesive, tipping the trowel on edge, so that the notches spread the adhesive evenly. Press this tile so that one of its corners fits into one of the four chalk line corners in the center of your room. Press the tile down firmly. Apply adhesive to a second tile and fit it in the second chalk line corner along the long line, butted up to the first tile.
- 4). Continue adding adhesive to one tile at a time and butting it up to one of these tiles, along the long line. Add tiles along this line in both directions, using full tiles as far as possible. Cut tiles with a utility knife to fit between the wall and the last tile in the line. Leave a 1/4 inch gap between the tile and the wall. Install the cut tiles at the walls on either end.
- 5). Install tiles running in a line perpendicular to the first line, along the shorter chalk line across the room. Add tiles, using these two perpendicular lines to position them. Place each tile, butted up to the tiles next to it, without gaps. Add full tiles as far as possible, cutting tiles to fit against the wall as needed. Add adhesive to each tile as you go with the notch edged trowel.
- 6). Reposition the molding at the base of the baseboard to cover the gap between the tile and the wall. Nail it in place with finish nails.
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