How to Install Tile Baseboard

Installing tile baseboard throughout the entire house helps to protect the walls from vacuums and mops that are wet when mopping the floor. It enhances the home and gives it a finished look to the floor tile design. Installing tile baseboard is not difficult and can be completed in a short amount of time. Follow the simple step-by-step instructions below to install tile baseboard.

Step 1 – Cut the Tiles

Use a measuring tape to determine the desired height you want the baseboard to be and make a mark. Then, cut the tiles with a tile saw. You will get two tile baseboards for each floor tile in this way.

Step 2 – Prep the Walls

For quality installation, clean the walls with a feather duster or brush of any dust, grout, or thinset that is on the walls. Vacuum the debris up with a vacuum cleaner. This is to prepare the walls to install the tiles properly.

Step 3 – Apply Acrylic Mastic

Spread the acrylic mastic across the bottom part of the walls where you are going to install the tiles horizontally with a v-notch trowel. Do not spread the acrylic mastic across the entire wall base area all at once. Take note of how many tiles you can cover with the mastic you spread. If you can cover only 12 linear feet of acrylic mastic with tiles in 5 minutes, be cautious not to spread 16 linear feet of acrylic mastic onto the wall. Spread the acrylic mastic based on the tile width. Do not spread wider than that.

Step 4 – Install the Tiles

Start installing the tiles into the acrylic mastic by pressing them into it. Put the same tile spacers you used to install the flooring tiles between the tile baseboards. This is to ensure that the grout lines appear even and line up to the flooring tiles. Between the floor and the tile baseboard, place 2 ¼-inch tile spacers under each tile flat. Allow the acrylic mastic to air dry and the tiles to set for at least 24 hours.

Step 5 – Apply Grout

After the acrylic mastic has dried, remove the tile spacers. Mix the grout up until it looks like peanut butter. Then, apply and force the grout onto the grout lines in between the tiles with a grout trowel. Wipe off the excess grout from the tiles with a damp sponge. After applying the grout to all the tiles, let the grout set for at least 72 hours.

Step 6 – Apply Grout Sealer

After the grout is set, apply two to three layers of grout sealer onto it. Grout sealer protects the grout from cracking.