Home Improvement Ideas Tile Installing Tile How to Tile an Entryway for Small Spaces A simple DIY tiling project even beginners can manage in a matter of hours. By Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole is the senior home editor at BHG. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of interior design expertise. She has vast experience with digital media, including SEO, photo shoot production, video production, eCommerce content, print collaboration, and custom sales content. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on December 16, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Project Overview Total Time: 6 hours Skill Level: Beginner Estimated Cost: $1 to $15 per sq. ft. Yield: One tiled entry A small entryway is a good beginning tile project because it requires a straightforward application of basic skills. Plus, an entryway is the first impression guests have of your home, so you want it to look fresh and sharp. This project will take you about 30 to 45 minutes per square yard to prepare the floor and set tile. If you have no prior experience with tiling, you'll learn a lot of valuable skills in this project. Let us walk you through the steps in our instructions below. Installing Tile What You'll Need Equipment / Tools 4-foot level Small sledgehammer and cold chisel Right-angled grinder or belt sander for wood floor Measuring tape Chalkline Margin trowel Roller Notched trowel Straightedge Carbide scriber Utility knife Snap cutter or wet saw Nippers Grout knife Caulk gun Grout float Hammer Cordless drill Putty knife Bucket Thinset mortar Materials Masonry stone Isolation membrane Tile Spacers Caulk Grout Rags Sponge Water Threshold and fasteners Backerboard and tape for wood floor Foam backer rod Instructions Even Out Surface Examine the entryway slab for high spots, depressions, cracks, and other defects. Work in sections with a 4-foot level and mark the defects. Fill depressions, level high spots, and roughen slick surfaces. If your entry has wood subflooring, shore up the joists and the subfloor, if necessary, and prepare the surface with the same methods used for a slab. Mix enough thinset to allow you to use it within its working time (the time it takes to "skin" over) and trowel it on the floor, smoothing it first with the straight edge of a trowel and combing it with the notched edge. Screw down the cement backerboard with the edges centered on the joists, offsetting subsequent joints and spacing the edges ⅛ inch apart. Drive screws into the backerboard on the edges and within the field. Tape the backerboard joints with 2-inch pregummed tape and spread a thin coat of thinset over the tape. Apply Membrane Bandage each crack in the slab with an isolation membrane. Apply the adhesive with a roller, let it cure (follow the manufacturer's directions), and cover the adhesive with the membrane. Set Layout Dry-lay tiles to test your layout, keeping small-cut tiles to a minimum. Then use a chalk line to snap a reference and as many layout lines as the pattern needs. Starting at the first row of field tile near the door, trowel on thinset in a smooth and even manner. Begin Laying Tile Set the field tile first on the layout lines. You will do the edge tile last. Insert spacers in between each tile as you go and check the sections with a straightedge to make certain they're straight. If they're not, adjust as needed before thinset dries. Clean excess mortar from the joints with a utility knife as you go. Lay Edge Tile When the mortar under the field tiles is dry, it's time to lay the edge tile. Mark and cut the tile as needed. Round the cut edges with a masonry stone to give them a finished appearance that blends into the full tile. Spread mortar and lay tile, using spacers as you go. When you're finished laying the edges, clean the joints and use a caulk gun at the joint at the wall. Use your finger to smooth the caulk as it dries. Tile floors expand and contract with temperature changes. Expansion joints cushion the expansion of the tile against the wall and keep the tile from cracking. An expansion joint is a gap filled with a compressible material and topped off with caulk. Foam backer rod is available in a variety of thicknesses. Purchase a backer rod that fits snugly. On a slab, insert a foam backer rod into any control joints in the field of the slab and also along the perimeter at the wall. Push the backer rod into place with a wide putty knife. On a wood subfloor, insert the backer rod into the ¼-inch gap between the cement backerboard and the wall. Finish the joint with caulk colored to match the grout. Apply Grout Let the edge tiles cure before you grout. Force grout into the joint with a grout float, let it set slightly, then scrape the excess off the surface. Be sure to use the tool suggested by the manufacturer to not scratch the new tile. Clean the grout from the surface, and wipe off the haze with rags. Let dry. How to Choose Grout Color and Type for Your Tile Project Install Threshold If the threshold didn't require installation before the tile, install it now. Cut the threshold to fit and frame the interior doorway, if necessary, and install it with fasteners recommended by the manufacturer. Frequently Asked Questions What kind of tile works best for small entryways? Treat entryways the same way you would a mudroom space—a busy area that needs long-term durability materials. Porcelain or ceramic, and even slate flooring, are resistant to cracks and scratches, perfect for heavy traffic zones. How soon can you walk over a newly tiled entryway? This would depend on the type of grout you use, however, experts advise to wait at least 24 hours before walking and placing or dropping heavy-weight objects on entryway tiles.