Before you get started on the path to a new granite tile floor you need to make a plan for exactly what you intend to do. Start with a piece of graph paper and map out the area. If you plan to have a pattern in your floor put the design down on paper first. Choose colors to match other elements in the room or better yet make the granite tile a focal point and choose the other elements in the room to match the granite. Make a list of materials you will need, and don’t forget the cost of tools.

There’s no better suggestion than to actually view a piece of the granite you are concidering in the light of the area you will be remodeling. Put it up alongside samples of other materials that will be a part of your design. Paint chips are usually free and you can get samples of wood finishes fairly easily. However granite is quarried not manufactured, so samples of granite will come at a cost. Narrow down your choices to a few you would like to concider and order some granite samples from a supplier. In order to make your project come out right its best to have everything figured out from the start. Make sure you are happy with how things are going to look.

Once you have a plan and a budget, you are ready to start preparation of the area. You should start with the removal of any old flooring and the base trim around the area to be tiled. You should never lay tile over the top of an existing vinyl floor. It may seem sound, but problems may arise later that can be costly to fix. The key to the problem bieng that a flooring system can only ever be as strong as its weakest component. If you glue the tiles to the vinyl, then you’ve got a bunch of tiles glued to a vinyl backing, but not neccesarily affixed to the subfloor. It is worthwhile to remove the old floor and if possible the quarter inch of substrate wood below the vinyl.

An advantage you gain by digging down is that you can make the tile sit lower and offset the elevation gain. It also prevents having to resize the bottom of the doors adjacent to your newly tiled room. Resizing a door is often a far more difficult task than tearing up a floor. Floors that step-up are a safety hazard giving even more reason to dig down.

Once you have finished the tear out process you are ready for the next article Preparing the sub floor