▪ Tile usually goes in the following rooms: bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. Of course, you can find it in any other interior or exterior space, too, but these are the most common.

▪ These days, you can get fantastic old fashioned looking tile, just like you used to see in old houses. (Think of the old hexagonal bathroom tiles with a black and white pattern... Or, the classic white "brick" tile.) My favorite hexagonal floor tile comes in sheets. In other words, there are about 30 hexagonal tiles already connected together onto a fiber backing. So they go down on the floor very fast, but they look like they were placed individually.

▪ You can get tile at a home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowe's, or you can find more variety at a specialized store that sells only tile. I'll go to Home Depot for basic 12"x12" tile, but the nicer stuff must be found elsewhere.

▪ Tile can be a good choice if you are working with uneven floors. Most tile contractors know how to use a leveling compound underneath the tile to make the floor even. This can be very handy when working with old unfinished basement floors.

▪ Besides the color of the tile, you will also need to decide what color grout you would like to use. Grout is the substance that is inserted between the tiles.

Tile Tips - Home Remodeling, Part 2

Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University