▪ How much tile should you get? I usually give my tile contractor the dimensions of the space to be tiled and let her do a "take-off". A take-off is simply a calculation of total material quantities that will be required.

▪ Small floor spaces can be made to look larger if you lay the tile diagonally in relation to the walls.

▪ With tile floors, you need to anticipate how you want to handle the points where the tile meets other floor surfaces. For example, if you have hardwood floors in the hall and tile in the bathroom, you will probably want a strip of marble threshold (available at Home Depot or Lowe's). Have this available for the tile contractor to install while he's installing the rest of the tile!

▪ Installing tile is one of the skills that I would hire a professional for rather than ever attempting to do it myself. The material is heavy, cutting the tile can be tricky, laying it out perfectly is not easy, and you spend a lot of time on your hands and knees. I'd rather have a professional do this as it will probably come out looking a lot better than any job that I could do.

Tile Tips - Home Remodeling, Part 3

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