A newly tiled floor in a fresh room almost makes me do jazz hands (Sherry reaches that level of enthusiasm for a York peppermint patty, so clearly our thresholds differ). We absolutely love this new laundry room floor — and there’s a whole new romance in our house that involves a saw — so here’s a clear, practical run-through of how we installed porcelain tile in our laundry room, from subfloor prep through grouting and sealing.
Before laying any tile, the subfloor needed to be stabilized with cement board, which provides a solid surface for tile installation. Cement board sheets are typically 3′ x 5′, so the room accepted two full sheets plus a few cut strips. I scored each sheet with a utility knife and snapped them along the score line — a simple and fast cut method for this material.
Once the pieces were dry-fit and checked, I adhered them to the wood subfloor using thinset. A thinset bed prevents the cement board from shifting, grinding, or flexing against the subfloor. I used the same thinset I planned to use for the tile, mixed it to the manufacturer’s directions with a drill and mixing paddle, and applied it one board at a time.
I spread the thinset with a 1/4″ notched trowel: first coating the surface with the trowel’s flat side, then combing grooves with the notched edge — the same approach used for tile. This ensures a consistent adhesive layer and good coverage.
After pressing the cement board sheets firmly into the thinset, I left an 1/8″ gap around the room perimeter. Then I secured the boards with cement board screws along the edges every 6–10″ and a few in the field every 12–16″ to help pull the boards tight to the floor while the thinset cured.
Instead of fully mudding every seam right away, I applied mesh tape to the seams and planned to embed thinset as I tiled. That approach reduced the risk of creating raised ridges at seams or screw heads and kept the surface flatter for setting tile.
With seams taped, we dry-fit tiles to figure the best layout for the brick-pattern we wanted. Initially we started centered, but that left narrow slivers of tile at the sides. After experimenting, we shifted the layout slightly to the left so the left edge would show a full tile and the right edge would require a larger cut, avoiding tiny slivers. The washer and dryer will sit offset to the left, so that layout also made more visual sense.
Cutting tiles became straightforward once we invested in a full-size wet saw. After years of using a cheap tabletop saw, upgrading to a proper wet saw made a huge difference — smoother, straighter cuts and far less time spent fighting the tool. Features like the stand, water tray, laser guide, and rolling tray for sliding tiles through the blade made the work faster and more accurate.
Before permanently adhering tiles, Sherry and I sorted the boxes so our favorite, most veined tiles would be placed in the most visible spots. We separated tiles into three piles: favorites for the center, regulars for less-visible areas, and the less-attractive tiles reserved for under appliances.
My main supplies for laying tile included:
- Bucket and mixer attachment for thinset
- Margin trowel for moving thinset
- 1/4″ notched trowel for spreading thinset
- Square and pencil for marking cuts
- 1/16″ spacers for consistent grout joints
I deliberately mixed the thinset a bit wetter than I usually do — aiming for a pancake-batter consistency — because I tend to make it too stiff. Working in small sections, I installed about two rows at a time and cut tiles as I progressed. A long level helped ensure each tile sat flat and even with its neighbors.
Once the tile was down it took less than two hours to set the full field. I let the thinset cure about 48 hours before removing spacers and preparing for grout.
One detail I’m proud of is the transition at the doorway. Instead of using a raised transition strip, we extended the hardwoods slightly into the doorway and matched subfloor heights so the tile and wood sit perfectly flush. That required adding back some hardwood and careful planning, but the result is a seamless, level threshold.
For grouting, after the thinset cured I mixed non-sanded grout (joints under 1/8″) in a small bucket. My grout kit included a rubber float, sponge, and margin trowel. I mixed the grout by adding powder to water, but started with more water than intended and ended up with a larger batch than needed — something to watch for in small rooms.
Using the rubber float, I forced grout into the joints and then removed excess at an angle. The process was fast with large tiles; I finished grouting the entire room in about 20 minutes. As the grout began to dry and lighten, I wiped off the haze with a barely damp sponge, being careful not to over-wet the surface.
After waiting 90 minutes, I buffed the tiles with a dry microfiber cloth to remove remaining haze. That step significantly improved the look. We followed the grout manufacturer’s instructions and allowed three days of drying before treating any lingering haze with a grout haze remover, then rinsed thoroughly.
Once the grout was clean and dry, we applied a penetrating sealer to both tile and grout. The sealer was wiped on with a sponge, allowed to soak in briefly, and the excess removed. Sealing deepened the tile appearance and provided stain protection — a worthwhile final step.
Here’s the project cost breakdown:
- Cement board & screws: $48
- Blast Anthracite 12 x 24″ tiles: $353
- Thinset: $29
- Dolorean Gray grout: $13
- Buckets, sponges, trowels, spacers, float: $8 (we already owned most tools; expect ~$25 if purchasing)
- Haze remover: $0 (leftover; typically $9)
- Penetrating sealer: $0 (leftover; typically $13)
- TOTAL: $451
Roughly $350 went to tile and $100 to supplies. I excluded the wet saw price since it’s a tool investment for many projects, but upgrading from a cheap saw noticeably improved speed and cut quality.
With the floor finished, we can begin installing cabinets and bringing appliances back in. We plan to hang upper cabinets before moving the washer and dryer in — better safe than sorry when it comes to dropping cabinets on expensive machines. Once the cabinets and appliances are in, we’ll finally be back to washing clothes at home.