Large-Format Kitchen Floor

A wide kitchen floor in large pale-gray porcelain. The tile runs around a central island, under the cabinets' toe-kicks and out through the adjoining hall, so the whole level reads as one surface with very few joints.

What to look at

With tiles this big, a flat floor is not optional. The substrate was checked with a long straightedge and ground and leveled where needed. The tile is set with a notched trowel and back-buttered so the thinset covers the whole back, which prevents hollow spots under the island. Joints line up across the room and into the hall. Layout starts from the center of the main sight line so the cuts at the walls come out even.

How work like this is set

A large-format floor starts with a flat substrate. Anything over a small dip is leveled with a patching compound or ground down, and cracks are isolated with a membrane so they do not telegraph through. The tile is then set in a large-notch thinset, back-buttered, with leveling clips so adjacent edges meet without lippage.

If you want something similar

A floor job starts with what is under it. Slab moisture, cracks, dips and old adhesive all affect how the new tile should be set. Send us the room, the approximate size and the tile you have in mind and we will tell you what prep it needs. We work in Lakewood and nearby, and the matching service is Residential Tile Installation.