This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.
If you’ve been following along with our Front Porch Makeover, you’ve read about our plan, shopped for supplies with us and now we are ready to get to work installing our new tiles.
We’re working with an existing outdoor surface, but remember, you can also install envirotiles on level dirt or even in basement areas inside your home.
Make sure your area is free of all debris before getting started. (keep your broom and/or shop vac nearby – you’ll need it to clean up after making cuts)
To see how the tiles are going to fit, lay a row down the width and length of your area. Then you’ll know if any of them will need to be trimmed.
Our tiles were a little longer than the width, so we knew we were going to have to cut some off of the side that went against the house. That left the tiles along the outer edge looking nice and smooth.
We started in the corner and worked our way down each row and then over.
(If you’re working with all straight edges, you can follow the instructions HERE, starting in the center of your area)
There were a few spots with cement clumps that we chiseled out of the way to make sure the tiles would be flush against the walls.
For trouble spots that require some trimming, you’re going to want to measure how much needs to be trimmed…
And mark your measurements on the tile using a marker (or chalk). Our wall wasn’t completely straight, so we had to take two measurements, one at both ends.
Connect the two measurements with the straight edge…
And using a utility knife, score successive lines while bending the tile up to get the scoring line deeper. We ended up using a hack saw to speed up the process.
Place your tile in the space to see if it needs anymore trimming.
Once you have a perfect fit, put your clips into place. (Since our tiles were going on flat concrete, we used the connector clips instead of the adhesive.)
Lay your tile down on top of the connector clips…
and using your rubber mallet, hammer the tile down flat. (Make sure everyone in the family is there to watch you, even the dog.)
Once the job was finished, I sprayed the area off really good to remove all the dirt from the tiles (Since they had been sitting outside, they were pretty dirty)
And now I’m ready to accessorize!!
(We’re almost ready to show you our new space.)
Jamie
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Looking good! I know you used the clips with the tiles but did you do anything different for the outer edges of your porch? Like adhesive so they won't move.
We've been accssorizing our front porch this week too…can't wait to see your finished space! 🙂
This is awesome! Do you know if you can install these tiles on top of outdoor carpet? Looking for a way to easily update our screened-in porch…
I have been EAGERLY awaiting this reveal! My hubby and I were supposed to attend a class this Sat 5/18 at Home Depot for this exact tile, but now we are throwing our youngest a late birthday party instead….so seeing your step by step instructions is great for me! 🙂
The instructions are very well written and easy to understand. One part needs to be stressed, "Make sure everyone in the family is there to watch you, even the dog." That step that is an absolute must 🙂
what are these tiles called ?
They are Envirotiles from Home Depot.
Very nice choice
This is something interesting for me as I have never seen rubber looking tiles. We have hard porcelain, ceramic or stone tiles. What exactly is this product you are using?
I have excellent lab mix puppy to help me but we don’t understand how to handle edges where porch steps down to sidewalk. Isn’t different handling needed for safety and finished look? Do you glue this edge in place? Are there special tiles that cover the “open” edge?
I was wondering the same on the edges. We actually bought these but took them back because we were afraid of someone tripping over the front edge. We tried using a metal strip that Lowes said would work but it didn’t. 🙁
Looks so nice! I think this would be nice on soft. Can keep water from getting underneath?
This is really just an FYI to you. I realize you’re an advocate for Home Depot and that’s fine but I would rather die and go to hell than spend my money in a Home Depot.
Now for the part of my comments you’ll actually be allowed to print:
Thank you for your helpful hints on how you laid the over-floor on your porch. Many places sell some great looking “tiles” of that sort and for those of us who haven’t begun the work yet, your tutorial was clear and concise. Again, thank you.
We have a lot if humidity and this would be on top of a concrete screened in porch……when it rains a lot, the porch gets sweaty…..would these absorb moisture ok?