Free ebookTile Installation Basics: Substrates, Layout, Cutting, and Grouting

Course Description

Tile Installation Basics: Substrates, Layout, Cutting, and Grouting is a practical construction course designed to help you build job ready skills for installing tile on floors and walls. Whether you are improving your home, preparing for site work, or strengthening your trade fundamentals, this ebook style learning experience walks you through the methods that lead to clean lines, strong adhesion, and durable finishes.

You will learn how professional tile installers approach safety, tools, and materials, then move into the most common reason tile jobs fail: poor substrate preparation. The course shows you how to evaluate floors and wall assemblies, choose the right underlayment or backer boards, and install them correctly so tile has a stable, flat base. For wet areas, you will gain a clear understanding of waterproofing, detailing, and transitions that protect structures from moisture and prevent costly callbacks.

As you progress, you will practice layout and planning techniques that improve speed and accuracy, including smart placement of grout joints, movement joints, and transitions for real world conditions. You will also develop confidence with thinset and mortar selection, proper mixing, and trowel choice so you achieve dependable bond and coverage. The course explains how to cut tile with scoring tools, wet saws, grinders, and hole drilling methods, helping you create precise fits around edges, fixtures, and penetrations.

From there, you will learn how to set tile with consistent spacing, leveling practices, and lippage control to achieve a flat, professional surface. Grouting is covered in a practical way, including how to choose between sanded, unsanded, polymer modified, and epoxy grout, plus techniques for mixing, application, cleanup, and curing. You will also discover how sealing, caulking, and finishing details affect appearance and long term performance, and how to troubleshoot issues like hollow spots, cracked grout, and uneven tile before they become major repairs.

Start this free professional construction course today and build the tile installation basics you can apply immediately on your next floor or wall project.