Tiling is an interesting beast to tackle. When done right, it can provide you and your home with literally years of enjoyment. Done improperly, and it can be one of the greatest headaches your body has ever experienced. When figuring out whether to do the job yourself, or to hire someone, you'll want to go over a few simple criteria. Is this something you REALLY want to tackle, or should you leave it up to the professionals. If you want to do it yourself, where do you go to find out how to do it best?

If you're looking for someone to hire, how do you choose someone that will give you a great job at a fair price? Fortunately there's an answer to both of these questions. Education! An informed customer is one that will get the best job at the best price. Whether that means you go at it yourself, (and maybe some friends), or outsourcing the job to someone else, there are always ways to do it better, and with less money.

First you will want to find out what type of tile you want to install - now word to the wise, don't just get the cheapest or the prettiest. There are many factors when deciding what tile will work best with your situation. Front hallway - ceramic, porcelain, or slate will work fine, not so much with marble. Why is that you ask? Good question. Marble is the most likely tile to scratch and will be a complete eyesore from all the shoe/boot foot traffic.

Next you will need to figure out what kind of subfloor you would like installed. Subfloor, what's that! Don't worry; this is just the floor that goes over top of your existing floor to give it extra strength. If you go with plywood, you'll be adding a lot of height, but it's quite cost effective. Schluter DITRA works amazing and is very thin, but the price is higher than the other selections.

To make your pocket book even happier, choosing the right tools can help you to eliminate unnecessary spending as well. Buying the best of everything, while this makes the salesman happy, won't guarantee that the job will be done well or fast. On the other hand, buying all low end tools isn't always the best way to go about it either, learn what works best and realistically how many times you'll actually be using them.

These three decisions you will have to make will greatly decrease any problems you might run into. Knowing what to install, is almost as important as knowing how to install and nailing down those three, (two choices if you go with someone else), will greatly increase your chance for having a well laid tile floor. Just remember to understand everything BEFORE you either go at it yourself or bring someone in to quote the job. Stay informed; you'll be happy you did.