How to Set Ceramic Tiles Without Grout Joints

Lay out your installation area. While you can use tile spacers for traditional, jointed installations, installing ceramic tile without a joint means you need some other frame of reference to use as a guide. Lay out several pieces of ceramic tile in a row on the ground and ensure that they are set tight to each other. Measure the distance between the tiles and use those measurements to determine your starting point for the installation.

Make grids for your floor to use as a guide, using the measurements from your dry-laid tiles. Measure out from your starting point around two feet (or wherever full tile falls around that measurement) and mark two lines at opposite ends of the room. Snap a line between those two points with your chalk line. Determine your starting point in the opposite direction and make a pencil mark on top of the chalk line. Use your framing square to draw a square line perpendicular to the first line, and snap a cross-section chalk line. Repeat the process using your dry-laid measurements to create a series of square grids on the floor to use as a reference.

Draw plumb and level lines on the wall using your levels. Use the measurements from your dry-laid tiles. Start at the bottom of the wall and work your way up. Draw grids that are roughly the same size as what you would use for a floor (2-by-2 feet, or whatever you feel comfortable with as a working area for spreading thinset).

Mix the thinset according to the manufacturer's instructions on the container, adding small increments of water and mixing it with a drill. Alternatively use pre-mixed thinset. Spread the thinset mortar into a grid with the notched edge of the trowel. Apply pressure while you spread the thinset in multiple directions to make sure it sticks completely to the surface. For walls, work your way up from the bottom. For floors, start in an inside corner and work your way out toward a doorway or exit point.

Place a piece of ceramic tile into the bed of thinset mortar and apply pressure directly to the face of the tile. Move it slightly in all directions while you apply pressure. Repeat the process for each additional piece of tile, and butt each piece up against its neighbor. Use your grid lines as a reference point to keep the installation square/level/plumb.