Intro - Materials - Plan - Lines/Molding - Chalklines - Wire - Ref. Strings - Runners/Lines - Grid - Panels - Options
Margin of Error: 1/4"
Now you are ready to lay out chalklines, popped across the bottom of the ceiling joists (or existing ceiling), which will mark where the runners will be. You need to do some figuring before doing this. The object of this runner layout is to be certain that no border tile (the tiles that meet the wall) is ever less than half a tile (24" with 4' tiles). This process has been explained in the planning step. For example, imagine a room that is 10'2" wide. We would first need to convert this measurement to be sure the border courses are at least half a tile, and also to assure that each border row on opposing walls will be equal. So we convert 10'2" to 122". This will allow us one full 4' tile and two border rows of 37" each (37 + 48 + 37=122). Using your tape measure, snap chalklines running perpendicular to the joists. These lines are 37" from either wall, and this will leave a 48" space in the middle.
Tip: Locate wall studs by gently tapping on the wall with your hammer and listening for a solid sound (or you can use a stud locator which uses a magnet to find nails in the studs).
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