Black Hexagon Tile Kitchen Floor in Carpentersville
About This Project
This Carpentersville ranch home kitchen received a full floor tile replacement using large-format matte black hexagon porcelain tile. The previous floor was vinyl sheet that had buckled in spots. The subfloor beneath was plywood over joists, and we installed a layer of cement backer board before setting tile to bring the substrate up to the rigidity required for floor tile.
Large hex tiles require the layout to be centered in the room so that the partial tiles at the perimeter are equal on opposing walls. We established the center point of the kitchen and dry-laid the field outward to check the perimeter cuts before committing to mortar. The white grout against the matte black tile creates a strong graphic effect that was intentional in the design.
What We Did
Removed existing vinyl floor; assessed and secured plywood subfloor
Installed cement backer board with staggered joints and screwed every 6 inches
Centered layout; dry-laid to confirm perimeter cuts before setting
Set in modified thinset; grouted in white after full cure
