Tile Assembly Directions - Part 1 - Individual Tiles

Please note that some accompanying photos have been enhanced with colored lines to better see construction. We don’t have assembly-in-progress pictures, so if you have questions please contact fvalesco@cforat.org.

Hanging railing for individual tiles:

First step:

Tiles are 12 x 12” Masonite cut from a 4 x 8’ sheet. Tempered Masonite is preferred because it is thinner, the edges don’t fray, and the back doesn’t soak in as much varnish sealer. You can buy Masonite at lumber yards, not at hardware stores. Do not use other materials. If it has another name in your local area, refer to the pictures for visual examples. Often times lumber yards will cut the large sheets for you but may charge a fee for doing so.

Railing (also called “cleat”) is 7/16” plywood cut from a 4’ x 8’ sheet into many 1 9/16” wide strips. On one end side of each strip make a cut on a 45 degree angle. (See LongCleat1 photo.)

Plywood pieces for railing should be approximately 8” to 10” long. The length doesn’t matter as long as you keep the railing at least 1" to 1 1/4” away from the side edges of the tile. That way the railing doesn't show when tiles are displayed. (See TilesWithRuler1 photo.)

The top piece of railing is glued flush with the top edge of the Masonite tile. The part facing the top should be painted black so it won’t show. (See TileBackWithCleat3 photo.) The smaller angle side should be placed against the Masonite facing down. (See TilesWithRuler1 and TilesBackWithCleat4 photos.) The larger side of the angle cut will face outside. (See TilesWithRuler1 and TileBackWithCleat2 photos). The bottom or second piece of railing should be exactly 8” from the bottom of the upper plywood railing (cleat) or 8 5/8” from the top edge. When placed correctly, the bottom edge of the railing should be 1 5/8” from the bottom edge of the Masonite. The angle of the bottom railing will be parallel the top one (See TilesWithRuler1 and TileBackWithCleat2 photos.) TheTileBackWithCleat3 photo is a view of the tile from the top. You can see railings placed with the 90 degree angle (flat side) on the top. TheTilesBackWithCleat4 photo is a view from the bottom; you can see the 45 degree angle cuts in the railings.

Use a good glue (like Gorilla Glue) to attach the plywood. Number the tiles on the top railing piece and on a label (if you attach one) with F + a number, e.g., F1, F2, F3. The F will stand for Florida and will be used to identify tiles in our database after you send them to us. Use a permanent black marker such as a Sharpie to write the number.

Seal the back with two coats of gloss acrylic varnish after you attach the plywood railing and label. If you don’t seal the back the Masonite may warp. Use a variety of colors to paint the front surface of the tiles with acrylic paint or colored primer. Just leaving the surface white makes for very uninteresting backgrounds and the color may spark some creativity by participants.