A method to consistently space a tile a desired distance from another tile, and to consistently level adjacent tiles while the tiles are being set in a substrate, so as to form a finished planar surface, the method comprising the steps:
- providing a surface that is at least partially covered with the substrate;
- providing at least two tiles to be placed adjacent one another in the substrate with the desired distance between adjacent edge portions of the at least two tiles;
- providing an anchor having an anchor column, an anchor column extension and a base portion opposites the anchor column;
- and
- a leveling base having a leveling base insert, a toothed disc, a compression spring and a mid-plate;
- and wherein
- the base portion of the anchor has a top surface that is generally planar, bottom surface, and a peripheral edge that extends about the base portion, and plural spacedly arrayed through cut outs are defined in the base portion, and the base portion has a tapering thickness such that a thickness of the base portion is smallest adjacent to the peripheral edge, and a tile spacer is carried on the top surface of the base portion and the tile spacer extends generally perpendicularly upwardly therefrom, and the tile spacer defines a thickness dimension between a first side and a second side, and a height dimension;
- and
- the anchor column extension is generally rectilinear in peripheral configuration and interconnects the anchor column to the base portion, and the anchor column extension has a first end portion that structurally communicates with a bottom end portion of the anchor column, and a second end portion that structurally communicates with the top surface of the base portion of the anchor, and the anchor column base has a first side, a second side, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge, and a frangible interconnection is defined between the bottom end portion of the anchor column and the top surface of the base portion, and the anchor column is breakably/destructively separable from the base portion generally along the anchor column extension, and a thickness dimension of the anchor column extension between the first side and the second side is equal to, or less than, the thickness dimension of the tile spacer;
- and
- the anchor column of the anchor is generally cylindrical in configuration and has a top end portion that is beveled, and the bottom end portion communicates with the first end portion of the anchor column extension, the anchor column defines a length between the top end portion and the bottom end portion, an axis, and the anchor column defines plural spacedly arrayed, and circumferentially extending, annular rings along the length of the anchor column, and each of the plural spacedly arrayed annular rings defines a minor diameter and a major diameter, and each of the plural spacedly arrayed annular rings defines an upper downwardly and outwardly tapered edge portion at an outer circumferential edge, and each of the plural spacedly arrayed annular rings defines a horizontal bottom surface that communicates with the outer circumferential edge;
- and
- placing a first tile and the substrate in a predetermined position;
- placing the base portion of the anchor in the substrate and positioning a portion of the base portion under one edge of the placed first tile so that some amount of substrate flows into and through the cut outs defined in the base portion, and an edge portion of the first placed tile is in direct frictional contact with one edge portion of the tile spacer carried on the top surface of the base portion, and so that the anchor column extension extends vertically upwardly adjacent the edge of the first placed tile;
- placing a second tile in the substrate immediately adjacent the opposing edge portion of the tile spacer carried on the top surface of the base portion of the anchor that was previously placed in the substrate, and at least partially underneath the edge of the first placed tile, and aligning the second tile immediately adjacent the tile spacer so that the thickness dimension provided by the tile spacer is the spacing between the first and second placed tiles, and so that the anchor column extension extends vertically upwardly from the space between the first and second placed tiles;
- providing a mid-plate and is cup-like in configuration and has a body that has a top portion that defines a peripheral edge, a bottom portion, an outer circumferential surface that defines an outer diameter and plural spacedly arrayed through notches that communicate with the peripheral edge, and the body defines an interior cavity that has an opening orifice at the top portion and a closed bottom portion within the interior cavity opposite the opening orifice, and radially outwardly extending engagement tabs are carried on the outer circumferential surface at the peripheral edge adjacent the opening orifice, and the engagement tabs are positioned between adjacent through notches, and an axially aligned boss is carried on an upper surface of the closed bottom within the interior cavity, and an axially aligned through hole is defined in the boss and in the closed bottom portion so that the anchor column of the anchor may pass axially therethrough, the axially aligned hole further defines an axis, and a diameter;
- and
- providing a compression spring which is a coil spring and has a top portion, a bottom portion, an exterior diameter, a length dimension between the top portion and the bottom portion, and the coils define a medial channel that has an interior diameter, and the compression spring is carried within the interior cavity of the mid-plate and the bottom portion of the compression spring frictionally rests upon the closed bottom portion of the mid-plate, and the boss of the mid-plate is positioned within the medial channel defined by the compression spring;
- and
- providing a leveling base that is axially movably interconnected with the mid-plate and adjustably engages, in only one direction, with the anchor column of the anchor, and the leveling base has,
- a body having an inverted cup-like configuration with a closed top portion, an open bottom portion, an outer circumferential surface that has an exterior diameter and which defines plural spacedly arrayed and radially outwardly extending gripping protrusions, the body further defines an interior cavity that opens downwardly and has an interior diameter and an interior circumferential surface, and the interior circumferential surface defines a recess to engage with the engagement tabs of the mid-plate, the body further defines an axially aligned medial through hole in the closed top portion, and the axially aligned medial through hole has an axis, and
- an annular sleeve which is axially aligned with the axis, is carried by the body inside the interior cavity and the annular sleeve has a first end portion that is structurally attached to an underside of the closed top portion within the interior cavity, a second end portion, an outer circumferential surface having an exterior diameter, and the annular sleeve further defines an axially aligned medial channel extending therethrough, that has an inner circumferential surface and an inner diameter, and the axially aligned medial channel has a length that extends from the first end portion to the second end portion, and the axially aligned medial channel has an axis which is axially aligned with an axis of the medial hole defined in the closed top portion, and the medial channel has a radially reduced interior shoulder proximate the second end portion, and the annular sleeve further defines an annular pocket at the second end portion for axial engagement with the boss carried within the interior cavity of the mid-plate;
- and
- a toothed disc formed of a metal is carried within the axially aligned medial channel and frictionally rests upon the radially reduced interior shoulder, the toothed disc having,
- a generally annular configuration with an outer circumferential edge 69, a top surface, a bottom surface, an exterior diameter, and an axially aligned medial hole that has a diameter and an peripheral edge, and plural angled teeth are carried by and extend generally radially inwardly and upwardly from the peripheral edge of the medial hole, and each of the plural angulated teeth has a tip portion, and diametrically opposed tip portions of the toothed disc define a passage for the anchor column and the plural spaced annular rings carried thereon to pass therethrough in only one direction;
- and
- a leveling base insert having a generally tubular configuration, is fixedly carried within the medial channel defined by the annular sleeve of the leveling base, and the leveling base insert is immediately adjacent the top surface of the toothed disc and positionally secures the toothed disc upon the radially reduced interior shoulder, the leveling base insert has a first end portion, a second end portion, an outer circumferential surface that defines an exterior diameter, a length defined between the first end portion and the second end portion, and defines an axially aligned medial channel that extends between the first end portion and the second end portion, and the axially aligned medial channel has a major diameter, and plural elongate and spacedly arrayed radially inwardly extending vanes are carried within the axially aligned medial channel, and a minor diameter of the axially aligned medial channel is defined between diametrically opposed and proximate radially inwardly extending vanes, and radially inward edge portions of the radially inwardly extending vanes frictionally communicate with the anchor column to support and axially guide movement of the anchor column within the medial channel;
- and wherein
- the compression spring top portion frictionally communicates with an underside of the closed top portion of the leveling base, and the compression spring bottom portion frictionally communicates with an upwardly facing surface of the closed bottom portion of the mid-plate, and because an uncompressed length dimension of the compression spring is greater than the length dimension of the annular sleeve, the compression spring positionally biases the leveling base body axially distally from the mid-plate to an axially extended position where the engagement tabs carried by the mid-plate and which are engaged within the tab recesses defined in the interior circumferential surface of the interior cavity prevent the mid-plate from disengaging from the leveling base, and the compression spring is axially positionally secured within the interior cavity by the annular sleeve which is positioned within the medial channel defined by the compression spring coils;
- and
- positioning the bottom portion of the mid-plate adjacent above the beveled top end portion of the anchor column so that the axially aligned hole defined in the bottom portion of the mid-plate is coaxially aligned with the axis of the anchor column, and axially slidably engaging the mid-plate, the attached leveling base and the enclosed toothed disc on to the anchor column, and moving the leveling base and mid-plate axially downwardly along the anchor column until the bottom portion of the mid-plate frictionally contacts the top surface of both the first and second placed tiles;
- and
- exerting an axial downward force upon the closed top portion of the leveling base so as to overcome the biasing of the compression spring and to force of the leveling base axially downwardly into closer proximity with the mid-plate which responsively forces the anchor column axially upwardly through the axially aligned medial hole defined in the toothed disc and wherein some number of the plurality of spaced annular rings carried on the anchor column pass through the axially aligned medial hole defined in the toothed disc, and the tip portions of the plural angulated teeth frictionally engage with the horizontal bottom surface of the plurality of spaced annular rings to effectively secure the leveling base, the mid-plate and the anchor at a predetermined distance from one another, and the simultaneous frictional engagement of the bottom portion of the mid-plate, and the continuous spring biasing provided by the compression spring move and positionally maintain the two previously placed adjacent tiles in a planar orientation;
- and
- allowing an amount of time to pass to allow the substrate to harden/cure and to positionally secure the first and second placed tiles in the substrate;
- intentionally striking the leveling base outer circumferential surface with a blow sufficient to cause the anchor column to breakable a/destructively separate from the base portion at the frangible interconnection along the length of the anchor column extension, and permanently leaving the base portion in the hardened/cured substrate below the adjacent placed tiles;
- and
- providing and placing grout in the space between the first and second placed tiles to fill the space and cover any portion of the frangible interconnection remaining between the first and second placed tiles;
- and
- removing the separated anchor column from the toothed disc within the leveling base and mid-plate so that the leveling base and mid-plate may be reused.