Tackling a tiling job in your home can seem like a daunting task, particularly if the room is large or you’ve not done any DIY tiling before, but it’s a straightforward process that, with enough care and the right amount of quality materials, anyone can take on.
With these top tips, and our range of high-quality tiles and tiling tools, you’ll be well on your way to a professional finish that’ll make your kitchen or bathroom shine.
Tip One: Preparation
Make sure you have more than enough tiles for the job – buy around 10% extra to give you spares in the event of breakages or future repairs
Make sure the surface you’re tiling is clean and dry
Apply sealant to any porous materials like plasterboard
If tiling a wall, use wooden battens to ensure your tiles are straight when applied.
Start from the centre and work our way outwards – that way, if you need to cut any tiles, these will be by wall or floor edges and give you an even look.
Finally, mix you’re your adhesive as per the manufacturer’s instructions and only use clean cold water – dirty or warm water can affect the adhesive’s effectiveness.
Tip Two: Tiling
With the right preparation, providing you work with care and don’t rush the job, the actual process of laying the tiles can be really straightforward and not really pose any problems. Get your ready mixed adhesive and apply it to the wall or floor covering 1m2. Apply your tiles with a firm twisting motion to ensure good and even contact with the surface – use tile spacers to ensure even spacing.
Leave any shaped or cut tiles until last, making sure you apply the tiles from the centre of the surface outwards to leave you with cut tiles at the edges rather than in the centre. Use a flatbed cutter for straight cuts, and a heavier tile saw for any tiles that need to be cut for things like pipework.
Tip Three: Grouting & Aftercare
After your tiles have all been fixed in place with the adhesive, you’ll need to leave them for at least 24 hours to allow them to dry before applying any grouting
It’s important to remember, though, that the adhesive will start drying long before this, so be sure to wipe down the tiles and your tools to avoid any issues with dried-on adhesive
When grouting, work the grout into the spaces between tiles and joints and remember to always wipe off any excess immediately before it has a change to dry
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