Tiling

The use of tiles has grown and spread throughout Europe from the sixteenth century. However, it was not until the 1920s and 1930s that they became accessible and popular within western culture and throughout America. Indeed, since then tiles have been in and out of vogue – with a resurgence in popularity seen throughout the late nineties that continues right up to the present day.

Advances in production, distribution and availability mean that tiles have become a firm DIY favourite – they are after all, durable and cost effective. With such a variety of options, compositions and colours available, there is a tile for every room to suit every taste! The most popular tiles seen within modern houses are placed within heavy traffic and wet areas. Bathroom and ’splash back kitchen’ wall tiles and hall, kitchen and patio floor tiles have all become regular features within our homes today.

Watching a skilled labourer tile a surface can make the job look very easy indeed. However, do not be fooled – tiling involves careful surface preparation, meticulous placement (which can be painstakingly prolonged if you are using small mosaic tiles) and an abundance of patience! However, with the right tools and material and a lot of patience, you can employ some best practise ideas and use some top tiling tips to get the job done.

Tiling for Beginners

When it comes to tiling for beginners, the top tip is to be prepared! Make sure you have all the equipment you will need to hand. Use online or in-store tools to calculate how many tiles you will need and add a few for good measure! Particularly if you are new to tiling and you may have to ‘cut’ some tiles down to size – yes, workmen do seem to pop a pencil from behind their ear, mark the tile out, score it with a tile cutter and simply apply pressure and break the tile perfectly in half – be aware, this is unlikely to be the result you will get first time! Also, do not worry too much about over ordering, as many stores have a buy back service which you can take advantage of.

Tiling Equipment

Ensure you have the following equipment to hand, tile cutters – can be electrical or hand cutting, depending on the tiles you are using and the extent of cutting and shaping you have to do, also available as wet or dry cutters. Pencil, or scoring wheel, tiling trowel, tiling mixing equipment, spirit level, square edge level, suction cups, wall or floor scraper, grouting equipment, tape measure, protective goggles and gloves. Tiles, tile adhesives, surface preparation equipment and tile cleaning equipment, including sponges and soft cloths.

Prepare Surfaces

Your tiles can only be as smooth as the surface they are placed on! Likewise they can only stick and stay stuck, to suitably prepared surfaces. Floors will need levelling out if there is more than 3mm difference to the surface level. You can check the level with a spirit level and if you do find it uneven, then using BAL Multi base self-leveller can correct the problem. If you are going to correct a wall or floor by using a wall frame, ensure it is straight, as tiles can only be as straight as the frame is. Once you have a frame in place you can fit water resistant tile backer boards. These will provide an excellent base surface upon which you can tile. The backing board should be ‘brick worked’ horizontally or vertically, to provide maximum support to your tiles. If you are installing in a shower, be sure to use a PVC membrane to provide additional water resistant support. Remember it is vital that the surface you are to tile upon is even – all holes or cracks must be filled and levelled out. The surface should also be clean and dry.

Tiling – Walls

Top tip for getting straight lines? Use starting battens and ensure they are straight by checking with a spirit level. Remember, DO spread the adhesive using a notched tile adhesive spreading device and DO cover an area of approximately one square metre at a time. However, DO NOT give in to the urge to place blobs of adhesive at the corners of your tiles – this may seem like a good idea but may result in tiles falling off the wall or cause the tiles to crack. Also, DO NOT think it will save time by covering the whole of the wall in adhesive at the beginning! This will cause the adhesive to dry unevenly and may not support your tiles! Also DO NOT spread your tile adhesive more than four mm thick. DO place tiles in a sliding motion. DO NOT forget tile spacers, but DO remember to use a cloth to wipe away any excess adhesive straight away! DO leave at least a day for adhesive to dry before grouting. Lastly, DO remember to wipe off excess grout straight away and polish tiles up to get rid of any excess.

Tiling – Floors

DO prepare surfaces and make sure they are clean, dry and level. DO NOT apply more than fifteen minutes worth of work in floor tiling adhesive, otherwise the adhesive will dry unevenly and your tiles will not stick correctly. DO apply tiles in a twisting motion and DO check regularly with a spirit level. DO NOT forget tile spacers! DO NOT apply grout for at least twenty four hours (check grout packer for further instructions). DO remember to wipe off excess grout and to buff tiles accordingly. DO consider a grout sealant.

If you do not manage to get all the grout off in time you can try good old elbow grease and some warm water. However, failing this you can purchase a concentrated acid base grout remover, which will do the job nicely. Remember, the shop from which you purchased your tiles should be able to help you with any problems you may encounter and should be happy to answer all enquires you may have.

If you do decide that a job is too big for you, find a reputable tile fitting service to tackle it for you. Most tile fitting services will come with at least a twelve month guarantee and your tiles will be fitted by a professional tradesman.