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There is no denying the effect of a well tiled bathroom or kitchen. Oftentimes tiles can even be spread throughout the house. Nowadays they are seen as a cleaner, neater, lower maintenance flooring option. The most common use of tiles is in the bathroom, as it is better to tile the walls to prevent damp. With the right tiles an immaculate and impressive shower can be created.
Ideally, it is much more cost-effective to do your tiling yourself, but you will need to be armed with the correct information to ensure that you create the perfect tiling effect.
Here are some handy tips for your DIY tiling project:
Before you start, it is important to ensure that the floor area is free of all dust and loose material. Use only clean water and tools, and prevent your tiles from coming into any contact with water.
Firstly you will need to place a tile in the centre of the doorway and then mark a line next to the tile across the floor, and at right angles to the doorway. All your tiling work will be based on that line. This line can be moved to the left or right once the tiles have been set out to minimize cutting.
Place the first tile next to the line and then lay the tiles along this line leaving space for the tile joints. It is important that you conduct this step without putting adhesive onto the tiles. Next you must use a straight edge or fixed nylon line to ensure that the tiles run in a straight line. Once the tiles have been set out, mark a line at right angles to the first line. The tiles can then be laid out along this line. Depending on your personal preference and the tile size, you can lay the tiles in a half bond pattern, or any other desired configurations.
Next, without disturbing the straight edge (or nylon line), remove the loose tiles and apply adhesive to the floor with a 10 x 10 x 6mm Notched Trowel. Apply the adhesive in squares that are not too large, to avoid surface drying. If the surface is not level, the tiles should be buttered with adhesive and then pressed into the wet bed. This also applies to dovetailed or lugged tiles.
All the tiles MUST make 100 percent contact with the adhesive or else damage to the tiles will occur. Once you have placed the tiles on the adhesive bed, you must tap them level with a rubber mallet, bedding them fully. Lift a tile every couple of meters to ensure that full contact is being maintained.
Some quick tiling tips to think about:
Use tile spacers for neater, more accurate work.
Cut border tiles to size with a tile cutter.
Remove the excess adhesive in the joints before it sets and hardens.
Allow at least 24 hours for drying before grouting joints with Tile Grout.
Armed with this information, you’re only one step away from transforming your bathroom and kitchen, and you’ll be able to tell everyone that you did it all by yourself!
Source by Sean Farrell
