Using this step by step guide to tiling a bathroom floor, wall and shower is easy peesy. Laying your own bathroom wall foor and shower tile will save you a lot of money too .
Whether you’re building a new house or remodeling or renovating your current one, when it comes to appearance and functionality, tiles are obviously the best choice. You really can’t go wrong with the amount of textures, patterns and colors, ceramic or glass, even mosaics, you’re decorating options are basically unlimited. However, having one installed can be prohibitively expensive for many, especially in this economic climate. That said, a newly remolded bathroom need not cost you an arm and a leg and the evidently increase in value of your home are well worth the effort. Read on to learn that with a few simple steps and a little patience, tiling your bathroom could be easier than you think
Before you start, you’ll need a few necessary tools to do the job right.
Tile Saw
Tile Cutter
Tile Nibblers
Grout Spreader
Spirit Level
Tile-Cutting Jig
Homemade Gauge Stick
Adhesive Spreader
Step One: Preparation
It is vital that before you start that you make sure the walls are sound, clean and dry. The surface area needs to be as flat as possible, so remove any flaking paint, wallpaper and then coat with a stabilizing primer. Next, you will need to make a gauge stick, this will help you place the tiles in the desired positions on the wall later on. For this “gauge stick” you will need to find piece of soft wood and putt a few tiles next to it and if the tiles happen to be square edged or those with lugs butting together, you’ll need to add spacers. Now mark off the each tiles position along the stick.
Step Two: Setting Out The Tiles
The shape and size of the bathroom will basically determine how you lay out your tiles on the walls. First, you’ll need to mark out the bottom of the lowest row of tiles and nail a thin guide batten to the wall temporarily, make sure the guide is aligned with the mark you had laid out. To ensure that the row, mark and guide are perfectly horizontal, use the spirit level. Now marking the center of the wall, apply the gauge stick to set out the rows of tiles on both sides of it. However, you may have to reposition the rows sideways by half a tile, if the border tiles are less than half the width of a tile. Using the spirit level, place a guide batten against the last vertical line, then nail it to the adjoining wall. If you have to tile around a fixture or an object like a window, then simply use the object as your starting point to ensure that the tiles following and surrounding the object are of equal size and distance. At the back of the window reveal, place the cut tiles using the temporary guide batten above the window to place the row of tiles above it in the correct position .
Step Three: Adhesive Application
For areas that will come into contact with water, it is vital to use an adhesive that is waterproof. Usually tile adhesives are mostly sold pre-mixed, however in some cases you may need to add water. You need to apply enough adhesive so that it covers an area of about one meter square. Now form the horizontal ridges in the adhesive by using the toothed edge of the spreader. Taking the first tile, position it in the right angle by using the setting out battens at the skirting level. When tiles aren’t lugged, place some plastic spacers between the tiles so that there is enough space for the grouting.
Wipe away any adhesive from the surface of the tiles by using a damp sponge. Continue tiling along the batten until your first rows of tiles are finished, making sure that each tile is again, perfectly horizontal. After the rows are completed, let the tiles set before you remove the battens.
Step Four: Cutting Border Tiles
After you have finished the main area, you will need to cut the border tiles so that they fit the gap between the adjacent walls. With the border tiles face down and with one edge next to the wall, while taking note of normal spacing between the tiles clearly mark where it is to be cut. Take a felt pen and transfer the mark to the face of the tile. Taking the tile cutter while holding it against a straight edge, draw across the face in one clear stroke. Next, take a length of thin wire stretch it across a panel of chipboard, put the drawn line over the wire and press down on the two sides and snap the tile. You can also use a purpose-made tile cutting-jig. Taking a tile sander, smooth over the edges of the tile.
Step Five: Fitting Around Appliances and Other Bathroom Objects
If you’re fitting tiles around piping, it’s always best to try and place them out thus allowing you to cut a semi circle from the edges of the adjacent tiles. However, this may not be possible, in this case, then mark the center of the pipe around the top and side edges of the tile, then draw lines across from those points. Take a coin, or something with a greater diameter of the pipe, draw around where those two lines cross each other. Make a cut straight through the middle of the circle and then use a tile saw to trim out the remaining circle. To match a tile against a round shape, it's always better to use a bit of thin card and trace a template of the exact sizing of the tile. Cut modest, evenly spaced slits on 1 edge of the tile and press them against a curve replicate the pattern. Transfer the slope of the bend on to the face of the tile and then cut with a tile saw.
Step Six: Grouting And Sealing
It is crucial to apply waterproof grout for any bath or shower surrounds. Grout comes in a pre-mixture paste grey, white or brown paste, while it is also viable to source colored grouts that blends in with your selection of tiles. Allow the tile adhesive to harden for 24 Hrs before applying the grout making use of a rubber-bladed spreader, ensuring that are the joints are filled. Using sponge, rub the grout from the surface of the tiles before it begins to set and smooth out the joints with a dull-ended stick. After it's dried, take a dry cloth to smoothen the surface of the tiles and leave it alone for approximately a week prior to using.
Step Seven: Sealing Bathroom Fittings
You shouldn't use grout to seal up the space between the shower tray or bathtub and the wall, because it could crack and lose its waterproof seal. It's better to utilize a silicon sealant composite, which you could purchase in cartridges. The sealants are sold in a choice of colors to suit your choice of tiles. Cut the ends off the nozzle and push the top into the joint at a 45 degree angle. If using the sealant on bathtubs, it's always better to stand in the bathtub or fill it with water, since the joint will fit to your body weight. After you have finished, smooth out any ripples or bubbles using a simple damp teaspoon handle.
