DIY tiling???

boniespook_2

HI

we are having a problem getting hold of the guy who is supposed to be doing our tiling. I was slightly considering doing it myself as I am fairly handy (paint, wallpaper, lay lino etc) but husband insists its too difficult and he won't even consider it.

How difficult is it really?

tracey

wallbash

You will never know til you try

I started when I was eleven.

Plan carefully, ask questions , don't rush


Just reread your post, even after 40 years , I won't attempt to lay Lino
So if your that confidant do it.

SmlSave

Once you've laid the fist tile and made sure its straight you're sorted!

My brother did his whole bathroom, he's just turned 20, with no experiance at all and its gorgeous!:beer:

I can't wait to start tilling my bathroon!

Make sure you've got all your equipment ready, plently of 'spacers' and take it slow and sure.

boniespook_2

wallbash wrote: »

You will never know til you try




Just reread your post, even after 40 years , I won't attempt to lay Lino
So if your that confidant do it.

LOL :rotfl:

I've only laid lino once, that was the bathroom and I only managed because I made a template with paper to use, wouldn't consider it on the kitchen or bigger space!! Having said that I intend to lay the new lino in the bathroom as well.

andrew-b

Yes it's quite straightforward..nothing really that difficult about it and just requires time and patience and lots of planning ahead. Obviously it will take you far longer than a professional but if you take your time it can look just as good. I've only done tiling twice but very proud of my efforts - especially when people say "who did your tiling can i have their details"! The hardest bit is the planning and deciding where to start. Plan ahead so you minimise the cuts you need to make - especially if there are obstacles like power sockets to go around. Also bear in mind it's much easier to cut a tile in half than it is to cut a really small slither of tile. A decent flat surface to tile off makes things much easier. DON'T PVA the surface first though.. big tiling No-no.

You'll need a few tools for the job.. electric tile cutter (good for L or U-shaped cuts) and preferably a manual one for the straight cuts (quicker than using electric one). I can't recommend the Plasplugs electric tile cutters as they are pain to keep clean and the red plastic bits on the tile guide snapped off on mine. Go for one with flat metal table (easier to clean!). For manual cutter Wickes do a very basic blue plastic one that's adequate else hire a decent tile cutter (save up all your cuts until the end to keep hire costs down).

Other essential tools are tile file to smooth rough edges and tile nibblers to cut out awkward shapes. A tile saw is sometimes useful too (like a fret saw) if you have complicated cuts that you can't do with the electric cutter. If you go into wickes they have a small tiling kit that includes a few useful tools including grout spreader and notched plastic adhesive spreader.

Don't forget to buy lots of plastic tile spacers - i'm really mean with them and wash them to reuse to save a few quid if that! I prefer wide grout lines so go for wider spacers (4 or 5mm) - with smaller spacers it seems much easier to end up going off course for some reason. I use the spacer initially to line the tiles up with spacer flush to the wall then once i'm happy i push in spacers sideways so they point out from the wall between the tiles (4 around where 4 tiles meet) to keep their position and remove the spacer that was flush using a brawawl or small screwdriver (careful you don't scratch the tile - i've wasted a couple that way!). Don't leave the spacers in too long though else you'll never get them out again - but don't take out too soon else your tiles will move out of line. Also i use a spacer to remove excess adhesive from the groutlines - else it mucks up your grouting later on.

If your tiling off a worktop use the worktop as a level line to start from (use a spacer on it's side beneath the tile rather than tiling direct on the worktop but tile in small areas rather than rows or columns as else you find that if you go out of line slightly it will be amplified in every other row or column and it'll drive you nuts! If your tiling from anything else it's advisable to nail a batten level to the wall and tile from that then remove the batten once the adhesive is dry and tile underneath. Use a notched spreader to spread tile adhesive on the wall...not the back of the tile..and don't listen to anyone telling you to put small dabs of adhesive on the back of each tile.

Don't start in the corners ..cuts in the corners won't notice plus corners are rarely perfectly square and it may knock all the rest of your tiling out of line. I recommend using the plastic (or metal) tile trim for internal and external corners - internal corners arent so difficult but external one's the trim gives a nice finish without sharp edges that are easily chipped.

For the grouting (do seperately once tiles are all dry) a few sponges and a bucket of water are essential to keep things clean and a spreader with rubber edge to spread grout liberally all over the tiles. Don't worry about getting grout all over the tiles as it cleans up easily enough (dont wipe off too soon but not too later either - with a bit of practice you'll soon learn when). To get a good grout line i then run a piece of wooden dowel along it to get a nice finish. I found (quite by accident) that using just a wet finger when wearing a latex glove also give a nice smooth finish. Using just a bare finger isn't as good and your finger really hurts after!

Anyways i hope that helps you. I'd give it a go if i were you...just take your time and have patience and plan plan plan and you'll be fine i'm sure.


Andy

vickyb242

Hi,

It's not too difficult at all. I did 3/4 of mine last year after the tiler fell ill after starting it. I will be tiling a new bathroom next week aswell.

Invest in a good tile cutter with a good diamond blade, made my life a lot easier.

Bungarm2001

Tricky bits are as Andrewb has posted (terrific post mate ) and I can't stress enough how important it is to plan it all first to minimise the cuts you'll need to do, and to lay it out properly so it's as even as you can get. There aren't many things more annoying than ending up having the tile rows ending up really uneven at each end, for instance having to cut a load of thin slivers to end the rows when with a bit of planning, every row could possibly have had even cuts both ends. In other words, start planning and laying out in the middle of each wall. Stand back and picture it all in place and see how you feel about it. There will be somewhere where you'll have to compromise 'correctness' for how it will actually look, particularly if you are doing the whole room floor to ceiling.

Window reveals can be very tricky for a beginner. Again, very careful planning is required, and a lot of patience when it comes to tiling the bit of reveal that is at the top..you'll be fighting against gravity to keep the tiles in place!

Use a very good notched trowel (basic 6mm unless your walls are really uneven, then get deeper notched) to apply the adhesive to the wall. As Andrewb says, don't let anyone tell you that the way to tile is to dab a few blobs on the back of each one...spread the adhesive on the wall using the tilers trowel, and then use the notched side to create the lines that create the suction that keeps the tiles stuck when you press them on.

Good luck with it.

I wouldn't touch lino laying in a bathroom...I'd end up tearing me hair out!!

Plasticman

Wot Andy said

I've tiled a couple of bathrooms - not too hard but you need to take it steady. I invested in a proper (cheap!) electric tile cutter - well worth the spend IMHO.

boniespook_2

hi all

thank you for the replies. My husband is still insisting I'm not allowed to attempt it, and I don't really have a lot of time as I am back to uni on Tuesday.

Luckily we have gotten hold of someone else so he is coming on Wenesday to do it for us.

Tracey

helping_hubby

Andy that's a great post. I've found the tiles I like and am taking OH to see them (and hopefully buy them) tomorrow. I've just worked out probably too accurately the surface area of floor and walls.

I have 18.21m2 of walls, including an inset window which will need tiling (and probably the size of 2/3rd of a tile) all the way round.

And 4.69m2 of floor. But some of that floor will be hidden by the bath. And so will the wall I suppose. We won't be able to tile behind/under it.

So how much extra should we purchase? I was thinking 6m2 of floor and 21m2 of wall. Is this enough? Too much? I'm nervous about making a mistake and then not being able to get more. But then I'm also conscious of the budget. This will cost £577, and I have a £50 voucher taking me down to £527.

sloth

helping_hubby wrote: »

Andy that's a great post. I've found the tiles I like and am taking OH to see them (and hopefully buy them) tomorrow. I've just worked out probably too accurately the surface area of floor and walls.

I have 18.21m2 of walls, including an inset window which will need tiling (and probably the size of 2/3rd of a tile) all the way round.

And 4.69m2 of floor. But some of that floor will be hidden by the bath. And so will the wall I suppose. We won't be able to tile behind/under it.

So how much extra should we purchase? I was thinking 6m2 of floor and 21m2 of wall. Is this enough? Too much? I'm nervous about making a mistake and then not being able to get more. But then I'm also conscious of the budget. This will cost £577, and I have a £50 voucher taking me down to £527.

depending upon how good you are, just add on between 5-10% for breakages/cuts etc, so i would say personally 19.25m2 for walls and 5.25m2 for floors. or ask the tile place if they will take back excess you have bought