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Do It Yourself Tiling Tips

Tiling is a good way of providing a durable finish which is easy to clean. Tiling is particularly suitable for bathrooms and kitchens . In bathrooms the areas round showers and basins should be tiled to waterproof the surrounding walls. In kitchens the area around the sink could be tiled for the same reason and tiled work surfaces look attractive while being easy to wipe clean.

Tiles are available in a range of colours and styles. Hard ceramic tiles with smooth, shiny surfaces are popular for walls. Unglazed tiles which are less slippery than glazed ones can be used for floors. Tiles are usually square but can be rectangular or other shapes such as hexagons or diamonds. Mosaic tiles are very small versions of the ceramic styles - these come in different colours and shades to provide a more textured and varied look. Quarry tiles are thick, hard-wearing, unglazed tiles which are generally used for flooring. The colours tend to be browns, reds, greys, black or white. Stone or slate tiles are beautiful but very expensive. When working out how many tiles you need to cover the area to be tiled, allow extra for breakages or cutting errors. It is worth having a few spare tiles in case you ever need to replace any of them in the future. It is possible to tile over old tiles.

For DIY tiling you will need a ruler, a tile cutter, pliers, spacers, adhesive, grout, tiles, a flat spreading tool and a notched spreading tool. First of all, find the midpoint of your area to be tiled and then use that as your starting point. This is so the tiles will look symmetrical with equal-sized cut tiles at each end of the tiled area.

You may need to cut your tiles to fit around shower fittings or for corners. A tile cutter with a cutting wheel is suitable for cutting straight lines. Use the tool to score across the glazed surface of the tile, and then break the tile and it should break in a clean line. For circular shapes, use pliers to nibble bits off the tiles. Wear eye protection for this.

Apply adhesive direct to the wall. Adhesive should be applied evenly with a flat tool and then use a notched tool to create ridges in the adhesive and press the tile firmly against the adhesive. Use spacers to keep the correct distance between the tiles. Put grout in the gaps and press it in with a spreader, scraping off any excess. When it is dry, wipe off any excess on the surface of the tiles. Leave it to dry for several days before allowing the tiled area to get wet.

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