How to Tile Your Bathroom

If you’re a bit strapped for cash, or you don’t want to have to rely on a man, tiling your own bathroom can save you a lot of money and give you a great sense of achievement.

So if you’re up for the challenge, here’s the How To.

The Tools

Before you begin tiling, you need the following tools:

–          Tile Cutter

–          Tile Saw

–          Grout Spreader

–          Spirit Level

–          Tile Nibblers

–          Adhesive Spreader

–          Tile Cutting Jig

–          Gauge Stick

You can find these tiling tools at any good tile store.

Prepare the Bathroom

Before you begin tiling, you need clean, dry and smooth bathroom walls. Remove all paint or old wallpaper and make the walls as clean and flat as possible. Using a gauge stick, plot the positions of the tiles.

Lay several tiles alongside a baton of wood, using spacers to separate each tile. Mark the positions of each tile and spacer upon the wood, and you’ve created a gauge stick.

Set Out the Tiles

Work out where the bottom line of tiles will be going, and mark it out using your gauge stick. Measure where the centre of the wall is, and mark it on the wall. Using your gauge stick, measure from either side of this mark to the end of the wall. You may have to reposition if the last tile, next to the end of the wall, if it is less than half a tile’s width.

If you have to tile around anything, such as window, use this as your starting point.

Tile Adhesive

Using your adhesive spreader, apply adhesive to your tile, and position it on the wall using sliding movements. Check that your tile is level and flat with a spirit level. Place a spacer next to it and repeat the process across the bathroom wall. Once you have laid the main body of the tiles, you should remove any excess tile adhesive before it sets, so wipe it off with a damp sponge.

Cutting Bathroom Tiles 

Once the main tiling has been done, you’ll need to cut the tiles for the edges. Mark the tile where it needs to be cut. Score the tile along your mark, and then break the tile with your hands or against a hard surface. There are other techniques, found here.