You may be nervous if you are planning to tile for the first. It’s not difficult to tile, and if you are careful and methodical you can save money and do a good job without hiring a professional.
Here are our Top Seven Tricks for a perfect tile job.
Purchase more tiles than needed
The standard tile advice is to purchase 10% more tiles than what you expect you will need. This extra amount will cover any small miscalculations or breakages. (Especially useful if you are a beginner). Use our Tile Calculator on the product pages to work out how many tiles you will need for each project. You can also ask for help from a member staff.
You should not buy only enough tiles, thinking you will return to the store and buy more when you need to. The tiles you buy may be from a completely different batch. There is also a chance that there could be slight differences in color matching. It’s possible that your tiles are discontinued or there is no stock left.
If you have extra tile packets, and you’ve done a fantastic job, and you still have them unopened at the end, we will be happy to refund you.
Start at the middle
If you are tiling wall or floor always start in the middle, and work your way out. Start from the middle and work outwards. If you begin at the edge, it’s likely that you will end up with uneven grout lines, messy corners, etc.
Practice your layout before starting
Lay out the tiles before tiling to ensure that you get an even cut at each corner. Adjust the tiles if necessary to make the edges as symmetrical and even as possible. Mark the wall with a pencil where you will place the tiles so that you can calculate the symmetry of the edges. Remember to leave space for the grouting or your calculations may be incorrect.
Level everything
Keep all tiles at the same level as you tile. We have invented the Tile Levelling System in order to solve this problem and reduce installation time. This system helps not only adjust height but also evenly hold the tile edges during the adhesive drying process.
Intrigued? Visit any store and for more details to see a demonstration!
Even out the gaps
Tile spacers will help to keep the gap between tiles uniform. Ask a member on staff which size is best for your tiles.
“Measure twice and cut once”
This is a well-known saying that’s also true. It’s important to double-check everything when cutting tiles or measuring around fittings and fixtures. You should also err on caution by cutting off less than you need to. If you make a mistake, you can always add more, but if not, you will have to start over.
When grouting, make sure that your tile adhesive has dried.
You must wait at least 24 hours for the adhesive to completely dry out before adding grouting. You can move the tiles when applying grout if the adhesive is still damp.
If you are tiling your first floor, you should use slow-setting adhesive. It will give you more time to work than rapid-setting adhesive that only allows 45 minutes.