DIY Tiling for Beginners

One of the biggest parts of doing a tiling job can be selecting the tiles. Colour, texture, size, its very important to get it right because well laid ceramic tiles last a long time.

I would recommend a neutral colour like white, almond, grey or stone especially for floors. In bathrooms white or marble with a decorative tile to break it up a bit. Kitchen tiles and splashbacks should match the colour of your kitchen benches and decorative tiles should set your theme (country, modern etc)

Some things to consider:

Is the area likely to get wet? then maybe a textured tile might stop slips and falls.
Does the colour blend with the rest of the house?
White or light coloured tiles can look great and bring extra light to a dark room. But they show the dirt very quickly, so you can be forever cleaning them.
Don't forget whatever colour you choose for the tile you should also match the grouting product.

Tile colours will always look different at home than they do in the tile shop. Most tiling shops will let you take samples home. So select a few that you like and take them home. Place them in a few different locations around where they are to be laid.

Estimating the number of Tiles you need

Generally tiles are purchased by the square metre. One box will be generally be 1 square metre.

So to work out how many you need for the job you'll need those school math lessons, "length" times "width" will do the trick.

You will need to add a bit to that depending on the number of tile cuts that will be required, (even the pros break some). Plus for floors don't forget to include the row of mopping tiles if you are having one of these.

Ask the tile shop if they have extra tiles in stock in case you under order & whether they will take returns if you order too many tiles. They will usually take back unopened boxes if they still have a quantity of them in stock.

Preparation

You need to start with clean, flat and sound surfaces. If you are removing existing tiles this can be tough work particularly with floor tiles. A jack hammer, cold chisel, hammer, safety gear and some sweat is required here.

When you are removing tiles wear ear, eye and lung protection and be careful the broken tile pieces are very sharp.

Bathroom and wall tiles come off fairly easily, but be careful not to damage the plasterboard. In a shower it is probably best to replace the plasterboard with new waterproof product and re-seal the wet areas.

Make a gauge stick - get a piece of wood and lay several tiles (with spacers) along it. Mark the position of each tile.

Laying the Tiles

You need to be patient and do the job slowly so the tiles look right. Getting the tile layout right before you start is important and can save you a lot of stress when you start gluing the tiles.

You should layout the tiles and make sure they look good before you start. For floors leave the cut tiles to the outside of the job. For wall tiles you can use the Gauge Stick to mark where each tile needs to go. Work out how many tiles need to be cut and cut them before you start laying.

Getting the spaces between the tiles right can be hard. You can buy tile spacers (little plastic crosses) to help you keep the tiles a certain amount apart when you lay them down. This will give the grout an even and consistent look throughout all the tiles.

Start in one corner and work in roughly 2 square metre sections (apply adhesive, lay tiles and repeat) You need to go fast when the adhesive is down so it doesn't dry up too quickly. Do the cut pieces last.

Make sure the tiles are in the right place before you lay down the grout is important. The grout should only fill the space between the tiles, so if it looks like the grout lines are not even then the tiles are crooked. They are a lot easier to fix now....

Grout the tiles with a spatula and have a bucket of water and a sponge handy to smooth the grout. Wear gloves while you are doing this as the grout will make a mess of your hands.

Tiling Resource:

Tiling Made Easy!

Randy Davis has been a PRO Tiler for over 20 years and is a certified teacher. His 2 hour Easy-to-follow DIY training Video that covers all the skills you need to lay tiles, including:

Making the cuts on the cutter board
Using the tile saw to make cuts
Using Tile Nippers
Sizing the Joints
Installing plasterboard
How to lay out the job
How to mix and spread thin set
How to grout

The Video includes REAL Examples of laying out tiles in Kitchens, Walls, and a bathroom shower.

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Installing Marble Tiles?
Randy's got you covered to...Video: Installing Marble Tiles

Ryobi 180mm Tile Cutter.
Features a 450 Watt Motor and 180mm Cutting Blade on a sturdy full metal table. This Tile Cutter has Blade water pick up for wet Tile Cutting and it is capable of 45° cutting. The easy portable Table has a unique draining system which allows water to be dispersed quickly away from work area. It also has a large Guard and Side Fence for accurate Tile Cutting.

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