One of the best ways to finish off a nice bathroom is with a ceramic tile floor. If you are really trying to make an impact, choose a nice deep and bold colour or an intricate and eye-catching pattern.
If you’re thinking of installing your tiles DIY style, then it might seem intimidating at first but it doesn’t have to be.
Here’s our ultimate 11-step process for installing bathroom tiles like a pro with some tips afterwards for the best result.
- Before you start laying bathroom tiles down, you will obviously need to remove any old carpet or existing floor covering. You should also have your waterproof backer boards in place, if you’re using any, like Wedi board or any other board you will be tiling over.
- Use a cut-off saw to ensure there is enough room under the door jams to fit the tiling.
- Start by placing a tile at the bathroom doorway so you have the centreline and then draw a line to mark it off in chalk.
- Cut the first bathroom tile with either tile snips or a wet saw and start working up one side of the bathroom and then back down the other side.
- Make space for ⅛-inch grout lines. Use spacers if you find it easier to make sure the spaces between the tiles are equal.
- Use a mixing bit attached to an electric drill to create the grout adding small amounts, little by little, incorporating water so you get the right texture and consistency.
- Always make enough grout to work with at least 12 tiles and make sure you are ready to start laying tiles, as the grout will dry out quickly.
- Use a trowel or a similar tool to spread the grout onto the floor.
- Once you have placed the tiles down and they are starting to dry, get a grout saw and scrape at any of the excess grout from the tile joints.
- Next, use a damp cloth or wet sponge to clean the tile surface. Once the original grout has dried, use a rubber trowel to apply any additional grout that’s needed.
- Using your damp cloth or sponge again to remove any excess grout from the surface. Now leave it all to dry out and then apply grout sealer after a couple of days to avoid staining issues.
Other things to consider when installing bathroom tiles
- When you are trying to work out what you need, it’s always advisable that you add 10% on top, to make sure you have enough for any cut pieces you may require.
- Always check any order of tiles you receive to ensure you have the amount you purchased. Although it shouldn’t happen, mistakes sometimes occur and the worst thing would be to start tiling only to find you have not got enough to finish.
- Always make sure you wear a high quality pair of durable rubber gloves, as the grout may cause your skin irritation.
- Keep the area around tiles dry and clean where possible. Some people report small worms or fly larvae in between tiles. This can happen because they feed on debris and moisture.
- When it comes to tiling around basins and toilets, you may be tempted to cut the tiles to fit ahead of yourself. However, it is better to tile as close to these features as you can before you start cutting tiles to fit around the curves.
- Consider using some accent tiles to give a little bit of contrast to the main tiles.
- Are you looking to give your bathroom a spa-like feel? When tiling the walls, consider using textured tiles
Take these tips into consideration and follow the 11 steps in this guide and you will have a beautifully tiled bathroom that you can be proud of.
