DIYWall tiling.pdf

WALL TILING

Good tiling is relatively easy if accompanied by careful

planning. Estimate the number of tiles you need beforehand

and know your design requirements if you are introducing a

pattern or border. Then set out your starting point, and plan

how to deal with awkward corners or recesses. Take care

with spacing and bedding the tiles and clean off excess

adhesive and grout as you go.

Protect your eyes with safety glasses or goggles when

cutting tiles. Be careful of snapped tile edges because they

can cut you. To protect sensitive or dry skin, gloves should

be used when applying adhesive or grout (the ready-mixed

paste which fills the gaps between adjacent tiles).

You can easily brighten up your bathroom or kitchen by

using wall tiles. These are both decorative and functional.

Wall tiles provide bright and easy-clean surfaces which are

especially useful in kitchens and bathrooms. They are hard

wearing and water resistant, and can help to brighten up

small rooms or shaded work areas by reflecting natural light.

2 - Tile choice

Ceramic wall tiles are available in a wide choice of sizes,

colours, designs and shapes. Square tiles are the most

common, but other shapes include rectangles, hexagons,

diamonds, octagons or interlocking designs. Wall tiles are

thinner (4 to 6mm thick) than floor tiles, as they are subject

to less wear. They are easier to work with and cut or snap to

a scored line. They are also brittle and will chip or break

easily if dropped.

Combination tiles feature a pattern or design motif on a

background and coordinate with plain tiles. They allow you

to add interest to an otherwise plain wall.

Universal tiles have bevelled edges and/or spacing lugs to

give correct spacing for grout between tiles.

Standard field tiles have

square edges and must be

spaced by other means.

Plastic spacers can be used t

give even spacing for the

grout.

Rectangular border tiles

(often half-size), ceramic

edging trims and mouldings

are available to give

definition to the tiled area.

Clearly defined and well-

finished edges give a

professional look.

Grout lines must be aligned and a constant width, as the eye

is drawn to the straight lines of the grouting. When choosing

a border tile or trim, make sure that it is the same width as

the other tiles used.

3 - Surface preparation

Tiles can be stuck to most surfaces with the right

preparation. The surface must be flat because tiles reflect

light and show up any unevenness.

Surfaces must be clean, dry and stable. Crumbling plaster

must be removed and all imperfections and holes made

good. Newly plastered walls must be allowed to dry

thoroughly for several months.

Flaky, crumbly and absorbent surfaces can be primed with a

PVA-based adhesive. Use a building/construction type as

directed. Waterproof adhesive should also be used in areas

which could become wet.

Old ceramic tiles do not have to be removed: you can tile on

top. Check if they are firmly fixed - if not, use a good tile

adhesive to stick them into place. Make sure that the joints

between the new tiles are not in the same place as the old

ones.

You do not have to re-plaster a wall that is either bare brick

or taken down to brick level. Use exterior grade ply or

plasterboard fixed to the wall to give a clean and flat base

surface on which to tile.

Do not attempt to tile over wallpaper. This must be stripped

back to plaster first. If tiling over a gloss-painted surface,

roughen up the surface with coarse abrasive paper to

provide a key to which the adhesive will bond.

4 - Measuring & planning

The number of tiles needed for plain, uninterrupted wall

areas is easy to calculate. Find out the number required for

the height and for the width (counting part tiles as whole

tiles). Multiply the two together and add a further 10% for

breakages.

There can be significant variations between batches of tiles.

Always buy the quantity you need in the first place and

check that all the boxes are from the same batch.

Window recesses and alcoves should be calculated

separately and added on. If you are using patterned tiles as

inserts, these must be calculated and deducted from your

total figure.

If you want to incorporate patterned or motif tiles, plan their

exact positions using graph paper, with each large square

representing a tile. Shade in where you want the patterned

tiles to fall. Stick with this plan because it may be difficult to

change once you have started tiling.

Step 1:

Make a tiling gauge from a

length of straight wooden

batten (say 1.8m or 2.4m of

planed 2 x 1in wood). Mark

the spacing of the tiles on it

and the separate spacer g

if used.

aps

Starting at the top of the

skirting board, use the tiling

gauge to plan your tile rows.

If a narrow strip is left at the

top, move the bottom row up by half a tile width to give

more even margins.

Step 2:

Using a spirit level, mark out the first horizontal row of tiles

to be fixed above the floor or skirting boards. This must be

one tile height or less above the base level. Nail a thin guide

batten along this line so that the tiles can be positioned

against it.

Use masonry nails for the guide battens, but do not drive

them fully in - then they can be removed easily.

Step 3:

Mark a vertical line down the centre of the wall, using a

plumb bob and line. Use the gauge stick again to set out the

vertical rows on each side of this line.

If the border tiles measure less than half a tile width, move

the rows sideways by half a tile. Fix another guide batten

against the final vertical line.

Since very few lines or fittings in a house are truly horizontal

or vertical, you will probably have to cut 'filler' tiles to fit in

odd areas around skirting boards, architrave and corners

between walls.

5 - Laying the tiles

Most ceramic tile adhesives can be bought ready-mixed and

some can also be used for grouting between the tiles.

Step 1:

Use a notched spreader

(normally supplied with the

tile adhesive) to apply the

adhesive evenly over the

surface to be tiled. The r

in the adhesive allow for

positioning and bedding of

the tiles. Cover an area of

about 1m² (1yd²)at a time,

to prevent the adhesive

drying out.

Step 2:

Start with the first tile in the corner formed by the two guide

battens, pressing it until it is firmly fixed. Continue by

adding the tiles on each side, building up three or four rows

at a time. Use spacers between the tiles if they are not the

self-spacing universal type.

Continue with successive rows of tiles until the whole area

has been built up, applying new adhesive as and when

required.

Periodically, use a damp sponge to wipe any excess

adhesive from the surface of the tiles.

idges

Step 3:

The guide battens can be removed after 12 hours and the

cut filler tiles fitted (see 'Cutting tiles to fit').

Tiles in a window recess, and

particularly on a window sill,

should be laid to overlap the

wall tiles.

Better still, use plastic edge

trim to give a neat quadrant

moulding between the two

surfaces and to protect the

edges from accidental k

and chips.

Edge trim is supplied in 1.8m lengths, in a variety of colours

to suit tiles and grouting. It is the same thickness as

standard tiles and is simply bedded into the tile cement

under the top surface tiles.

6 - Cutting tiles to fit

Step 1:

To mark each filler tile, place it face down, partly

overlapping the tile next to the space and butting up against

the adjacent wall or ceiling. On the edge of the tile mark

where it needs to be cut (taking account of spacing), using a

sharp chinagraph pencil or child's crayon. Turn the tile over

and draw a line between the two edge marks with a ruler.

Do not use felt-tip pens for marking out. The ink may run

into the unglazed portion of the tile and may also bleed into

the grouting and discolour it.

Step 2:

Using a steel rule as a guide, score along the marked line

with a tungsten-tipped cutter. Make one good strong stroke

to penetrate the glazed surface of the tile.

Step 3:

Place tiles glazed side up o

either matchsticks or a thin

wooden kebab-type skewer,

placed directly under the

scored line. Apply even

pressure with the hands

either side to snap the tile

along the scored line.

nocks

ver

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