Tiling...Is it hard?
Discussion
So me and the missus bought our first home last year. It had all been decorated before we bought it but to be honest its not to my taste at all.
The kitchen and bathroom both had very 80's dark blue (almost black) tiles so the previous owners had them painted with tile paint. To be frank this looks crap.
The paint has gone beige and in the bathroom is peeling off so looks terrible. This stuff is impossible to clean because you cant use anything abrasive on it.
We want to renovate the bathroom and kitchen but we would be on a really tight budget and getting a good tiler in my part of the world is time consuming and expensive so I'm thinking about doing it myself.
So how hard is it? I've never done it before so would be learning on the job.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
The kitchen and bathroom both had very 80's dark blue (almost black) tiles so the previous owners had them painted with tile paint. To be frank this looks crap.
The paint has gone beige and in the bathroom is peeling off so looks terrible. This stuff is impossible to clean because you cant use anything abrasive on it.
We want to renovate the bathroom and kitchen but we would be on a really tight budget and getting a good tiler in my part of the world is time consuming and expensive so I'm thinking about doing it myself.
So how hard is it? I've never done it before so would be learning on the job.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
Edited by deviant on Thursday 9th April 03:05
hey mate, not that hard. i did our new ensuite last christmass and it came out better than the pro's job in the kitchen and i used the same tiles.
get the following
dimond blade in an angle grinder
some small grinding stones that go in the end of a drill
spacers for going between the tiles whilst the glue dries
dust masks for when you are cuting
one of thoes dimond tiped tile drils - use on slow spead in cordles drill.
groved trowel for spreading a consistent thicknes of glue.
paint mixing thing that goes in and of drill, the powdered glues are a pain to mix properly.
drilling holes is easy enough - i tend to tape the tile up with masking tape and mark where i want the hole, then the drill doesent wander whilst your starting. i had one 5mm bit. drill lots of small holes in a circle then snap out the remaiing bit with a pair of side cuters. remove the other rough parts with the grinding stone in the drill.
i used some clamps and an old piece of wood for for cutting a straight edge along the tiles. was using 600mm square porcaine tiles on the floor.
cut and set out as manny tiles as you can before you glue anything. make sure you have it all square. maybe best to work from one side of the room and leave the last two sides of the floor/wall untill you have them glued before you do final cuts.
once your at this stage your up to glueing.
i just glued one tile at a time, making sure the edges are lightned up and spaced corectly. use a level across the top to ensure its sitting flat.
if you get new tiles, before you start turn the tiles over and have a look on the back they normally have a marke in one corner, this will alow you to line up the patern so its consistent. some tiles may have a particular side/edge that is smoother. best to arrange this so its pointing up.
ryan in melbourne
get the following
dimond blade in an angle grinder
some small grinding stones that go in the end of a drill
spacers for going between the tiles whilst the glue dries
dust masks for when you are cuting
one of thoes dimond tiped tile drils - use on slow spead in cordles drill.
groved trowel for spreading a consistent thicknes of glue.
paint mixing thing that goes in and of drill, the powdered glues are a pain to mix properly.
drilling holes is easy enough - i tend to tape the tile up with masking tape and mark where i want the hole, then the drill doesent wander whilst your starting. i had one 5mm bit. drill lots of small holes in a circle then snap out the remaiing bit with a pair of side cuters. remove the other rough parts with the grinding stone in the drill.
i used some clamps and an old piece of wood for for cutting a straight edge along the tiles. was using 600mm square porcaine tiles on the floor.
cut and set out as manny tiles as you can before you glue anything. make sure you have it all square. maybe best to work from one side of the room and leave the last two sides of the floor/wall untill you have them glued before you do final cuts.
once your at this stage your up to glueing.
i just glued one tile at a time, making sure the edges are lightned up and spaced corectly. use a level across the top to ensure its sitting flat.
if you get new tiles, before you start turn the tiles over and have a look on the back they normally have a marke in one corner, this will alow you to line up the patern so its consistent. some tiles may have a particular side/edge that is smoother. best to arrange this so its pointing up.
ryan in melbourne
deviant said:
Good on ya mate. Sounds like all the tools are available to make it easy and turn out a good finish.
Now my shower has tiled wallas and a floor so I assume if I pull all that out I need to be waterproofing the surface underneath.
yep waterproofing - a must do. im not sure i got this right on my job, as the plastering dude put some stuff on when he did the joints. The main board that i used was 5mm Vilaboard. which is a wet area board like cement sheet which you can buy at bunnings. i sued this instead of the plaster board.Now my shower has tiled wallas and a floor so I assume if I pull all that out I need to be waterproofing the surface underneath.
the new shower base was re-seased into the wall and the villaboard comes down and sits inside the lip. the tiles then go direct onto this.
is you have got a die grinder with some of thoes little sanding drums you may be able to use this as well - as oposed to the drill thingy.
i have also used one of the 600mm tiles as a beanchtop for a small cupboard (400 wide x 590 deep), in the corner of the bathroom used grinder and wood to cut of required amount of porcilan tile then used the grinding stone in the drill to round of the corner. then about 1/2 with some wet and dry sand paper to polish the edge of the tile. small amount of silicone and its there for good.
porcilan tiles may need to be sealed as well
you can also get a flexitive additive to put into the groute if you are woried about it cracking
some tile shops will cut tiles for you, but the block of wood and a small angle grinder with the 100mm dimondblade was easier than running back and forth.
you can also get decorative edging that goes on where the tiles finish. they can have diferent finishes and these can be used on the top of surouds around the bath or at the top edge of the tiles as the go up the wall or also where the tiles join carpet or floor boards. catch is you need to plan for this before you put the tiles down as they have a lip that goes in the glue under the tile.
i used white tiles, whith a blue feature tile. used grey grout for all the main joins but white groute along the top edge along the wall as i didnt want a gray heavy looking line going around the wall. still need to give this a light sand and repaint the wall.
if you get cracking tonight you can probably get most of what you need at bunnings (they close at 9 i think tonight) should be able to have it finished before going back to work on tuesday.
Random selection of my thoughts on tiling:-
I've not used an angle grinder for cutting tiles, but have used a tile cutter like this:
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/40530/Power-Tools/Ti...
Found that worked well.
If you're starting midway along a wall, screw a straight piece of wood on to it and tile up to that, just make sure that the wood is properly vertical using a spirit level.
Big tiles make life much easier, once you have a row or 2 down it becomes easier to put more on a single time.
Use the cross shaped spacers.
Put a lot of effort in to getting each tile sitting totally level to the wall it's on, if they don't it stands out like a sore thumb.
If you can, start somewhere which is a little bit hidden, hopefully you'll get the hang of it before doing the big wall which is always in your line of sight while laying in the bath or whatever.
Cut tiles can be sharp, be sure to file the edges!
Good luck
I've not used an angle grinder for cutting tiles, but have used a tile cutter like this:
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/40530/Power-Tools/Ti...
Found that worked well.
If you're starting midway along a wall, screw a straight piece of wood on to it and tile up to that, just make sure that the wood is properly vertical using a spirit level.
Big tiles make life much easier, once you have a row or 2 down it becomes easier to put more on a single time.
Use the cross shaped spacers.
Put a lot of effort in to getting each tile sitting totally level to the wall it's on, if they don't it stands out like a sore thumb.
If you can, start somewhere which is a little bit hidden, hopefully you'll get the hang of it before doing the big wall which is always in your line of sight while laying in the bath or whatever.
Cut tiles can be sharp, be sure to file the edges!
Good luck
ezakimak said:
if you get cracking tonight you can probably get most of what you need at bunnings (they close at 9 i think tonight) should be able to have it finished before going back to work on tuesday.
hahaha long weekend and all! Bunnings will be rammed tonight! I need to wait for baby faces stimulating package and the missus to get her bonus first and then we can get cracking on it....just want to be properly planned and prepared in advance.Thanks for the adivce and links everyone. Dont feel so "shall I - shant I" about taking it on now!
Few points on large tiles:
1. If you use large tile then make sure the wall is perfectly flat. If it isn't they are a pain in the arse.
2. There is also more wastage and if one cracks funny when you are cutting them you have more to throw away.
3. A longer split is more likely to go askew than on a short tile.
4. The extra weight in them means they need more adhesive to stick to the wall. Especially if the wall isn't perfectly flat (see point 1.)
Not sure I would use them again. Better IMO to take the time fixing more smaller tiles.
1. If you use large tile then make sure the wall is perfectly flat. If it isn't they are a pain in the arse.
2. There is also more wastage and if one cracks funny when you are cutting them you have more to throw away.
3. A longer split is more likely to go askew than on a short tile.
4. The extra weight in them means they need more adhesive to stick to the wall. Especially if the wall isn't perfectly flat (see point 1.)
Not sure I would use them again. Better IMO to take the time fixing more smaller tiles.
If the tiles are on a solid wall you'll almost certainly wreck the wall getting them off, so be ready to replaster if require.
If the tiles are on a plasterboard wall, I found it easier to cut out whole sections of plasterboard, complete with tiles thinking 'WTF?' and simply fit new plasterboard. Much less mess too.
If chipping away at tiles with a chisel, wear eye protetion and gloves - bits of shrapnel can go everywhere.
A tile cutter (saw table style) makes things really easy and for £30+ is defo recommended.
Don't buy 'Happy SHopper' tile adhesive - the last thing you want is for them to fall off. Stick to reputable brand names.
If the tiles are on a plasterboard wall, I found it easier to cut out whole sections of plasterboard, complete with tiles thinking 'WTF?' and simply fit new plasterboard. Much less mess too.
If chipping away at tiles with a chisel, wear eye protetion and gloves - bits of shrapnel can go everywhere.
A tile cutter (saw table style) makes things really easy and for £30+ is defo recommended.
Don't buy 'Happy SHopper' tile adhesive - the last thing you want is for them to fall off. Stick to reputable brand names.
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 9th April 10:22
Also, buy your tile adhesive from a proper tilers shop, in powder form & mix it up yourself. Its massively cheaper than the ready mix stuff from the big DIY shops.
I've recently done about 60m2 of tiling. Mostly floor, some wall etc. If you have the time, its actually surprisingly easy. I was very daunted by the prospect of laying a slate floor, but prepare properly, work out where you want your cuts to be and off you go. We had the huge advantage that our cottage is very old & the walls are most definately not straight so there are some hidden odd cuts, but nothing looks out of place.
The shower was more of a nightmare, as none of the walls were straight, or level, so there was a lot of wasted tiles and a lot of building up of adhesive in some areas.
We were quoted £20 per m2 plus some materials for our job, all in it was going to cost about £1500 plus the tiles (about another £1500). Managed to get the tiles, and the tools at trade, the whole job cost us under £1000 and took about 3 weekends, plus a few nights. 100% worth doing, and would happily do it again.
Word of advice - if you are using a natural stone, don't get a tile cutter. It will just fracture the tile. Angle grinder with a diamond tipped blade will be your best friend. Oh, and cut them outside!
I've recently done about 60m2 of tiling. Mostly floor, some wall etc. If you have the time, its actually surprisingly easy. I was very daunted by the prospect of laying a slate floor, but prepare properly, work out where you want your cuts to be and off you go. We had the huge advantage that our cottage is very old & the walls are most definately not straight so there are some hidden odd cuts, but nothing looks out of place.
The shower was more of a nightmare, as none of the walls were straight, or level, so there was a lot of wasted tiles and a lot of building up of adhesive in some areas.
We were quoted £20 per m2 plus some materials for our job, all in it was going to cost about £1500 plus the tiles (about another £1500). Managed to get the tiles, and the tools at trade, the whole job cost us under £1000 and took about 3 weekends, plus a few nights. 100% worth doing, and would happily do it again.
Word of advice - if you are using a natural stone, don't get a tile cutter. It will just fracture the tile. Angle grinder with a diamond tipped blade will be your best friend. Oh, and cut them outside!
minimoog said:
Lots of advice here http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=77709
That link is great. Makes it look easy!-C- said:
We were quoted £20 per m2 plus some materials for our job, all in it was going to cost about £1500 plus the tiles (about another £1500). Managed to get the tiles, and the tools at trade, the whole job cost us under £1000 and took about 3 weekends, plus a few nights. 100% worth doing, and would happily do it again.
Those savings must have made you a bit happy! Ezakimak, did you bother getting any quotes or did you just wander in to Bunnings and go at it?
Okay so my internal walls are brick with cement / plaster on them so I'm guessing I need tanking that paints on....look at me go with my new found tilers lingo
Great advice everyone!
HRG said:
You'll need a bolster chisel to get the old tiles off and a pair of gardening gloves 
i used a shovel sharpened with the angle grinder, couldnt get the boulster under it. the shovel also gives you a bit of leverage.was doing realy well, managed to pop most of the tiles of the floor, was going to remove the glue and the polish the floor. then i descided to cut out one of the concrete walls. droped a nice lump of it about the size of two slabs/cartons of beer. buy buy floor boards.
deviant said:
Ezakimak, did you bother getting any quotes or did you just wander in to Bunnings and go at it?
had a tiler give a quote for the kitchen and first bathroom, sounuded reaonable so got him in to do the job. This was early 06, and our first house as well. we had budgeted for a reno when we bought the place and had it all planed and redy to go when we got setlement. problem was that we ran out of cash faster than we thought we would and needed to move in by easter in 06. so we were waiting on the tiler to finish up before we could bolt the toilet down and move in. the tiler sent his sun in law, probably not a qualified tiler. he did a crap job, pinched half my tools and none of the grout has stayed put.
tried to get a quote for the ensuit which is 2m square, no body was interested all the tradies seam to be in WA with the mining boom so you might be ok.
if you know of a roof tiler in Melbourne im all ears at the moment though?
got a carport to finsih up - then the shed/workshop - then i should be able to place an order for u know what.
Hi mate,
I cant stress enough how preparation is the key, give it a real good coat of looking at
seriously though, Plan everything, I can often spend half a day before I even lay a tile and all I have to show is a load of pencil marks everywhere, You want balance so DONT just start in the corner and go for it, it WILL look s
t.
There are 2 basic approaches to layout wall tiles:
1.Find the centre point on each wall and asses what the cuts are like at either side (bigger the better) Throw a vertical line up and work to that. do the same from top to bottom and throw a horizontal line at the base of the first full tile from the floor. stick a baton on and work up from that. Once the adhesive is cured remove the baton and fix cuts to the floor do that for each wall.
2.If you have a continuous border, do as above, but instead of centering each wall continue the lines on to the next wall so you use the off cut of the last tile on the connecting wall to give the impression of the lines continuing round the room . Obviously when you get all the way round the room it wont be exact so make that the least obvious corner of the room (Usually behind the door)
It isn't rocket science but like anything plan it right and take your time
Also assume no surface is level or square, as it usually isnt.
HTH
Chris
I cant stress enough how preparation is the key, give it a real good coat of looking at
seriously though, Plan everything, I can often spend half a day before I even lay a tile and all I have to show is a load of pencil marks everywhere, You want balance so DONT just start in the corner and go for it, it WILL look st.There are 2 basic approaches to layout wall tiles:
1.Find the centre point on each wall and asses what the cuts are like at either side (bigger the better) Throw a vertical line up and work to that. do the same from top to bottom and throw a horizontal line at the base of the first full tile from the floor. stick a baton on and work up from that. Once the adhesive is cured remove the baton and fix cuts to the floor do that for each wall.
2.If you have a continuous border, do as above, but instead of centering each wall continue the lines on to the next wall so you use the off cut of the last tile on the connecting wall to give the impression of the lines continuing round the room . Obviously when you get all the way round the room it wont be exact so make that the least obvious corner of the room (Usually behind the door)
It isn't rocket science but like anything plan it right and take your time
Also assume no surface is level or square, as it usually isnt.
HTH
Chris
Chris77 said:
HTH
It most certainly did as did everyone elses.I think I will do the kithchen first because that is just 3 tiles high around the cooker and work tops so if I can master that it will make good practise for the rest.
Now is there a good tile or other product to use around the cooker? Our kitchen is pretty small so the cooker is hard against the wall meaning hot pans on one side are against the wall so the tiles have brown stains from the heat.
I though I might put a stainless splash back around the cooker but I think that might still mark from the heat?
Every time I look at it it seems to morph from being a re-tile and a lick of paint to a complete refit including the removal of a couple of substantial walls!!
deviant said:
the cooker is hard against the wall meaning hot pans on one side are against the wall so the tiles have brown stains from the heat. I though I might put a stainless splash back around the cooker but I think that might still mark from the heat?
Crikey, are you launching Saturn Vs from it?I'm guessing you have a gas hob and the flames are close to the wall. What about swapping it for a nice induction hob instead?
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