How hard is it to tile?

[Turbo cab]

Yesterday was spent ripping out all of our downstairs toilet and installing a concealed cystern along with boxing it in.

Whilst I was doing this I also installed one of those glass bowl type sinks of which I constructed its own shelf to go on along with boxing in all of that pipework.

At some point this week I was going to get a tiler in to install some natural travertine tiles on the wall and box sections along with some polished porcelain on the floor, around 12 square meters in total.

I have been quoted around £25 per sqm plus materials but I was thinking of giving it a bash myself, Eventually we will have most of the downstairs tiled anyway so the money saved on labour for the toilet will probably be spent on tools that will be used to do this job in the future.

Which if your not asleep after reading all that leads me to my question;

I like to think i'm quite handy around the house but this is something I haven't tried, Would anyone thats attempted this with decent diy skills say its quiet easy to do and if so what tools are required?

Thanks in advance.

[Pat H]

Get a decent tile cutter and nibbler and have a go yourself.

If you can put down a laminated floor then tiling will not be a challenge for you.

I find tiling very theraputic.

[hornetrider]

I found it quite easy and I'm no DIY king. I bought an electric tile cutting saw a bit like this:



The one I got was the cheapest in B&Q and does the job just fine. The rest of it is common sense - but there's plenty of instruction on the web for hints and tips just a google away.

[Turbo cab]

Heres a couple of pictures of the progress so far, Sorry for the crappy BB pics.

[shirt]

my first ever bit of diy was tiling a bathroom. its ridiculously easy and i agree it is therapeutic.

[Deva Link]

It might have been a good idea to tile before installed the sink!

That arrangement is vaguely similar to our downstaira toilet - what are you going to do for soap / soap dispenser? I can't find anything I'm happy with.

In the tiling front, I did all of ours - the biggest issue I've found is getting them evenly flat - if an edge is a bit raised compared to the next tile it looks really odd if the light catches it. People say using the right adhesive is critial but I used stuff from B&Q and it seemed fine.

[Handbag]

Tiling generally isn't difficult but with travertine it depends on the type of tiles you want to lay as some can be very time consuming compared with ceramic/porcelain as you need to seal it at different stages especially if you're going for unfilled individual tiles and don't want to grout the entire face.

[Motorwaymick]

Not hard, as others have said, just tiled my bathroom, floor to ceiling no previous exp. Only prob may be if like me walls are not straight/level you may have to pack back of tile with adhesive to get a reasonable line.

[m3jappa]

Of course its not hard to lay tiles, literally anyone can do it.

If though on the other hand you are particular then get a proper tiler, that is unless you like lips between the tiles and un even joints. But then i am excesivley fussy

[RV8]

Yep, easy enough after a few rows you'll get the hang of it. Crucial thing is getting the first row right. If there is nothing below the first row either tack some nails in or attach a length of wood so the weight of them is on this rather than letting them slide down the wall.

Spirit level and plumb-bob help as do plasplug spacers, some guys use matches. Disk tile cutter like the one pictured above are good for cutting around things and thick tiles, I use a basic manual cutter for doing straight lines and the motorised one for tricky bits.
Don't put loads of adhesive on the wall or you'll end up in a mess just do a small area a few tiles ahead of where you want to tile to, as you get quicker you can spread more of the adhesive.

[Turbo cab]

Deva Link said:

It might have been a good idea to tile before installed the sink!

That arrangement is vaguely similar to our downstaira toilet - what are you going to do for soap / soap dispenser? I can't find anything I'm happy with.

In the tiling front, I did all of ours - the biggest issue I've found is getting them evenly flat - if an edge is a bit raised compared to the next tile it looks really odd if the light catches it. People say using the right adhesive is critial but I used stuff from B&Q and it seemed fine.

To be honest, The soap holder is my stumbling block as I too haven't found any that im completely happy with either.

Re the sink, It was only placed in to make sure everything looked ok and will only take five minutes to remove .

Thanks for all the info so far folks theres been some info that has helped a lot

Im gonna order the tiles tomorrow and have a shot at it this week.


Will post pictures up of the finished result.

[Simpo Two]

Another vote for the 'circular saw' style tile cutter, but I got a Plasplugs one which has an integral water tank which recirculates. £30 at Homebase IIRC.

[Mr E Driver]

Start in the middle of the wall and work to the corners so that you have the same tile width at both ends.
Decide to have a join/gap or a tile in the middle to give you the biggest size of tile at the corners.
Remember to add a couple of mm to allow for the gaps.

[SeeFive]

Mr E Driver said:

Start in the middle of the wall and work to the corners so that you have the same tile width at both ends.
Decide to have a join/gap or a tile in the middle to give you the biggest size of tile at the corners.
Remember to add a couple of mm to allow for the gaps.

I'd agree with that. I tend to find the middle, and lay them out dry with spacers to get the start point right. As others have said, tiling is fairly simple - probably simpler than the job you have done on your plumbing and concealed cystern. I am no pro, but have tiled quite a few kitchens, bathrooms and conservatory floors as I have rip / replaced mine and friends / family.

It's also worth planning for access to the concealed cystern if you are not putting a removable sill of some sort on top of your boxed section. I think I can see an access join on the top - will that line up with the width of the tiles and grout to make future access easier? That may affect your start point on that wall rather than starting on the centre point. If the joints do not line up, you may want to over-order the tiles so you have some spare for the inevitable day when you have to take some off to get to a plumbing problem on that boxed in section. If you lay them properly, you will not get them off whole. Also, on most of the the crap that I have used, the tile edges are rarely glazed today (you sometimes can buy glazed edge tiles in a range). So think about what beads are available for your tiles on outside corners (i.e., if you tile the top of your boxed in section, where it meets the face rising from the floor, you will have a naff tile edge showing).

If your skirting / floor is not square to the vertical walls, you may want to put a batten on the wall that is square to the plumb line and corners (if poss), or your tiling will look out of kilter to the edges of each wall, which looks dire. Again, ensure that you place the batten in a way to centre your tiles for the top and bottom.

I actually prefer to prepare adhesive on a largest area possible, as that helps to keep the tiles flat - it is easy for an amateur to vary how thick the adhesive goes on in different sections, which will affect flatness. Use a proper tile adhesive trowel - not the stty bit of plastic they give you with the adhesive. Obviously, the speed at which you can set tiles will govern the area your prep with adhesive.

Adhesive is a bugger to get off when it is dry, especially in the unglazed gaps between tiles which can lead to bumpy grout. Keep the faces and grout lines as clean as you can when setting the tiles, and use spacers. Let it all dry, and then make sure again that the grout lines are clear and grout it.

I am assuming that you are not getting fancy, and not putting the tiles down on a diamond pattern on the floor. When doing the floor, find the centre point, square it off in a cross parallel the 4 walls and work outwards from this point to the edges of the room. Ensure that you factor this into your calculation for materials - you will cut a lot this way and it can lead to waste. Obviously, work in a way that means that you do not have to stand on freshly laid tiles.

Like another poster suggested, I use a scratch and press cutter for straight lines (fast), and a wet wheel for thin or difficult cuts (slower but gentler). If you need to drill holes in the tiles to fit mirrors etc through the tiles, us a proper tile drill (and make sure your hammer is not set on). They are surprisingly good an keep on the mark you want to drill rather than running all over the tile as you start to drill.

Enjoy it - as others have said, it is quite theraputic and very satisfying when you get it right. The secret to getting it right is to start right - check it and check it again before starting.

[Chris77]

A word on adhesive, Make sure you get the right product for the job!!!! Looking at the pic you are tiling on ply??? If so how thick is it? make sure it is solid and remove as much movement as poss. Prime it with a tile primmer (not PVA!!!) I would be using a white single part flexible tile adhesive on that surface with Travertine stone.

Are you tiling the whole room? if so then the painted walls will need further prep before tiling.

Also make sure you talk to your stone supplier about sealing the travertine and use the products they recommend, or you could have problems.

It isn't hard to tile if you do your prep right and take your time you will be fine. also it is the attention to detail that makes a good tiling job.

[Simpo Two]

Didn't spot it was travertine. Defo get the watercooled tile cutter.

I did my bathroom in 12mm travertine and the cutter earned its keep many times over.

As said, pay extra to get the right adhesive (and primer) - BAL is one; talk to your tile supplier. You don't want half a ton of travertine falling on you!

[cjs]

How will you access the cistern when it goes wrong? Will you have an access panel?

Edited by cjs on Monday 19th July 12:36

[BoRED S2upid]

Last time I did it I hired a tile cutter for the weekend, very reasonable cost and did the job well. Worth considering if its a one off rather than having a tile cutter in the garage which your unlikely to use again.

[anonymous-user]

Pat H said:

Get a decent tile cutter and nibbler and have a go yourself.

If you can put down a laminated floor then tiling will not be a challenge for you.

I find tiling very theraputic.

+1.I thought I was a sado for enjoying it!

[Turbo cab]

Guys thanks so so much for all the help, This thread along with a few tips off the net has provided such a help .

I have decided to do it myself.

Ive ordered the tiles, flexible adeshive, grout and sealer today and will stop off on the way home to get an electric tile cutter, trowel, plumb bob, tile adhesive spreader, primer - on the recomendation on here not a pva type one

Im also going to be adding a access hole at the top - a minor oversight on my part .

Thanks again, And as promised will post up pictures of the finished result.