If you’ve decided to spruce up your bathroom with some shiny new tiles, you might find the following tips helpful if you’ve never done tiling before:
- How to decide how many tiles you need
On most sites that sell tiles, you’ll find a tile calculator to help you work out how many square metres you’ll need for tiling wither a floor or wall. A good piece of advice is to include an additional 10% as a precaution. By taking some measurements and visiting a store, you’ll be able to get advice on how many boxes of tiles will suit your needs. For help with Bathroom Suites Northern Ireland, visit https://bathline-bathrooms.com/
- Plan Ahead
Before letting loose on the tiles, plan how the rows will fit onto the space. This helps to avoid a finished scene that looks unprofessional and clumsy. Always start from the centre of a wall or floor, so that any tiles that need cutting will be located at the edges of the floor or wall and be the same size.
- Gripping for slipping
Tiles in the bathroom can be slippery so make sure to use tiles that have anti-slip qualities, especially for floor tiles. That way you can enjoy stunning, stylish tiles with the confidence that no-one will slip when climbing in and out of the bath or shower.
- Be prepared
Before you begin tiling, make sure your surfaces are prepared. They should be dry and not uneven. Any dips or bumps will need to be filled in before your start tiling.
- Wear Gloves
Wearing gloves is highly recommended to avoid irritating your skin when applying the grout or adhesive. You don’t have to buy special gloves, just your washing-up rubber gloves will work fine.
- Go waterproof
This is very important as bathrooms are damp, warm and moist places. You’ll need to use waterproof adhesive and grout, especially in areas next to your shower and bath. This ensures that moisture stays only on the surface of the tile and cannot seep underneath it.
- Toilets and sinks
These can be awkward to tile around but try to tile up to them using whole tiles and avoid using cut pieces first. Position as many whole tiles around these obstacles as you can, leaving the cut pieces until the whole tiles have set and dried. When it comes to tiling the cut pieces, the process will much easier.
- Cleaning up
Don’t be tempted to dump any leftover grout or adhesive down the sink or drain. This could result in a blockage in your pipes, resulting in a call to a plumber! Pour the excess into a plastic bag, leave it to go hard and then you can throw it away or recycle it as hardcore.