DO THE TILING YOURSELF! Tiling: Step by Step

WHY IS IT WORTH CHOOSING CERAMIC TILES?

• ADVANTAGES OF VARIOUS FINISHING MATERIALS
• TILE WEAR
• BEFORE BYING
  • Reserve
  • Resistance to cold
  • Avoid different shade
  • Assortment
  • Convexity
• CHOOSING TILE SURFACES
• USE TILES TO CREATE THE DESIRED SPATIAL EFFECT
• DIFFERENT WAYS THAT TILES ALLOW FOR VISUAL CORRECTIONS OF  ROOM PROPORTIONS
• DESIGNERS' RECOMMENDATIONS
  

DO THE TILING YOURSELF!

• SURFACE PREPARATION
• NECESSARY TOOLS 
• CHOOSING ADHESIVES
• CHOOSING FILLERS
• TILING: STEP BY STEP

Use the smooth side of the spatula to gradually spread (even layers, up to 5 mm thick) the adhesive grout on the dry and level primed base. Use the toothed side to trench it. Adhesive grout may be applied in three different ways:

1. Apply tile adhesive on the wall:
   Use the toothed side of the spatula for spreading it on the base, and then trench it.
   Application: wall tiles and floor tiles.
2. Apply tile adhesive on a tile:
   Use the toothed side of the spatula to spread it on the flip-side of the tile, and then trench it.
   Application: for walls, e.g. narrow dado tiles.
3. Apply tile adhesive both on the wall and on the tile:
   Use the toothed spatula to spread it on the base and on the flip-side of the tile.
   Application: for floorboards with a profiled flip-side, for rough creaming surfaces, for marble and natural stone, for balconies and terraces.

Important: If glue becomes skimmed, the tiles will not adhere well. Thus, it is necessary to remove dried-off adhesive and apply a newly mixed one.

1. Start tiling the floor from any corner, but make sure to begin with a whole tile. If the first tile needs to be cut, start tiling from the first whole tile in the appointed place .
Start tiling the walls from the bottom. In order to establish a straight horizontal line on the wall, it is recommended to fix a straight plank at the bottom. It is fastened as follows: take the tile and hold it against the wall, measure its height and add the future joints between the floor and the first row, and between the first and the second row of tiles, so that when the plank is removed at the end of works, two rows of tiles and two joints would fit in its place.

Important: If the floor is not level, going up or down, measure the height from the lowest floor point .

2. In order to maintain accuracy, it is recommended to mark the floor with a few lines. Plan the area of the flooring in such a way that floor tiles, including adhesive and ~ 5 mm silicon joint would meet wall tiles edge to edge. It is also possible to make the floor tile go under the wall tile, but not the other way round.

Start tiling the wall from the second row of tiles. The lowest row of tiles is normally glued the last. Again, it is recommended to draw a few vertical lines on the wall, so that you can constantly check if you are tiling straight.

3. Scoop the adhesive mix with a metal scoop, pour it on the scapula and evenly spread it over approximately 1 square meter of the wall.

Use the toothed spatula to even the adhesive mix.

Stick the first tile against the plank. Continue tiling the entire row and impact tiles into the fresh base. Use a special rubber hammer to "drive in" the big tiles.

IMPORTANT: Do not overdo it! Adhesive qualities are active up to 30 minutes, so apply only as much adhesive as the number of tiles you will manage to glue. Read the adhesive user guide! Some adhesives are applied just on the surface of the base, just on a tile or on both.

4. Use plastic spacers between tiles. Bigger tiles require bigger spacers. For example, for a 100x100 mm tile, it is recommended to use spacers that are 1 mm wide. Spacers are inserted during the working process, after the adhesion of each tile.

It is not recommended to tile without any gaps, because:

• Tiles might have dimensional errors, so they cannot be glued quite next to each other.
• Ceramic tiles swell under the impact of water; spacers help to avoid cracking and other defects.

5. New rows are tiled as the very first one. Having tiled the last (upper) row, remove the plank. Then, tile the bottom row.

Important:

• Avoid cutting tiles when tiling upwards. If cut tiles are necessary for reaching certain height, stick them at the bottom.
• Stick cut tiles on the sides. Extremely narrow ends may be glued in the middle. Observe the symmetry when tiling niches or balconies, too.
• An inserted decorative strip looks very nice under the upper row of tiles. Match the decorative strips according to your taste.
• Use silicon to fill the joints between the tiles and plumbing equipment (e.g. sink), between wall tiles and floor tiles, and in the corners of the walls.
• At the time of working and for two days after tiling, room temperature should remain above +10oC. Low temperature and high humidity may result in a longer adhesive drying period.

Comment of an expert: Having scratched a tile beforehand, it may easily be broken against the edge of a table. If a tile must be pierced for sockets or water taps, hammer a hole in the centre of the glazed side. The opening is widened by careful hammering. It is important to prop the tile so as to protect it from cracking at the time of hammering a hole.

• FINAL STEP! FILL AND SEAL THE JOINTS 

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