Top Floor Tiling Tips
Tiling is the one task that fills budding DIY enthusiasts with dread. For some reason, tiling has a certain degree of stigma attached to it and, as a result, people who would be capable of conducting the task end up paying hundreds of pounds to have a professional do it. Although this almost guarantees a quality finish, it isn’t entirely cost effective if you’re capable of doing it yourself. Here are our top tiling tips:
Pick a Starting Point Carefully
To find a starting point, measure to find the mid-point of the two longest walls and draw a line between them. Then, repeat this step for the shorter walls. From here, do the same for the shorter walls and, when you complete this line between you should have found the centre of the room.
Spread the Grout Evenly
To get ridges of the same thickness, use the notched edge of the trowel to scrape along the grout. Start by spreading around one square metre of grout into one of the squares created by the crosshairs on the floor and then work your way out.
Always Use Spacers
Although they can be slightly fiddly, tile spacers will help the process massively and they should guarantee a nice smooth finish. A spacer placed in each corner of every tile will ensure that your tiles don’t slip and stay an even distance apart.
Lay Whole Tiles before Cutting
Always work outwards from your centre markings and lay all of the whole tiles before you start cutting anything. Once you have laid everything, make sure that you go over every tile with a spirit level to ensure the floor is level. Then leave it overnight to be sure the grout has set properly.
The next day you can trim and cut the remaining tiles to ensure that they all fit in the gaps. After laying these you should then wait at least another 12 hours before sealing and grouting between the tiles. After this, simply seal and grout; leave for another 12 hours and wash to clean.
If you follow the above hints and tips, you really cannot go far wrong when tiling.