Floor Tiling

CTU_Agent · 24-04-2006 4:24pm #1

Has anyone ever tried tiling themselves....bathroom floor maybe? Im thinking of tiling my own floor and having never done it before has anyone any pointers to watch out for and suggestions? Or perhaps leave it to the pro's....

jaggiebunnet · 24-04-2006 5:18pm

CTU_Agent wrote:

Has anyone ever tried tiling themselves....bathroom floor maybe? Im thinking of tiling my own floor and having never done it before has anyone any pointers to watch out for and suggestions? Or perhaps leave it to the pro's....

I did my kitchen floor a couple of years ago. Came out pretty well. It's not rocket science, but if you are doing it for the first time it is hard work to make sure you get it right. especially if you are none too handy with the DIY like me

What kind of floor is in your bathroom - beams, wood, concrete? If upstairs then I would assume not concrete and then you will need to put something down on top of the floo rbefore tiling i think - not too sure as the kitchen was onto concrete. Always start in the middle, find the centre point of the room using string and tape measure, and then tile using the string as a guide. Take it easy and you should be fine.

good luck!

crosstownk · 24-04-2006 5:23pm

I tried it a few times and was happy with how it turned out. What I found helped immensely was having a decent tile cutter and a small angle grinder for those akward bits like radiator pipes etc. Study the floor and figure out which place is the best to start from and that will minimise cutting. If it's a big floor area then start in the middle as suggested by jaggiebunnet.

jaggiebunnet · 24-04-2006 5:29pm

crosstownk wrote:

What I found helped immensely was having a decent tile cutter and a small angle grinder for those akward bits like radiator pipes etc.

Good point, i found the angle grider very useful for those nasty rad pipes!

CTU_Agent · 24-04-2006 5:52pm

Thanks for the tips, im becoming more confident in tackling this myself head on. The room is pretty small 3.6 sq yds. It would be my first time tiling but it doesnt really scare me. Ive read numerous DIY articles and step by steps and how to's and really like you said if I take my time and think about it I should be fine.

One thing that would get me is tiling under or around bathroom utilities i.e Rad pipes as one mentioned and also toilet and sink pedestals. I know maybe lifting them and putting a tile under them would probably be the best, but id be worried about re-fixing the loo especially with four drill holes in one tile....would the tile not crack under the pressure...

Also at the min there is a sort of mdf nailed to the floor but I would imagine a sheet of plywood secured firmly will be enough to lay tiles upon....

beldin · 25-04-2006 9:25am

One trick I did the last time I had to screw a toilet onto a tiled floor was to put a bead of silicone around the base of the toilet and then leave it to dry. You end up with a nice little cushion at the bottom of the toilet which should help avoid any cracking.

Audioslaven · 25-04-2006 10:28am

Very good points by everyone. I have done some myself but I find sometimes the grouting does not always come out perfect. Any tips on how you grout between the tiles to give a finished look?

ctrl-alt-delete · 25-04-2006 10:35am

Audioslaven wrote:

Very good points by everyone. I have done some myself but I find sometimes the grouting does not always come out perfect. Any tips on how you grout between the tiles to give a finished look?

What i do is after i have applied the grout, let it go off (not too much, because you still have to clean it off), but when it has gone stiff enough, run a pencil, or marker (or any rounded cylinder type thing) down along the joints, i think it gives a great finish - of course you can buy tools no to do it, but any cylinder type thing will have the same effect.

If i was tiling, i would never just start in the middle of the floor, if you take the time to plan it well, laying down tiles dry so that you work out the best path of action, the time you put in will be well worth it. Nothing looks worse than a small cut along an edge that could have been avoided. I always lay down the tiles dry, doing all the cuts etc before i lay any, so in effect i have all the tiles down dry, then i take up sections and lay them.

Also an angle grinder can be very daunting for those using one for the first time, you can buy a wet saw for tiling now for as little as €50 which is much safer and precise.

ctrl-alt-delete · 25-04-2006 10:44am

CTU_Agent wrote:

One thing that would get me is tiling under or around bathroom utilities i.e Rad pipes as one mentioned and also toilet and sink pedestals. I know maybe lifting them and putting a tile under them would probably be the best, but id be worried about re-fixing the loo especially with four drill holes in one tile....would the tile not crack under the pressure.......

Dont be worried about this, if you have applied the adhesive correctly under the tile and let it dry out for a few hours it will be as solid as needed to drill, it will take any amount of holes then. Just be carefull to use the correct size drill bit, and only go down as far as you need, especially if upstairs

CTU_Agent wrote:

Also at the min there is a sort of mdf nailed to the floor but I would imagine a sheet of plywood secured firmly will be enough to lay tiles upon....

Whatever is there at the moment you would want to make sure it is well fixed, screws are a lot better than nails for this, the key is so that the floor wont have much movement in it - i.e. leading to the grout cracking over time.

when you have fixed the mdf, buy some marine ply, doesnt have to be thick as too thick a sheet will cause problems with doors and utilities etc, as obviously you are raising the floor. I cant quite remember what thickness you can get the marine ply in. Anyway, again screw the marine ply down, you only need small screws that will fix it to the mdf. (when screwing the mdf and the ply be carefull, if you can try and locate pipes etc and stay away from them, mark lines on the ply and mdf as to where the joists are running, this will help as obviously you are fixing to them.

Final tip, use flexible adhesive and grout.

yop · 25-04-2006 10:47am

Lads, don't know where you are getting the idea of starting in the middle, leaves you with a very akward tiling around the centre tile.

What you do as said in the last post is dry tile a line from back wall towards the door and also a line from right to left.
Using this you can gauge what cuts are left at the edges and around pipes and shower trays etc.
If you spend 30 minutes laying out your room it will save you a lot of time and also at least you know that you will end up with a decent cut.

For santiary ware they should be removed and reinstalled once the tiling has been finished. A good masonry bit will drill the tile for you.

Also angle grinders can be bloody dangerous, neary took my knee off with one cutting a tile once.
A wet saw out of Argos will give a nice cut, just make sure that the water tray is kept well filled and that the blade is running through it.

CTU_Agent · 25-04-2006 11:57am

Will the wet cutter be able to cut those awkward holes in the tiles for the rad pipes and also the toilet drain pipe behind the toilet bowl which is quite large? How would you cut a circular hole in the tile to get around these pipes?

ctrl-alt-delete · 25-04-2006 12:22pm

CTU_Agent wrote:

Will the wet cutter be able to cut those awkward holes in the tiles for the rad pipes and also the toilet drain pipe behind the toilet bowl which is quite large? How would you cut a circular hole in the tile to get around these pipes?

You cannot get a circle cut with a wet saw no, but you can cut a semi-circle if you know what i mean. So if it falls over a number of tiles, you can cut a circle. Best to draw on where to be cut with a dry wipe marker (i find these best as water from wet saw does not wash them away too easily) then you keep cutting down straight lines to your mark, leaving a few mm in between, then these just break off easily, and you can tidy it up with the wet saw then or a tile nips. As for rads, i normally cut them square anyway and buy a covering cup thing. If you wanted to cut a circle you can but small circle masonary drill bits that will cut through tile, but unless you are removing rad to slide tile over the pipe there is no need? these are just my opinions anyway

CTU_Agent · 25-04-2006 12:29pm

I tink what il do is cut a slot out of the tile to go to the rad pipe. The rad pipe will slot into the tile then if you know what i mean. And maybe with a neat square of cut tile fill the hole behind the slot when its in place....

ctrl-alt-delete · 25-04-2006 12:33pm

CTU_Agent wrote:

I tink what il do is cut a slot out of the tile to go to the rad pipe. The rad pipe will slot into the tile then if you know what i mean. And maybe with a neat square of cut tile fill the hole behind the slot when its in place....

Yeah that's perfect, thats all i do anyway. Another problems dont hesitate to ask.

jaggiebunnet · 25-04-2006 12:53pm

yop wrote:

Lads, don't know where you are getting the idea of starting in the middle, leaves you with a very akward tiling around the centre tile.

What you do as said in the last post is dry tile a line from back wall towards the door and also a line from right to left.
Using this you can gauge what cuts are left at the edges and around pipes and shower trays etc.
If you spend 30 minutes laying out your room it will save you a lot of time and also at least you know that you will end up with a decent cut.

For santiary ware they should be removed and reinstalled once the tiling has been finished. A good masonry bit will drill the tile for you.

Also angle grinders can be bloody dangerous, neary took my knee off with one cutting a tile once.
A wet saw out of Argos will give a nice cut, just make sure that the water tray is kept well filled and that the blade is running through it.

Read any DIY on how to tile and this is exactly what it will tell you. I have seen many people not start in the middle and soon end up realising why you do.

ctrl-alt-delete · 25-04-2006 1:00pm

jaggiebunnet wrote:

Read any DIY on how to tile and this is exactly what it will tell you. I have seen many people not start in the middle and soon end up realising why you do.

Why do you start in the middle then? enlighten me, because in my opinion it is a stupid place to start, im assuming you mean just find the middle of the room and start there, without looking at how a tile will finish around the edges of the room? or how it affects any room that is shaped like an L?

tribesman · 25-04-2006 2:05pm

ctrl-alt-delete wrote:

If i was tiling, i would never just start in the middle of the floor, if you take the time to plan it well, laying down tiles dry so that you work out the best path of action, the time you put in will be well worth it. Nothing looks worse than a small cut along an edge that could have been avoided. I always lay down the tiles dry, doing all the cuts etc before i lay any, so in effect i have all the tiles down dry, then i take up sections and lay them.

I'd agree that you shouldn't necassarily start in the exact centre of the room. You should work out the best way to lay the tiles out so that you don't have small cuts at the edges but when you've done it can be better to begin tiling out near the middle of the room using a lathe as a straight edge to get you started. You tile one half of the room away from the lathe, you take up the lathe and tile the other half.

Even starting with a perfectly straight line you can go off slightly and this tends to get worse the more you have to tile. If you start near the middle it minimises this creeping error.

Just remembered that you room is small so you won't really need to start out in the middle of the room but even so don't just start at one wall and assume that it is straight. Put down a lathe less than a tile width from one wall and start from that.

yop · 25-04-2006 2:15pm

jaggiebunnet wrote:

Read any DIY on how to tile and this is exactly what it will tell you. I have seen many people not start in the middle and soon end up realising why you do.

In my experience, which was about 10 months as a tiler working with 6 others who would have anything from 10 to 2 years experience not one started off in the middle, any programs I have seen on TV I cannot recall anyone starting in the middle.

Maybe you are getting confused with someone who was doing a centre piece on a floor and this is why they would have diagonal lines, but again they would dry tile away from this on the sides to get the size of their starting cuts.

Out of interest what did the people who started at one side realise?

It is common sense a lot of it and a bit of time.

squire1 · 25-04-2006 2:23pm

Spot on tribesman. That's they way i've always done it (except for the first time:rolleyes: ). It's especially true in a large or odd shaped room.

Floor tiling is probably the easiest but using a straight piece of timber to work off, as described, has always worked well for me. Dry fitting is the way I go too. Takes a bit longer but you end up with better finish.

Just another tip: get a 12" or 24" spirit level to make sure the tiles are level as you lay them as nothing looks as bad as having a corner of a tile sticking up when you are finished.

yop · 25-04-2006 2:53pm

Good point there squire, what you can do to aid this is also have a tile beside you and leave an edge of the level on the tiles which are down and this tile, what is gives you is a perspective of possible hollows in the floor so that you can add more adhesive if needed. Not great on the auld neck though!!

Salem · 25-04-2006 10:52pm

Anyone agree that it would not be a good idea for 1st timers to use the quick drying adhesive ??

ctrl-alt-delete · 26-04-2006 12:42am

Salem wrote:

Anyone agree that it would not be a good idea for 1st timers to use the quick drying adhesive ??

Not in my opinion, once you mix small manageable amounts you should be grand. Make sure you wash out the bucket you mix it in after you have used each, as in my experience if you dont the next mix tends to go off that little bit quicker.

If you have all your tiles dry laid first, you will avoid almost all waste on adhesive, thats the way i do it anyway.

yop · 26-04-2006 9:45am

As CAD says, I don't think the bucket adhesive is really suitable for floors to be honest.
Mix it small and often, but if mixing by hand then make sure you mix it well, you can get a mixer attachement for a drill but beware it could burn out the drill on you.

towbar · 26-04-2006 2:36pm

Are there any specialised mixers for this rather than the drill attachement- what sort of cost?

squire1 · 26-04-2006 2:47pm

Your local hire shop should have one. It's called a paddle mixer or plaster stirrer. They are basically like a drill but run at low speed/high torque. It will cost you about €50/wk or you could buy a decent enough one for about €400.

As Yop says, if you use the attachemt on your normal drill you will burn it out eventually.

yop · 26-04-2006 4:33pm

Use your arms you pussy

Argos do a Challenge one , does the job and not too expensive, IF you have a good bit of yardage to do, if you don't I would mix it by hand.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7110869.htm

dras · 28-04-2006 12:08pm

In a previous house I just tiled around sanitary ware instead of lifting - took a bit longer to cut out shape but i thought it was easier/safer.

Can I ask all of your advice for DIY tiling porcelain and marble? Is it as straightforward as normal ceramic tiles. As far as I know the marble has to be laid, sealed, grouted and finally sealed again. All advice gratefully received.

towbar · 28-04-2006 1:04pm

120sq yards on last count!!!

Any volunteers that want to work up the biceps!!

yop · 28-04-2006 2:20pm

Dras, I laid a porcelain tile in our kitchen 600 * 300, big dog to cut as I needed a large tile cutter to cut the lenght ways cuts but as you said it was the way I did it almost, except I did not seal it after I grouted as it would have stained the ivory grout so I gave it 2 coats before I grouted.
They are beee utch to lay if your floor is anyway off.

Donegal is a bit of stretch there towbar but you can rent a tile cutter and buy the Argos wet saw, a wide tooth trowel, a tile snips, chalk line and patience.!!

tribesman · 28-04-2006 3:03pm

dras wrote:

Can I ask all of your advice for DIY tiling porcelain and marble? Is it as straightforward as normal ceramic tiles. As far as I know the marble has to be laid, sealed, grouted and finally sealed again. All advice gratefully received.

I put porcelain on the kitchen floor and in the bathroom. They were 600 mm long and I didn't have a tile cutter big enough so I used a 4" grinder with a diamond disk. This worked fine for the kitchen tiles but it wouldn't cut the bathroom tiles. I had to buy a wet diamond saw (in Argos). This worked a treat. I don't know why there was such a difference in the two types of porcelain but there's no way I could have managed without the wet cutter for the bathroom tiles.

Floor Tiling

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