Essential Tiling Tips
As with any home improvement project, professional tiling will, more often than not, produce the best results for homeowners in West Yorkshire. However, as time-served specialists in wall tiles and floor tiles, we understand the appeal of a DIY project. As one of West Yorkshire’s foremost companies with five tile shops, we’ve heard every possible reasoning for doing it yourself. Whether you have a set budget or some previous experience, the laying of your own bathroom tiles or kitchen tiles not only saves money, but provides something to look back on with pride in years to come.
To feel that pride, however, the tiling needs to be completed to the highest possible standards.
Below, we’ve listed some of the advice we give to our customers in our tile shops thinking of laying their own wall tiles or floor tiles.
1. Plan Thoroughly
Whether you’re thinking of laying bathroom tiles, kitchen tiles or any kind of tiling in your property, we cannot stress enough how important the planning stage is. From pre-cutting your wall tiles and/or floor tiles to taking exact measurements, being prepared saves you both time and stress.
2. Clean Your Tiles
After returning from one of our tile shops with your materials, don’t rush into the job. Following the process of cutting the tiles to size, be sure to wipe them clean with a damp cloth, ensuring that all dust and chips are removed. This step ensures our customers don’t get any loose fragments trapped under or beneath their bathroom tiles or kitchen tiles which might result in an untidy finish.
3. Clear the Area
Make sure that the area you intend to tile is clear of obstacles. Fixtures such as doors, plug sockets and light switches should be removed ahead of time. This allows our customers to concentrate their attention solely on the job at hand. Your wall tiles and floor tiles will look better if you have a smooth, consistent work flow.
4. Mix Small Batches of Grout & Adhesives
This tip remains one of the most common the personnel in our tiles shops give. Regardless of whether you feel confident with a larger batch, making smaller batches puts less pressure on you and allows for unforeseen disturbances. If for some reason you are disturbed, that larger batch will dry and you might need to make a return visit to one of our tile shops!
5. Start in the Centre
For any kind of tiling, from bathroom tiles to kitchen tiles, our customers need to start in the centre to achieve the best results. By separating the area up into smaller sections with a measuring tape and some chalk, the process of tiling becomes a lot less daunting.
6. Apply Adhesive Carefully
Whether our West Yorkshire customers are laying wall tiles or floor tiles, a smooth finish depends on how well they apply tiling adhesive. Applying too much creates leaking between tiles, while not enough results in a poor application. Notching the already applied grout can help you recognise how much adhesive you need.
7. Be Aware of Uneven Surfaces
Your walls and floors may look flat, but often they have imperceptible slants. A spirit level can confirm whether this is the case at your property. If you find that your floor tiles or wall tiles need to contend with a slight slope, simply remove some adhesive, or apply more where applicable, beneath the tiles until they level out.
By following these steps, any tiling project in the West Yorkshire area has a high chance of turning out a professional finish. When the work comes to an end, the likelihood is that you will have spare tiles. Be sure to keep these rather than throw them out. In the unlikely event of repair work, they save time and stress in trying to locate exact originals of the ones you already have.