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Placing ceramic tiles in your bathroom

Are you planning to renovate your bathroom and want to put ceramic tiles on the walls? You can install ceramic tiles almost anywhere as a floor or wall covering, but they are useful in bathrooms and kitchens especially.

Tiled walls are resistant to moisture and are also easier to clean compared to many other materials. That’s why many people choose to tile both the floor and the bathroom walls with bathroom tiles. Follow the step-by-step plan below for great results.

Step 1: Prepare the surface of the wall.

The first thing to do is make sure the underlying plaster is in good condition. When installing bathroom tiles, the surface must be clean and dry. Also, make sure that any irregularities or cracks in the wall are smoothed out. This part is crucial, as a rotting or weak wall can cause the tiles to break or even come loose over time.

Step 2: Make a plan.

cutting tiles

Try to estimate where each tile will end up. Make a plan to see where you will place complete tiles and where you need to trim or cut the tiles. It is advisable to mark the layout on the wall. Therefore, sketch the space to be tiled and sketch out how you want to lay the tiles.

Planning does not require millimetre accuracy, and instead, the main goal is to have a rough idea of everything will look once finished. Use the tiles to draw the contours on the wall, and decide where you want complete tiles and where it is better to use trimmed tiles. In this way, you will also know how many tiles you will need.

It is a rare occurrence that the wall consists entirely of complete tiles. The best finish is to end up on the left and right side with the same sized tiles about half a tile wide. Therefore, make a plan with two lines of tiles and check what ends up on the left and right.

Step 3: Apply the adhesive.

Spreading tile adhesive

You can place ceramic tiles on different types of surfaces: plaster, cement, plasterboard. However, it is essential to use the correct tile adhesive. You must apply the adhesive within half an hour, so don’t mix too much of it right away. Use the flat side of the trowel to apply the glue to the wall. Always start tiling from the bottom upwards.

It is important to use the correct type of trowel so that the notches are the right size. The correct trowel size is usually indicated on the packaging of the adhesive. You can also place tile adhesive on the tiles themselves to make them even easier to install. Make sure you don’t spread more of the adhesive than you can tile within 15 minutes.

Step 4: Place the tiles.

tiling bathroom

Now it is time for the hard part, as you now have to place the tiles on the wall. Place the first tile on the wall at the bottom where you want a full tile. Use a spirit level to make sure everything is perfectly horizontal. Press the tile against the adhesive and the wall to ensure the adhesive flattens behind the tile as you press. Once the first tile is secured, you can move on and finish the first horizontal line before starting the next line.

Use plastic spacers to make sure the spacing between the joints of each tile is always the same. Leave the tiles to be trimmed for the end of the project, and wipe off any excess glue with a damp cloth. Once you have placed all complete tiles, you can cut the remaining tiles with a tile cutter and install them in the same way as the full tiles. A professional tile cutter is a must-have to cut the tiles in the correct size.

Step 5: Grouting wall tiles

You can only grout the wall tiles once the adhesive has completely dried. Drying can take up to 36 hours, and you can check the packaging of the tile adhesive. Spread the grout between the tiles with a trowel. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out the grout and remove the excess grout with a damp sponge and dry with a rag. Make sure that no grout sticks to the front of the tiles. Make a final inspection of all joint lines and correct as necessary.

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