Laying Bathroom Tiles

When it comes to laying bathroom tiles the job can be either easy or difficult depending on how much tile you are laying and where in the bathroom you are doing it. Some may choose to lay their bathroom tiles by themselves while others don't like the idea and hire a contractor to do it for them. If your decide to do it yourself then there are some common mistakes you should avoid when laying bathroom tiles.

Preparation

The best thing you can do when laying bathroom tiles is make sure you are prepared in advance. You want a completely clean and smooth surface before you begin to lay bathroom tiles or else you won't be able to get them even. Use a light sander on the surface before starting then wash and thoroughly dry the floor before you start laying down tiles to ensure you get a good grip.

You also need to estimate your project in advance and make sure you have enough bathroom tiles to complete the job. It is always a good idea to buy about fifteen to twenty percent more than what you think you will use to find the best balance between cost and practicality. Therefore if you have difficulties in cutting to size, if you miscalculated or if any tiles break you will still have enough bathroom tiles to complete the job. If you don't use all the bathroom tiles you can store them for future use if any of the tiles crack.

Adhesive

When it comes to adhesive there are a lot of things that can go wrong if you aren't careful. The first thing to do is make sure you have the right adhesive. Any bathroom tiles that are being placed around a bath or shower needs waterproof adhesive. If you use non-waterproof adhesive it will eventually decay and crumble causing your tiles to fall off the wall and break. Even if you don't think water will reach the adhesive it will, the smallest crack can let in water and then there is also condensation.

Grouting

Like adhesive, grouting can have a lot of problems. You want to wait at least twenty-four hours after laying the bathroom tiles before grouting to allow the adhesive to fully set. Use a squeegee to evenly spread the grout and do only a small area at a time otherwise it may dry before you have it firmly in place. If you don't remove excess grout before it dries you will have a much more difficult time removing it later. Make sure the grout is pushed firmly into each gap by running a dowel over it lightly.