Choosing Tiles For Your Bathroom

There are many choices when it comes to selecting tiles for your bathroom and the prices can range from the relatively inexpensive to the down right expensive.


Usually the cheapest option is plain tiles, white 150mm plain tiles usually being the cheapest of all but obviously the most plain. If you are looking for plain then these can be ideal and can really help out those on a budget. You can also spruce up plain white tiles by adding a border half way up and by including some motif or pattern tiles to break up the monotony. Another compromise is to get and equal number of black 150mm tiles and to create a chequer board effect.


Large tiles are available in many different colours and sizes and the prices can vary but you will expect to pay much more for them than the 150mm plain white tiles. One benefit of large tiles is that you will, by their very nature, have less to lay. One downside to large tiles however is that if you have an imperfect wall which you wish to lay them on you may have trouble with them rocking on the high spots and may find yourself having to use a large amount of adhesive to combat this, or if it is particularly bad then you may want to create a flat wall before you commence.


Mosaic tiles can be particularly attractive but unfortunately they can also be particularly expensive, these are large tiles often 300m square which are made up of lots of little tiles of around 25mm square, held on a web backing to keep them together, you have to be careful to straighten all of the little tiles when you lay them and they can also be more tricky to grout due to the many lines between them, all that said though they can look so good as to be worth the trouble and expense. Also note that you can purchase fake mosaic tiles which are actually solid tiles with fake grout lines in between, these should be less expensive and also easier to lay, although the advice about large tiles and uneven surfaces applies here.


Adhesives can be bought in a number of different types, some take up to twenty four hours to set whilst others, called fast set adhesives, can set within an hour. Fast set adhesives can be great for laying floor tiles as the surface can often be walked on soon after but be careful if you haven't done a lot of tile laying before as you don't have much time to work with the adhesive, it will start setting in the bucket quite quickly and as such it is better to only mix smaller amounts each time, this can occupy your time as you have to drop back to mix all of the time. If you are an inexperienced tiler you would probably be better off sticking with a regular setting mix.

7 Ways to Learn How to Tile a Bathroom

Learning how to tile a bathroom might not seem important, but it is. If you can do your own tile work, you'll save hundreds of dollars on the cost of a professional tile setter. Laying your own bathroom tile requires some tools and skill, but it's not too hard for the average person to learn. All you need is dedication and a little practice. If you'd like to learn how to tile a bathroom, here are a few tips to help.



1. First, figure out how many tiles you'll need for the area you'll be tiling. This is a relatively simple process - measure a tile, then figure out how many will fit in the space along the top. Then, figure out how many fit along one side, and multiply the two. Add a few more tiles than this number, however. You may break some, or have miscounted, and having extra tiles is better than running out. Plus, some additional tiles can be kept on hand if one is ever damaged. Just replace the tile with a spare, and your bathroom will look as good as new.



2. Use a tile gauge to determine where your tiles should go. You can make one on your own - it's just a piece of wood marked with the positions of the tiles. When making the gauge, lay out tiles on a flat surface with spacers between them, and line up the tile gauge with them. Mark where the tiles lie, and you'll have your very own gauge.



3. Line up the center. Draw a vertical line down the wall in the location where your middle tile will be located. This allows you to tile outward from this point, and to have a well lined up design.



4. Start at the bottom, not the top. Lay the tiles from the bottom up, and remember to use spacers, so that each tile is evenly laid.



5. For straight cuts, a tile cutting jig is invaluable. It'll help you cut individual tiles to the right size to fit in your bathroom. Curved tiles will require the use of a tile cutting saw.



6. Use grout to fill all gaps. Once your tiles have set, you can remove the spacers and fill in the areas between the tiles with grout. Use a waterproof bathroom grout to keep water from being trapped between tiles.



7. Seal everything well. Use silicone caulk or acrylic caulk to seal any gaps or seams between your tile and the tub, sink, or other fixtures. Run a damp finger along a bead of caulk to seal it.



If you learn how to tile a bathroom, you'll be able to have better control over your remodeling job, plus you'll save a lot of money. So, if you'd like to develop the skills for the job, research tile in depth and talk to an experienced tile setter for more information. You could be laying your own tile soon.