The effect of a well-tiled bathroom or kitchen cannot be denied. Often the tiles can even extend throughout the house. Today they are seen as a cleaner, tidier and lower maintenance flooring option. The most common use of tiles is in the bathroom, since it is better to tile the walls to avoid humidity. With the right tiles you can create a flawless and impressive shower.
Ideally, it’s much more cost-effective to do the mosaic yourself, but you’ll need to be armed with the right information to ensure you create the perfect mosaic effect.
Here are some helpful tips for your DIY mosaic project:
Before you begin, it’s important to make sure the floor area is free of dust and loose material. Use only clean water and tools, and avoid letting your tiles come into contact with water.
First of all, you will need to place a tile in the center of the doorway, and then mark a line next to the tile on the floor and at a right angle to the doorway. All your mosaic work will be based on that line. This line can be moved to the left or right once the tiles have been laid to minimize cutting.
Lay the first tile next to the line and then lay the tiles along this line leaving room for the tile seams. It is important that you do this step without putting adhesive on the tiles. Next you should use a straight edge or a fixed nylon line to make sure the tiles run straight. Once the tiles are laid, mark a line at a right angle to the first line. Tiles can be laid along this line. Depending on your personal preference and the size of the tiles, you can lay the tiles in a half-seam pattern or any other desired configuration.
Then, without disturbing the straight edge (or nylon line), remove any loose tiles and apply adhesive to the floor using a 10 x 10 x 6mm notched trowel. Apply the adhesive in not too large squares, to prevent the surface from drying out. If the surface is not level, the tiles must be smeared with adhesive, and then pressed into the wet bed. This also applies to dovetail or cleated shingles.
All tiles MUST make 100 percent contact with the adhesive or damage to the tiles will occur. Once the tiles have been placed on the adhesive bed, they should be leveled with a rubber mallet, fully seating them. Lift a tile every couple of meters to ensure full contact is maintained.
Some quick tips to think about:
Use tile spacers for neater, more precise work.
Cut the border tiles to size with a tile cutter.
Remove excess adhesive in joints before it sets and hardens.
Allow to dry at least 24 hours before grouting the joints with Tile Grout.
Armed with this information, you’re just one step away from transforming your bathroom and kitchen, and you’ll be able to tell everyone that you did it all yourself!