The Turn Around House Sunday 5.12.10

Having just spent days on end tiling, tiling, tiling, one or two people have moaned that I'm not explaining how to do these things! So for those who need to know, here's a quick guide. Sorry there are no pictures of me setting up my BATTENS etc.


MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE.


Buy an electric tile cutter. Saves time and money - less wasted tiles.


Next time you're in a public/friends loo/kitchen, look at the tiling, what do all tiled rooms have in common? Get familiar with tiles. What makes a well tiled room?

Tiling Techniques.

• Clean your walls well. If the surface to be tiled is porous (new plaster), paint over area to be tiles with diluted PVA. You can tile over existing tiles, which I'll do in the kitchen here.

Grease from kitchen tiles - scraped and tiled over!

• Measure and mark the centre of your wall/s to be tiled. You may, instead, want to CENTRE YOUR TILES between your taps, or the middle of your window. NEVER start in one corner of a room and work your way across. 
• Tiles MUST all line up, vertically and horizontally, even when they turn a corner of a room. So set up a vertical and horizontal wooden batten (nail into the wall - think about cable and pipe runs BEFORE using your nails). NEVER assume your floor/skirt board/work surface/bath (you get the picture) is level. Use a SPIRIT LEVEL, draw your 2 lines and offer up your 2 battens accurately.
• Tile your first row of tiles along these battens, starting where they both meet in a perfect right angle (check it before you begin).
• Apply the tile cement to the wall in an even coat using the 'comb' that should (if you're lucky) come with the cement. Do enough for about 5 - 10 tiles. It must be fresh if it's to hold the tiles.
• Use TILE SPACERS - those little plastic crosses.
• Clean cement from the tile surfaces and where it bulges out of the gaps. Your finger will do for this. Don't go mad, with your rubbing and scrubbing at this stage, as you'll move the tiles about.
• Let the tile cement set a bit, an hour or six, then rub over with a damp sponge to get the worst off, or grout now. 

grouting Float

• Use a grouting float to push grout between the tiles and to remove the worst of the mess from the surface.

Tiling Sponge

• Use the sponge (buy a proper one) to clean off the excess grout. Do this straight away. DO NOT LET THE GROUT SET FIRST!!

tiling sponge

• Keep the sponge well rinsed and wrung out. Use it flat on the tiles as you don't want to dig out the grout you've just put in. You can see washed on the left and just grouted on the right.

If you have tough, dry grout, use a damp scourer. NEVER leave grout to dry out unless it's had a wash over first - washing seems to degrade the grout into a hardish powder, rather than a rock.

• It's fine to use white tiles behind a cooker.
• Electrical sockets - buy long screws, from any hardware shop. Leccy Off. Unscrew plastic front and lift gently out of the way, leaving the wiring in place. Cut tiles so that they sit just inside the plastic face of the socket. Allow to set for at least a few hours and use those shiny new, long screws to GENTLY reattach your socket face. It should sit on top of the tiles and look smart.
•   Wash over 3 - 6 times, using your sponge and clean water.

• Buff off with a dry, soft cloth.
• Tidy up !

• Apply mastic where needed and admire.