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How To Tile A Wall:

Step one:

You cannot tile an area without knowing how many tiles you will need. So measure the area precisely. Always purchase 10% more tiles than you need for the job to avoid any issues if accidents occur. After you purchase your tiles and before installing them, check that the tiles are correct colour and from the same batch.

Step two:

Prep. Wash the wall to be tiled with the minimum amount of warm soapy water needed to clean, wait until completely dry to proceed. Remove any wallpaper, fill any holes so wall surface is flat and sand any gloss surfaces. *If you are tiling bathroom wall you will need a water proof substrate. This will keep water from leaking.

Step three:

Pattern. Choose a pattern to install your tiles. There are two universally popular patterns. Checkerboard - this pattern is much like a checkerboard, every other tile is the same colour and the pattern is vice versa on the next row. Running Bond Pattern - This brick bond is probably the most popular and it is the most simple. Each brick is offset by 1/2 brick. Practice your pattern on the floor to help when you tile.

Step four:

Symmetry. Find the centre of your wall. Mark the centre by two lines converging at the centre point. Start tiling from here.

Step five:

Gravity. Tiling a wall is more difficult than a floor due to gravity. Help avoid any slippages by adding a support board. This is just a strip of that will stop any tiles slipping. Once the top half is finished remove the support board.

Step six:

Adhesive. Standard/slow set adhesive is the ideal here. Spread your adhesive (mix to pack instructions) thinly but scaling up the heavier the tiles are. Spread adhesive with a tiling trowel at a 45 degree angle with a medium level of pressure. Ridges should be created by using this method allowing the tiles to stick to the wall easier. Spread in small sections at a time.

Step seven:

Up they go. Place the first tile carefully in the centre of the wall as you have marked previously. Press the tile into the adhesive with a medium amount of force/pressure to ensure tile is pressed sufficiently into adhesive.

Step eight:

Keep going. Keep going along the wall in the pattern that you have chosen. Use spacers in between each tile to keep a uniformity of grout lines that will follow. Remove any excess adhesive instantly as you go with a damp cloth.

Step nine:

Edges. Around the edges of your wall you may encounter areas that tiles will need to be cut down to size. Measure up before cutting. Cut your tiles with extreme care and precision.

Step ten:

Grout. Mix the grout to packet instructions. Ensure the grout colour is correct. Use a grout float to spread the grout across the whole surface of the wall, while doing this the cracks will fill and secure the wall. Wait 30 minutes before proceeding to next step. Step eleven. Nearly there. Clean off excess grout from the surface of the tiles with a large sponge soaked in soapy water.

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