Top 10 Tiling Tips

Floor and wall tiles can make a great statement in your bathrooms and kitchen. However they can also transform every room or area of your home or place of business whether it be a contemporary or period property.

Be colour confident, be creative and energise the room, make a feature by using contemporary glossy finishes, ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, mosaic patterns, marble or quarry tiles each with a wide brushstroke of different finishes, textures and thickness.

Why not go for a large tiles (such as those seen above) if you want the ultra-modern look that can change the appearance of the room dramatically whether it be enhancing the mood or improving the perception of space.

A lot of thought is needed if you’re going to attempt the job yourself. Here are some tips to help you when you’re tiling:

1. PLAN

Decide what look and mood you require and shop around for best value. Measure the space you intend to tile.

Calculate number of tiles per square metre: 1 ÷ width of tile ÷ length of tile = tiles per square metre.

Tiles do break, so do make allowances for wastage. We always estimate allowing approximately 10-15% extra tiles for breakages. If you are fortunate and do not break any tiles during the project retain a quantity. This will ensure that in future should a tile need replacing, you have spares that will be an exact match from the same batch.

We always recommend testing the layout – if your design includes using tiles of differing colours, it is definitely worth laying out the tiles to test the order in which you will apply and fix them. This will ensure that the colours are evenly spaced and maximises the required impact.

2. TOOLS

A tile cutter, tile clippers, a mallet and chisel, 2 buckets, a pencil, set square, spirit level, a trowel, a large sponge and a few cloth’s form the core components of your tiling equipment.


 A good quality tile cutter is worthwhile investment. Not only will it make the task easier – it will make the cuts smoother ensuring you’ll have less waste. Tile clippers will compliment the tile cutter when required.

A mallet and chisel are also recommended in case you need to remove any dried excess mortar or grout.

A pair of 5 gallon buckets will help with everything from holding tools to mixing mortar, or holding water to assist in the cleaning of tiles to just basically sitting on whist trying to reach those awkward areas.


A pencil, set square and spirit level are almost indispensable for measuring and ensuring application is correct and level.

An average sized trowel will help throughout the process for applying mortar and grout.

A large sponge and a cloth are essential for washing your tiles clean and wiping away excess grout or mortar.

A mixing adapter for a drill is not essential, but can be very helpful in mixing your mortar and grout. Most DIY or hardware stores stock them.

3. MATERIALS

Your selected tiles, adhesive, tile spacers and grout.

When applying tiles select from multiple boxes of tiles – especially if you have more than one box of the same colour. Make sure you use tiles from each of the boxes rather than one box at a time, as there may be slight differences in the batch quantity.

Purchase good quality slow drying adhesive and grout along with a generous quantity of tile spacers (minimum 3mm).

4. HALF AND HALF

Don’t attempt to tile a room all at once. In fact you may even spread the project to 3 days if you have old tiles to remove, prepare and make good any surfaces on the first day.

If you need access to another room via the room you’re tiling or to an area such as a kitchen or loo consider only tiling 50% of the surface area on one day, let it set, then complete the balance the next day. This way you never lose access to any vital services or areas of your house or business.

5. MEASURE IN ADVANCE

Measure and cut in advance, decide what pattern you want to create and lay out in that pattern, measure tiles and space again, then cut tiles down to size, re-measure for perfect fit.

Use spacers for all edges of each tile to ensure an even gap. A spacer with a minimum of 3mm between each tile also allows an even space for applying grout.

If you don’t have spacers, use same denomination coins or matchsticks to ensure even spacing – although we really do recommend investing in the correct spacers. Carefully remove the spacers 12 hours after placement for best results.

6. THE CORRECT TILE

After unpacking and (sometimes) cutting the tiles use a damp cloth to remove dust, grit and tile chips, then dry before starting applying to your pre-prepared wall or floor surface.

Choose the correct tile for the project and application – various tiles may retain moisture, especially if you use wall or floor tiles made from natural materials such as limestone. If applying them in the bathroom or loo, attempt to limit their use to the essential areas, finishing and sealing them properly as you may have a problem with damp in certain areas.

7. WORK OUT FROM THE CENTRE

The best way to install both wall and floor tiles is to find the centre of the surface area. Then work out from the position you have identified. As previously explained above ‘Measure In Advance’ working in small areas to make it easier to apply the adhesive, using tile spacers to get an even finish between each tile.

A general rule of thumb is the smaller the area, the smaller the tile – in certain circumstances Mosaic tiling is very useful and impactful, a kitchen for example can have lots of elements such as electric sockets to negotiate, the downside is Mosaic tiles can be price prohibitive on occasion.


If your budget does not allow for generous surface areas to be totally covered with Mosaic tiles try and use them in positions where they would be most useful – complimenting them with standard tiles for the remaining area.

8. USE MATERIALS WISELY

When tiling, make sure you only work in small areas (up to one square metre). Mix the adhesive in small amounts, doing this makes it easier to work with and stops it drying out before it can be applied before you have laid the tiles.


 The same rule applies if you are mixing your own grout. Mix it in small quantities and apply to the surface rather than setting hard before you use it thus wasting very often expensive materials.

Don’t use quick setting adhesive or grout as it very often sets quicker than you can apply it. In many cases it will result in you rushing, impacting on the final result and having to throw out lots of hardened waste material.

9. MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE

Compensate for imperfect walls or floors; use a spirit level and add more or less adhesive to level each tile to the next. Although rewarding and potentially disguising all sorts of historical problems this process can be time consuming – so don’t rush, as it’s the surest way to mess up a job. As the old saying goes, ‘measure twice, cut once’. Don’t rush through your measurements, cuts, application or levelling. Keep a metre spirit level to hand, and continually run it over your tile to make sure you’re level. Use a mallet to lightly hammer down those tiles that are not aligned.

10. TAKE YOUR TIME

Do not grout immediately after tiling. With the majority of hard work completed it can be ruined by grouting when the adhesive is still drying or your concentration is slipping dependent on the scale of project. When grouting either wall or floor tiles apply in a diagonal motion instead of straight or vertical lines; this will help achieve an even finish.

After letting it partially set, use a sponge to wipe off the excess. It will then fully dry, however there will be a filmy substance still covering the tile. Don’t keep wiping the tile with a sponge. Take an ordinary scrubbing pad or cloth and wipe it clean with an even circular motion.

Keep the area clear for 24 hours afterwards.

If you’re tiling the floor, don’t walk on the tiles for at least 24 hours when using a standard adhesive and 2-5 hours when using a quick setting adhesive.

Tiling is a very rewarding pastime. It is however incredibly time consuming with a huge amount of patience required. You could of course save your valuable time by Contacting Us as no matter how modest or challenging the job or if you’re just looking for advice, we will be delighted advise and help you with any issues you may have.