DIY
made
easy!
TILE A BATHROOM WALL
The secret to tiling a wall perfectly is all in the edges: the
bottom row of tiles, and the ‘column’ of tiles in the corner. We’ll show you how to measure these out (accounting for any variations in the wall or floors), and you’ll see
why it’s important to start tiling at the second row. The
bottom row will fit in once the floor is tiled as well.
Step 1
Cover the floor with some off-cut sheeting or heavy drop
sheets. This protects the waterproof membrane from
damage while we stand on it to tile the walls.
Step 2
Now we have to decide where to start tiling.
On the wall, mark the height of one full wall tile from the
lowest spot on the floor. This will be somewhere outside
the shower hob. Place a tile in position first, and measure
up from there.
Step 3
From the mark you just made, measure 25mm down and
make another mark.
Draw a level line across the wall at the height of the lower
mark (use a spirit level to make sure it is completely
level). This is where the second horizontal row of tiles will
commence.
Step 4
Set up your Tile Jacks so that the top edge of a timber
straight edge is level with the horizontal line you’ve just
marked. The tiles of the second row will temporarily sit
on this piece of timber, so you will need to make sure it is
sitting against the wall.
DIY
made
easy!
TILE A BATHROOM WALL
Step 5
So we can decide if we can use a full tile at the wall
junction (the corner between the two walls), we need to
check that both walls are level and plumb. If they aren’t,
we will need to cut these tiles and start with a narrower
cut tile. This is to keep the tiles level and to hide the fact
that the walls are out of plumb.
Step 6
Mark the wall where the outside edge of the first tile will
finish, then draw a line up the wall at that point (again,
using the spirit level). This marks the first vertical row of
tiles.
TIP: Measure from the second row up so you can finish
on a full tile at the top.
Step 7
Spread about one square metre of adhesive so that it is
enough for two horizontal rows of tiles and one vertical
row of tiles on the first wall. Remember that we are starting one row up from the bottom.
Step 8
With pre-mixed wall adhesive, we use a 6mm notched
trowel (check the instructions on the pack) to apply
the adhesive to the wall. Once the tile is bedded into
place, these tracks flatten out to give full coverage to the
surface. A 6mm notch will leave a bed of adhesive 3mm
thick once the tile is in place.
When applying wall adhesive, we always suggest that the
notches run horizontally.
Step 9
Place each tile in position by giving it a firm push into the
adhesive and bed it into place with a slight up-and-down
wiggle against the notches of the adhesive.
DIY
made
easy!
TILE A BATHROOM WALL
Step 10
It is important to lift a tile every now and then after laying
it into the adhesive. This is to check that you are achieving complete coverage of the adhesive to the tile.
Step 11
As you lay the tiles, use spacers to set the grout joints
and to make small adjustments to the tile placement.
When you select your tiles, your Beaumont Tiles consultant will help you select grout joint sizes, but we usually
recommend no less than 3mm for wall tiles.
Step 12
The bottom row of tiles is the last to go in. These tiles will
need to be cut to fit in the bottom row before being glued
into place with the tile adhesive.
Don’t forget to allow for a grout joint above and below
the tiles when cutting them for the bottom row. Effectively, the tile will need to be 6mm smaller than the space
where it will be placed.