HOW TO LAY TILES CORRECTLY?

At Newcastle Tiling we want to share with you the basic guidelines on how to lay tiles correctly, whether in bathrooms, kitchens or any space in the home that you decide to tile. A correct installation will guarantee that the tiles last over time, avoid cracks in them or that they hollow out and come off.

We will have the guarantee of success if we bet on good materials, including tiles, fasteners, gripping and grouting, and we follow good practice to place the tiles correctly.

Before starting to tile, it is important to talk about the previous preparation of the facing to be tile. If the surface is very irregular, it must be corrected with a previous sanitizing or plastering that levels and provides a better grip to the new tiling.

We will continue preparing the bonding material, which is the glue cement. The manufacturer will give us the recommended amounts of water and glue cement for the mixture, and as a tool we will use a drill with a mixing rod. Once the mixture is made, it should be left to rest for a few minutes before starting.

And now, we will show you how to place tiles correctly. From Newcastle Tiling we recommend to achieve a homogeneous appearance of the facing to be tiled, mixing the tiles from the different boxes, since the tones may vary slightly from one package to another.

The glue cement will be applied first on the wall to be tiled. With a notched trowel, the glue cement will be combed over the wall.

A small layer of glue cement will be distributed on the back face of the tile, well distributed over the entire surface. Once the first tile in the first row has been placed, some spacers will be placed that will serve as a separation with the following tiles, so that all the joints are equal.

The size of the spacers will depend on the thickness of the joint that you want to give between tiles. The usual thing is that the joints have a minimum thickness of 1mm.

To place a tile correctly, the manufacturer's joint recommendations must be followed according to the chosen tile and its placement, thus avoiding the dreaded eyebrows between tiles.

To fix the tile against the wall and ensure that there are no gaps, a rubber mallet is used. It is important that it is made of rubber or any soft material that does not break the tile itself when hitting it.

For the corners, the most appropriate is to use corner pieces, which can be ceramic, PVC, or metal. This avoids making bevel cuts to the tiles, which weaken the tile itself and therefore the corner, which are the area’s most susceptible to bumps and cracks, and avoids unnecessary waste of tiles due to the breakages that can be caused when make the bevel cuts.

In addition, a corner piece ensures the tightness of the corners. If corner pieces are not used and the corner is left with a simple grout joint that joins the tiles, this grout over time and with the expansion and contraction of the materials itself ends up coming off, and if we are not careful to seal again, a hollow corner will remain through which water or moisture will be placed, causing the tiles to hollow over time.

When the tiles coincide with a water intake and drain outlet it will be necessary to make a hole or recess. This will be done with a drill or hole saw of the appropriate diameter for the size of the hole.

When making a hole or swapping a tile, to avoid breaking it, it must be placed on top of a martyr (an element can be cut or damaged, which would be a cutting board in a kitchen).

And last but not least to properly tile the tile is the application of the grout, which is the filling of the joints.

The preparation of the grout is done by mixing the product with water until a homogeneous mixture is achieved, as always, it is important to follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the proportions. The mass will be applied on the joints with a rubber trowel, so as not to scratch the tiles. Before the grout sets or hardens completely, the remains should be removed with a damp cloth.

Since February 2017, the UNE 13800 2 quality standard in the placement of ceramics and wall tiles has been created in our country, and in Newcastle Tiling we do not stop training to be the order of the day, complying with the required installation protocols.

We hope we can help you with these tips for laying tiles correctly.