The main mistakes beginners make when laying ceramic tiles on the walls

Laying tiles, on the one hand, is a simple matter, but on the other hand, it is fraught with certain nuances that must be taken into account without fail in order not to redo the work several time. There are many videos on the Internet with tips for laying tiles from masters. But, often, they miss the most commonplace things that they consider obvious. However, when first styling, these things are key. In this article I will try to systematize all my difficult experience in laying tiles on the walls in the bathroom.

All work can be divided into several key stages. Further - the narration will go from the initial stage to the completion of laying and grouting.

STEP 1. Choice of tile adhesive

Since repairs in the bathroom are extremely rare, you should not save on tile glue. When choosing a tile adhesive, it is worth remembering that it will have to ensure a reliable adhesion of the tile for many years. Therefore, choose proven brands of glue. In this matter, it is better to overpay so that low-quality glue does not become another problem.

STEP 2. Foundation preparation

In order to significantly reduce labor costs when laying tiles and save precious nerves, the surface of the walls must be flat and strictly vertical. If the above condition is not met, we plaster the walls along the beacons until the required characteristics are achieved. Let's say the condition is met: the walls are even and vertical. Before laying, it is required, without fail, to prime the walls. Choose a deep penetration primer that is used for porous surfaces. If the working surface of the walls has a concrete or cement base - the adhesion of the tile adhesive to the wall will be much better than in many other cases, but this does not mean that it is not worth it primed. The working surface is primed in order to get rid of dust, to strengthen the adhesion of the adhesive to the wall, and to reduce water absorption. This process is short-lived, but extremely rewarding.

STEP 3. Tools for work

It is necessary:

• Several spatulas of different sizes;
• Trowel (stir tile adhesive if there is no construction mixer);
• Notched trowel;
• Level;
• Mallet (can be replaced with your own fist);
• Mechanical tile cutter;
• Screwdriver;
• Tile drill (if holes for wires are needed);
• Ceramic crown (for creating holes for water inlets).

Desirable:

• Rule (to control tile level);
• Electric plictorez;
• Brush (clean all kinds of dust from the seams);
• Roulette;
• Masking tape;
• Pencil.
• Laser (control the vertical and level of the tiles above the bathroom).

Supporting materials:

• Crosses (usually 1.5 mm is sufficient.)
• Wedges (I advise you to buy plastic wedges, since in the process of work there can be many situations when it will be necessary to fix the tile in one position or another. Similar wedges are used in SVP).

STEP 4. Preparing the room for laying

If you already have a bathtub installed, I advise you to close it. If you suddenly, in the heat of work, scratch it - a vile mood for several days in advance is guaranteed to you. You will also have tile adhesive falling from the spatula from time to time. It is better that it does not fall on the surface of the bathroom. This, after the glue dries, leads to additional scratches on its surface. If, by negligence, a whole tile falls on the unprotected surface of the bathroom, then the question of re-coating it with acrylic may arise. Better, cover the bath well so as not to tear your hair from all possible places later. It is also advisable to cover the floor. The material for the shelter can be any, the main thing is that it does not break after the first impact on its structure. This can be a backing, folded oilcloth several times, or any thick fabric.

STEP 5. Laying tiles

So we moved on to the main section. I have tried all the recommendations below on my own experience. I hope they will not become the notorious "bad advice" and will help you to put tiles in the bathroom for a long time and in compliance with all quality parameters. I will give all the recommendations in order of importance (in my subjective opinion).

• Tile adhesive, after kneading, should not be too thick. It is important to remember that you will not have to work with the resulting solution for a couple of minutes and the water content in it will gradually become less and less. It will thicken more and more. What are the risks of working with thick tile adhesive? This threatens to reduce the time for gluing the tiles. If the glue applied to the wall withers a little, then the result can be disastrous. The slab just won't stick to the wall! Yes, at first, it will seem to you that everything is fine and the tiles are stuck. But this is only at first glance.

• When the next day you start tapping the results of your labor (this is also a must) and you don't hear a dull sound, it will be depressing. The absence of a dull sound indicates the lack of adhesion of the tile adhesive and, in fact, the tile. This is what the reverse side of the tile looks like, which is not glued to dry glue:

If you manage to carefully peel the tiles off the wall, another unpleasant surprise awaits you: unlike tiles, the glue is firmly adhered to the wall and it will take a long time to clean it. As a result, in order for the entire tile to firmly adhere to the wall, it is necessary to ensure that the consistency of the glue, both in the bucket and on the wall, is at an acceptable level. For greater reliability, it is worth spreading the tile itself with a thin layer of glue. Then she will have practically no option but to stick to the wall.

• Many artisan tilers advise holding the notched trowel at a 45 degree angle to the wall. On the one hand, this significantly reduces the consumption of glue, but on the other, it adds the likelihood of additional errors. If, in the process of creating grooves from tile adhesive on the wall, the notorious angle is not maintained, then the tile may lie unevenly. And, it would seem, everything can be leveled by banal pressing the tiles against the wall. But that doesn't always work. The following situations are common for beginners:

At the edges of the tile, it appears to be standing straight, but in fact there is a slight deviation from the horizontal axis. If you use the level in a timely manner, then such problems should not arise. In turn, if you always hold the notched trowel at the same angle, then such problems should not arise in principle. Therefore, I advise you to hold the notched trowel against the wall at a 90 degree angle. Let the glue consumption be slightly higher, but this way you will definitely maintain one level of grooves of tile glue on the wall. A 90 degree angle is much easier to hold than a 45.

This is what the corner of the bathroom looks like when the vertical is not maintained:

• Do not lay the tiles right next to the bathroom. Additional vibrations, which will be transmitted by its surface, are useless for the tiles. Always leave a certain gap:

• In the process of work, it is necessary to constantly monitor the overall level of the tiles - i.e. align the tiles with the first and last in a row. To do this, when you start laying out a row, glue a piece of tile to the end of the row. For this piece and the first tile in the row, after each new laid tile, it is necessary to set a rule and check the level. There should be no gaps between the laid tiles and the rule. The correct tile level is as follows:

• All trimming should be left for last. Initially, it is preferable to lay out whole tiles, and then proceed with trimming.
• All inter-tile joints should be cleaned immediately after installation (before they are dry). Once dry, this can be difficult. Cleaning can be done with ordinary crosses.
• At the corner joints of the tile, a gap of the size of the standard size of the tile joints must be maintained. If there is too large a cavity between the tiles in the corner, it is worth sealing it with tile glue so that the grout does not subsequently fall into the seam. The correct angle looks like this:

• The upper level of the tiles should also not be laid close to the ceiling. We leave the standard gap between the tiles:

And most importantly - do not try to do everything quickly, try to do everything efficiently. If you see that there are jambs that can be fixed, it is better to fix it without delay. Good luck to everyone in your work.

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