Hi,
As you may know from my other thread, I've been asked to help a relative do some tiling.
I see there is not a section in the FAQ/wiki about tiling. Perhaps we could have a discussion here about tiling and the best bits could be copied and pasted into a new section?
I don't know many answers but I can think of a few questions! Perhaps we could include:
Are there any rules of thumb about tile size? Eg don't have huge paving slabs in a tiny room, nor mosaics in a huge room.
Rules of thumb about the space between tiles?
What trowel to use to apply adhesive. I know 6mm square edge is used for wall tiles. I'm unsure about floor tiles as I have seen some with
10mm squares and others with large semicircles: which is better?I've also seen some trowels with V-shaped edges; what are they for?
A discussion on types of adhesive. I know not to use a combined adhesive and grout because it takes forever to set and that could result in your tiles moving (I did this once and have learnt from that mistake). I've used separate adhesive and grout since but I've always used ready mixed. Perhaps a discussion about powdered ones, are they better, and how to mix them?
Use flexible adhesive for tiling on wood.
Buy all tiles at the same time and make sure they are from the same batch to avoid variation in colour.
Here are a couple of questions that would really help me:
I have been asked to tile both the wall and the floor. Which should I do first, or doesn't it matter?
I know you should plan (use a batten with markings) where the tiles will be so that you do not need 1/2" thick tiles in a corner but...
If a wall is say, ten and a half tiles long, would you use a complete tile at one end and a half a tile at the other end or would you take a quarter off the first and last tile? I'm wondering whether it is an advantage to cut both end tiles as that way you can make adjustments if the wall is not straight. OTOH are half-tiles, even ones >10mm seen as a faux pas? In which case, would you try to have full tiles under and around a window and a door, rather than having to cut them? Should I try to hide any half tiles behind the toilet and behind the door?
Well, there's a few things to start with ;)