I've just had the kitchen skimmed, so a reasonable surface for tiles. My past efforts have been pretty poor though - just looks like it's been done by somebody not very good at tiling. I don't seem to have the eye/hand for it.
Might these be a better bet:
A better bet for what - staying level with a uniform gap? Then no. Unless they are very lightweight, they will still slip when on the wall. The key is to put a thin skim of tile cement on the back of the mosaic sheet the day before, let it set, then they will stay in line. You'll still need to space them at the bottom, but the lines between should be fixed.
£111 a square metre. Ouch.
NT
I think that's about what my flat is worth!
Owain
If you've already got a flat surface, surely it's easy enough to spread adhesive with a toothed spreader and keep everything square with plastic tile spacers. If you've had problems before, is it because you've been tiling an uneven surface?
SteveW
Should not have thought so ;-)
If you have a decent flat surface, then "normal" tiles ought to be about as easy as you will get.
What problems have you had in the past? Perhaps we can suggest some tips for better results...
Thanks all - think i'll give the mosaics a wide berth then. My 'cheap' thinking was that it would either save me time.
Anyways, I'll get some plain 15cm ceramic tiles. And actually yes, the last time I tried, bath to ceiling, the wall was very poor. While I did make a horlicks of it, they did stay up for the 15 year I was there, and remained watertight.
Any guides or pointers welcomed, especially for finishing, and the worktop-meets-tile part.
Mosaic is cheap, but very time consuming. Mosaic on net is quick, but very expensive!
Silicone or rubbery edged plastic strip.
To finish grout, a rubber edged spreader wiped over at 45 degrees to the grout lines.
NT
Grand, thanks.
My top tiling tips (and other alliterations) would be:
Tools:
Good quality score ans snap cutter, plus small plasplugs lekky wheel cutter for awkward cutouts etc.
Decent notched trowel for glue spreading, not the plastic toy that comes with the glue
Rubber faced grout float
Decent quality sponge (latex if possible) for finishing.
Bucket, and tub for mixing grout.
Materials:
Proper non slip tile glue *NOT* Tile 'n' Grout (something that grouts like glue and sticks like grout)
Quality powdered self mix grout.
1) Layout. Plan carefully first, layout so that it looks right - don't try to layout so you have to make the fewest cuts! Its much better to have a 3/4 tile at both ends, then a full tile at one, and a half at the other.If the walls are not very square, avoid narrow rips of tiles near the corner. (much easier to eye up)
When cutting for corners it often looks best it it appears that the remainder of the tile "carries on" round the corner.
2) Fix a level batten to the wall at the bottom to work from - allow space so that you fit the bottom row of tiles after. Don't assume the floor is level - so aiming for approx 3/4 of a tile height at the bottom will allow you to cut in to match a varying floor height. Spinning laser levels are handy for getting a line round a room, and that's good for making them all meet up at the corners.3) With level walls, glue up a section of wall with ribbed trowel. Tile first row with spacers - don't bother trying to place the "X" inthe corner - just poke a leg into the gap, so that you can pull it free later.
As you do subsequent rows you can tweak the tile ends up and down a fraction to stay level by rotating the spacers - they give a slightly larger gap standing up rather than flat. (and two together flat gives an increment on one on edge). Some tiles may vary a small amount in size - so this lets you accommodate that.
4) Grouting: work grout into gaps with rubber float, and use it to squeegee most of the excess off. Allow it to go off for a bit before sponging off with the flat of a damp (not wet). Working it in circular motions will clean the surface but not pull the grout out of the gaps. Try to leave the grout smooth without any nicks or holes.5) Once mostly dry sponge off residue and leave to dry completely. That will leave a white film on the tiles. Polish this off with a *dry* cloth or paper towels (if you try washing it off, it will dry with a white film again!)
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