Its a start...
=3D=3DAdhesive types=3D=3D =3D=3D=3DPowder or tub=3D=3D=3D Premixed tubs are convenient and more expensive, and don't store as well. Once opened they tend to set over a few days.
=3D=3D=3DDual purpose grout & adhesive=3D=3D=3D Products intended to do both do both poorly. Not recommended.
=3D=3D=3DWater resistant=3D=3D=3D Water resistant adhesive is needed for shower and over bath use. More basic types fall off after a bit.
=3D=3D=3DSand and cement=3D=3D=3D
3:1 sand and cement has long been used to lay tiles.- Very cheap
- Strong & durable
- Unaffected by [[water]]
- The tiles must be soaked in water overnight.
- The main downsides are the short open time and long cure time.
- For floor tiles, keep foot traffic off for 3 days
- Not a popular method any more, modern tile adhesives are easier to work with.
=3D=3D=3DEpoxy=3D=3D=3D [[Epoxy]] grout is primarily for swimming pools. Its pricey. Durability is excellent.
=3D=3DAdhesive laying=3D=3D Wall tiles on an even surface use a notched adhesive bed, applied with a notched edge. Plastic spreaders soon wear out, use a metal one.
Wall tiles on an uneven surface use 5 blobs of adhesive per tile. This gives much more adjustability. The end result isn't quite as abuseproof, as there are unsupported spaces behind the tile, but its not usually an issue.
Floor tiles require very solid support, large notches in the bed should be avoided. Blobs are no use with floor tiles, not enough support.
=3D=3DGrout types=3D=3D Basic grouts aren't waterproof.
Tile adhesive can be used for grouting, but isn't ideal.
=3D=3DGrouting=3D=3D Grout is usually applied with a rubber edge. Push grout well into the joints, go over them repeatedly to get as much in as possible.
Use the rubbed edge at 45 degrees to the grout lines to get a good final grout shape.
It is possible to grout small areas with a finger, but this leaves a rougher surface which isn't ideal.
When the grout is sufficiently set, clean the tiles repeatedly with a wet sponge tog radually remove the film of grout on the tile face. Wring the sponge out in clean water repeatedly. If done too soon, the joint grout is affected. If done to late, the tiles don't clean up, and surface grout film then needs removing with a plastic scourer.
Finally, lithofin & similar treatments make grout wipeable [[clean]]. This makes a big difference to long term appearance.
=3D=3DGrout reviving=3D=3D First clean as well as possible then bleach. A plastic scourer can be used if scraping is necessary. If grout's in a weak condition it can pull out.
Grout reviver is just grout. Scrape the grout surface clean, and wipe on new grout with a finger. when set, clean the tile faces.
=3D=3DTile size=3D=3D
=3D=3DTile spacing=3D=3D (gap size, how to space evenly)
=3D=3DSubstrate=3D=3D (choice & preparation)
=3D=3DLayout styles=3D=3D (square, mosaic, gaudi, diagonal etc)
=3D=3DLayout=3D=3D (where to put the part size tiles, centring, software etc)
=3D=3DOrder of work=3D=3D
=3D=3DTile cutting=3D=3D link to existing wiki article
=3D=3DQuantity estimating=3D=3D
=3D=3DCost cutting=3D=3D (cement as adhesive, gaudi style, cleaning used tiles, faux stone, etc). See
=3D=3DCorners=3D=3D There are 3 main ways to do external corners (eg the front of a [[window]] ledge)
=3D=3D=3DPlastic strip=3D=3D=3D Rounded [[plastic]] strip is popular and easy. Prone to becoming harder to keep clean than glazed tile after many years. Too often the plastic strip won't match the tile in colour.
=3D=3D=3DRounded edge tiles=3D=3D=3D Tiles with rounded over edges are available in some tile ranges. These work very well, but cost more than the usual tiles.
=3D=3D=3DSome title=3D=3D=3D A more basic way to finish external corners is simply to use the tiles and nothing else, like so:
______________ |______________ | | | | | | | |
If the tile biscuit colour matches the glaze, the edge biscuit can be left visible. If it doesn't, grount can be applied to make it match the grout lines.
If the tiles aren't too bulky, the resulting joint looks much like another grout line. People's reactions to such joints vary, some people like them fine, some don't.
=3D=3DPros and cons of tiles=3D=3D
=3D=3DShowers=3D=3D A waterproof membrane is best practice under the tiling to prevent [[water]] penetration to [[wood]]work, but few of us use them.
[[Adhesive]] and grout must be water resistant.Lithofin etc helps keep the grout clean
Rough surfaced tiles are harder to clean
=3D=3DSeals=3D=3D Grout is best in corners not prone to movement, ie where masonry meets masonry, and no cracking has happened over time. Corners prone to any movement should use a flexible sealant.
- Ms polymer lasts well but discolours a bit
- [[Silicone]] goes black with mould after a while. Use [[mould]] resistant to delay this, but its still fairly inevitable
Plastic strip is usually used over sinks & baths. It sits behind tiles, with the flexible edge protruding and pressing against the bath or sink.
=3D=3DTile buying=3D=3D Wall tiles aren't suitable for floor use. They're too thin and slippery.
Tile colours can vary slightly between batches. If you can't get them all with the same batch number, slight variation can usually be hidden by any of:
- mixing the batches up randomly
- changing batch at a corner
Occasionally batches are too different to mix at all. Hold tiles from different batches side by side before buying to check they match near enough.
when transported, tiles sat vertically are a lot less likely to break than if placed horizontally.
=3D=3DWindows=3D=3D Sometimes its possible to suround a window with whole tiles all round. Aligning a ring of tiles round a window is harder than doing a straight line, and typically requires adjusting the tile positions slightly
The cill position can sometimes be moved up or down slightly to match. The new cill tiles can be supoprted on broken tiles cemented in and positioned edge up, spaced around 1/4" apart.
A slight slope to a tile cill reduces water retention and mould.
=3D=3DRepair=3D=3D To remove a tile, first scrape out the grout all around it. Then what happens to it won't detach neighbouring tiles.
=3D=3DUFH=3D=3D
=3D=3DColour=3D=3D Colour is a matter of taste of course, but there are some choices better avoided. The author has seen a house with smallish windows made rather gloomy by laying dark floor tiles. Black tiles show up limescale badly.
=3D=3DSee also=3D=3D
[[Category:Tiling]]