Probably, many men have basic skills in working with a construction tool, and if necessary, it will not be difficult for them to replace a hinge or doorknob. But before you put the tiles in the bathroom, you need to familiarize yourself with the specifics of this case. In principle, there is nothing complicated here, the main thing is attention and patience.
To achieve the desired result, do-it-yourself tile laying work must be carried out in a certain sequence.
The key to success is the right preparation
Any construction process requires careful preparation, and work with tiles is no exception. What should be done first?
- Measure the area and purchase the required amount of material.
- Prepare the base for installation.
When laying tiles in a bathroom, very often you have to work not only with a flat surface. In some cases, it is necessary to bypass communications, or to carry out corner joints (external and internal). This will require a special approach and the availability of additional accessories, in particular, internal and external plastic profiles.
We calculate the tiles
To correctly calculate the number of tiles, you need to adhere to some rules.
- To begin with, with a tape measure, measure in length and height, the entire surface of the walls and floor that will be faced.
- Then add up all the amounts, and you get the required size in square meters.
- Subtract the area of the doorway and those places where the tiles will not be laid from the resulting area.
With the result obtained, you can go to the store, where the seller himself will calculate the number of tiles, according to your measurements and preferences. It is worth recalling that floor and wall tiles are two different things. Therefore, the calculation is made separately for each option.
As a rule, the tiles are not laid out under the bathroom, because, when the screen is installed, it simply will not be visible. Therefore, when calculating, subtract this area from the amount.
Let's skip the selection and acquisition process and move on to the next step.
Preparing the base
Well-matched colors
So that the work done with your own hands does not disappoint you, the surface must be carefully prepared before laying: dismantle the old material (plaster or tile) from the wall and floor, remove the remnants of glue, cement large cavities by slightly leveling the surface with this, sweep and throw out all the debris. To improve adhesion, prime the entire installation surface with a primer. And it's better to do it several times. This will improve the adhesion of the tile adhesive to the substrate.
If the bathroom floor has large slopes in one direction, then before starting work, it must be leveled with a cement screed. With a small drop, the deficiency is compensated by tile adhesive.
Everything is ready, you can start laying.
Laying technology
Styling process
- Fitting. First, you need to lay out one row of tiles against the wall to find out the required amount.
- Use a plumb line and level. Determine the vertical and horizontal lines by marking the lines with a pencil. The entire outcome of the work will depend on the correctly laid first row.
- To achieve even gaps, use spacers - plastic crosses.
- After laying and leveling the tiles, wipe off the glue that will be squeezed out. If it dries up, it will be more difficult to do this.
- Many who decided to tile the walls with their own hands are wondering - which wall to start with? Experts recommend doing this from the far corner towards the exit.
- Use a rubber mallet to align the tiles with each other.
A little about glue
Laying on the floor
Today you can buy various types of adhesives for working with tiles. Therefore, you will not have any problems with the choice. The seller will also help you to purchase the required amount. As a recommendation, you can add that when laying, dilute the glue in the amount necessary for gluing, about 5-6 tiles. This will make it more convenient for you to spend it. Because if you cook more, you will have to constantly add water and mix the glue to the desired consistency, which can reduce its technical characteristics.
For those who decided to make the bathroom tiling with their own hands, we can recommend using special mastic instead of glue. It does not need to be diluted, and the adhesion to the surface is not worse than special mixtures.
Installation process - work with the floor first
First you need to lay out the floor with tiles, and only then start working with the walls. All specialists do this, and those who decide to lay the tiles with their own hands must adhere to this rule. By laying out the floor evenly, you will find it easier to find the horizontal when laying out the walls.
Having figured out where the laying will start from, prepare a few tiles. With a flat-edged trowel, apply the adhesive to the floor surface, with a little pressure. This will allow you to correctly and evenly distribute it over the surface, filling in possible voids. Then sweep over the composition with a notched trowel, making small grooves of the same size.
When laying tiles with your own hands, without the help of masters, you need to correctly calculate the amount of glue applied. The layer should be even with no visible drops.
First row
After laying the first tile, level it horizontally with a level, and immediately proceed with laying the next one. Don't forget the plastic crosses to align the gaps. Thus, the entire bathroom floor is laid out. Attention - control the correct laying with a building level. If you need to cut the tiles to finish the flooring, then do so by carefully measuring the required size.
We cover the walls
Laying the tiles on the walls in the bathroom with your own hands will be a little more difficult than on the floor. Because here you will have to cut it more often in order to bypass the water pipes, and connect the corners. Therefore, we start working from the cleanest wall, on which there are fewer communications.
First, lay out one row of tiles along the length of the entire wall. With a pencil, mark the top line, and level the horizontal with a level. The tiles will be laid out along the upper horizontal, this will allow you to maintain the accuracy of the level. If necessary, the lower part is trimmed. From a correctly laid first line, it will be easier to maintain the evenness of subsequent rows.
Correct glue application
Apply glue to a small section of the wall and apply the first tile. Pressing it down with a level, we check the evenness of the laying, and, if necessary, level it. We apply the second one, and, having installed plastic crosses, we trim it.
Having laid the first row, wipe off the remaining glue and prepare the required number of tiles for the second row. It is necessary to approach the layout as responsibly as possible, the subsequent rows will already be easier to put, so try to do everything right in the first row, and measure the evenness of the laying of each row with a level.
The final stage is grouting
Putting tiles in the bathroom means 90% of the work done. Now the final stage remains - grouting. This will give a finished look to the finish, because dark openings do not look very aesthetically pleasing.
Preparing the solution
In hardware stores, grout is sold both dry and ready-made, in the form of a paste. If you choose the second option, then before using it you need to thoroughly knead it with your hands or stir it with a spatula until it is creamy so that it becomes more pliable. Dry mixtures are diluted with clean water, the preparation method can be seen on the package.
To give the required consistency to the dry mix, you can use a drill and a special attachment - a mixer. After stirring the grout until creamy, let it sit for 10 minutes so that the liquid soaks into the remaining lumps, and mix the mixture again.
How to rub seams correctly
Grouting
You can grind the seams in several approaches, because in some seams you will have to put more mixture. Prepare a small amount of grout and apply it to a rubber trowel. Holding your hand at an approximately 30 degree angle, run the trowel along the tile joint, trying to fill it evenly. Then, remove the rest of the mixture from the trowel, and rework the seam to remove excess material.
Do not try to cover up a large area at once. After filling in a few seams, remove excess material from the tile. Trying to get the job done faster by your actions will only make the situation worse. Cured putty will be more difficult to remove from the surface.
Conclusion
That is, in principle, the whole process. Now you know how to lay the tiles in the bathroom yourself, without the help of specialists, whose work costs, almost the same as the cost of all the facing material. If you look at it, there is nothing complicated here. Stock up on patience, the necessary tool and go ahead - you will succeed.
Related publications
Ruslan Vasiliev