How to properly lay tiles in the bathroom: tips and warnings for beginners

Repairs are always accompanied by the anticipation of joy and changes for the better. What can lift your spirits like an updated interior, especially when it comes to the bathroom? New sparkling plumbing fixtures, fashionable lamps, stylish cabinets, walls covered with bright tiled tiles - after visiting such a room you feel an unprecedented surge of energy. However, initial enthusiasm does not always mean excellent results.

Many, in an effort to save money, decide to lay tiles in the bathroom themselves. However, there are so many nuances in this work that even after reading various instructions and guides on working with tiles or consulting with professionals, it is very difficult to do an “excellent” job. The result of this amateur work can be very disastrous: crooked rows, uneven or too wide seams, or even worse - obvious inconsistencies at the corners and tiles crumbling after a month or two. And the worst thing is that this can only be corrected by knocking down the entire tile and laying it again. To prevent this from happening, you can hire professionals - or take into account how to properly lay tiles in the bathroom. First of all, you need to understand what mistakes can be made at various stages of installation and try to avoid them.

The most common mistakes

Laying tiles in the toilet and bathroom is quite difficult: the work can go to waste due to the slightest error. If the tiles lie unevenly, crumble or do not fit together, this may be a consequence of the following errors:

Attention. Another common mistake is trying to start laying by measuring from tiles already laid on the floor. If the floor has not been pre-leveled, the curvature will also extend to the walls.

Avoiding the mistakes listed above is actually not difficult: it’s enough to be conscientious about the repairs and take into account every little detail.

Working according to the rules: important points when tiling a bathroom

Despite the apparent complexity, it is quite possible to lay tiles in the bathroom yourself, and using step-by-step instructions for this is not forbidden. However, no matter what walls and materials you have to work with, you must follow fairly simple rules.

Rule No. 1 High-quality materials are the key to success

Skimping on tiles or adhesive is not a good idea. Even though tiles and building materials will cost a little more, their beauty and durability will remain for many years.

Rule No. 2 Thorough surface preparation - do not ignore!

Need a perfect result? It is only possible on a flat wall. Therefore, you should take the time to properly prime and, if necessary, putty the walls or even make a concrete floor screed. You can start working only after all materials applied to the floor and walls have dried.

Rule No. 3 Level, level and again level

Precision is the most important condition when working with tiles. To ensure the tile lays perfectly, you need to use a level. It will be required constantly when:

• Checking the angle between the wall and the floor;
• Surface evenness assessments;
• Checking the quality of installation to prevent “wall collapse”;
• Perfect fit when cutting and joining corners.

A laser level capable of taking measurements in two planes will significantly save time, but for a one-time job, a regular bubble level is also quite suitable. The main thing is to take measurements regularly.

Rule No. 4 Only up

Professional craftsmen have no questions about whether to start laying tiles from above or from below: they do an excellent job in both cases. Those who are far from the title of guru do not have to choose: the tiles should be laid strictly from the bottom up, and in the following sequence:

• Measure the angle between the wall and the floor according to the level;
• Measure a distance between the wall and the floor equal to approximately half the tile;
• Mark this gap along the entire wall by drawing a line with a marker or attaching a wooden strip at the selected level;
• Lay out a row of tiles with the bottom edge along the marked line;
• Lay out the bottom row of tiles, cutting them according to the curvature of the floor.

With this method of installation, the visible rows of tiles will look perfectly even, and possible unevenness of the bottom row will easily be hidden behind the baseboard or plumbing fixtures.

Advice. To maintain an even seam, use plastic crosses. They come in different sizes - millimeter ones are suitable for thin seams, wide ones can be obtained using 2.5 mm crosses.

Rule No. 5 Any angle. The floor is perfect

As mentioned above, the floor under the tiles must be perfectly level. When all the work on leveling the surface has been completed, it remains to determine how to correctly lay the tiles on the floor: if for professionals the reference angle does not play a special role, then when laying it yourself it is important to do the following:

• Carefully take measurements to ensure the perpendicularity of the walls and floor;
• Draw the floor into squares and calculate the sequence of laying the tiles;
• Start laying tiles from the most visible corner, gradually moving towards the center of the room;
• When the floor is completely laid out, mask the small gaps between the wall and the floor by inserting cut tiles.

This way, a beautiful pattern will be created on the visible part of the floor, and the corners will be carefully masked.

Rule No. 6 An even angle is good, but an uneven angle is bad!

To avoid unsightly joints that can ruin the entire look of the bathroom, adjust the tiles in the corners as follows:

• Start installation from the most visible wall;
• Lay out the corners of adjacent walls with trimmed tiles;
• Carefully remove the seam under the profile or grout.

If the installation started from the side wall, to meet the visible corners, it is best to cut the tiles symmetrically on both sides.

Rule No. 7 Glue – don’t be sorry!

In order for the tile to stand as firmly as possible, it is advisable to apply glue with a notched trowel along the entire perimeter of the tile and coat the center thoroughly. When laying on a wooden floor, it is also advisable to apply a layer of adhesive to its surface.

Attention. The amount of glue applied should be carefully controlled: too thin a layer will lead to the formation of voids, too thick - it will not allow the tile to adhere firmly to the surface.

Rule No. 8 One, two, three - three, three, three!

Beautiful seams will make the wall decoration neat and attractive. But for this it is important to take into account the following nuances:

• The grout will adhere better to slightly moistened edges of the tile;
• Before grouting, the tiles must be perfectly clean;
• You can only work with diluted material for the first 20 minutes;
• When grouting, the spatula or trowel is held at an angle of 90°;
• The seams should be filled as tightly as possible;
• It is best to wash off excess grout 5-7 minutes after application.

The main thing is not to try to embrace the immensity. The tiles should be grouted slowly, in small sections - in this case the result will be much better.

Obviously, the correct installation of tiles in the bathroom is not so much difficult as it is painstaking work. However, all efforts will certainly be rewarded: evenly laid tiles will delight the eye with a bright pattern, neat seams and exceptional strength for many years.

We invite you to watch the video of Anatoly Aristov: