8/10/2019 Plan Wall Tiling

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Project essentials:

Tools3

Materials 3

wall or floor tilespacers

spirit level

pipe andpower detector

claw hamer

string

three 50mmx 25mmsoftwood battens

tiles

50mmmasonry nails

PVA-basedadhesive

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All information correct at time of going to press

2010 B&Q Plc. Hampshire, SO53 3YX

HOWT0152 diy.com

Printed on 9lives Offset 100% recycled paper

Ideal for the job

Detecting hazards

Never drill blind into a wall or floor, you mighthit gas or water pipes or electrical wires.

A battery-operated pipe and power detector is

inexpensive and essential for making sure it is

safe to drill.

LevellingA good-quality spirit level, designed to show you

a true horizontal or vertical, is a must-have toolwhen lining up tiles. Spirit levels come

in all lengths and prices.

Making it easierMaking it easier Making it easier

1 First measure one

wall, calculate its mid-

point and mark this on

the floor. Repeat with theopposite wall. With a

helper, stretch a chalk line

between the two marks

and snap a line across

the floor. Calculate and

mark the mid-point of thisline. Tie about 1m of

string to a pencil, and while your helper holds the end of the

string firmly on the mid-point of the line, pull it taught and

scribe an arc on the line either side.

2 Now get your helper to

hold the end of the string on

the point that one arc intersects

the line, and with the string

pulled taught draw arcs at aroughly 45 degree angle either

side of the centre line. When

you repeat this from the other side, the arcs should intersect.

3 Stretch a chalk line between these intersecting arcs and

snap a line across the floor. You now have two lines

intersecting at a perfect right angle in the centre of the room.

Simply follow these steps to plan your floor tiles...Preparing the existing floorn Concrete - clean with detergent mixed with water and if

it is uneven, level it; then lay tiles directly on the floor.

n Timber - must be strengthened with 13mm-thick exterior

grade plywood fixed with countersunk 25mm screws

(4mm gauge) or ring-shanked nails at 300mm intervals.

n Tiles - new tiles can be laid over old vinyl tiles after

coating the old tiles with primer.

Calculating quantitiesTiles are sold in packs and the size and number of tiles

they contain will determine the area of floor they will cover.

When you calculate the area of your floor, remember to

include the dimensions of any alcove or bay. Round up the

total to the nearest whole number to establish the numberof packs of tiles you need. Always buy 10% more tiles than

you need to allow for breakages.

Starting OutThe first tile, the key tile, determines the position of all the

others, so it is very important that this tile is in the right

place. Because rooms are seldom completely square, andthe walls may not be straight, you cannot start by laying

tiles right up against one wall and working your way out

from there - you would end up with an untidy mess. The

best way to ensure you have a symmetrical design is to

start from the centre of the room and work out to the walls

in each direction.

Positioning the key tileHaving found the centre of the room, start

at one of the centre lines, dry-lay a row of

tiles from the line to the wall. When you

reach the wall, make sure that you are not

left with a narrow gap because a very thin

strip of tile at the skirting will look very oddand may not stick very well. If necessary,

move the line away from this wall the width

of half a tile to create a larger gap. Repeat

the dry-laying from this centre line in the

opposite direction and then in both

directions perpendicular to it. Adjust thekey tile position as shown right, until there

is an equal gap of about half a tile at all the

edges of the room.

Finding the centre of the room

Tiling awkwardly shaped roomsIf the dimensions of the room are irregular, the chalk lines

will need to be snapped from a different place - the first linecentred on a strong focal point such as a fireplace or patio

doors. The room will still be divided into sections but they

will be different from one another.

Line 1 drawnbetween themid-point ofopposite walls

Line 2 intersectingmid-point of line 1at exactly 90

tape measure

pencil

guage rod

chalk

chalk line

8/10/2019 Plan Wall Tiling

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1 Lay out a line of tiles

with tile spacers betweenthem. Place the batten

alongside, lining up the end

with the edge of the first tile.our top tip

n Rather than remove old ceramic tiles, you

can simply tile over them. Check that theyare all firmly fixed in place and re-glueany that are loose. You must use a specific

adhesive for tiling over existing tiles andmake sure that the joint lines of the

new tiles do not lie directly over thoseof the old. However, this process i snt

suitable for natural stone tiles, as theweight may pull the existing tilesaway from the wall.

you can do it...

Vertical rows

2 Mark the positions of thetiles and gaps on the rod togive you a quick means ofworking out how many tilesyou will need in each row.

1 Hold your gauge rod so

that one of its marks aligns with

the centre-point on the wall.

Step off the tile positions

across the wall.

The first job is to establish the position of the vertical

rows. This will allow you to find the starting point,

which should be near the centre of the area to be tiled.

Measure the width of the area and mark its centre-point

with a pencil.

2 When you reach a corner,

you will see if you need to cut

the last tile in the row to fit. If this

will be less than half a tile wide,it is best to reposition the

starting point.

Horizontal rowsHaving established the positions of the vertical rows,

you can check where the horizontal rows will fall.

2 Measure the distance

between the two marks and make

a third mark halfway between them.Hold your gauge rod so the end is

just clear of the skirting or floor and

move it until one of its marks aligns

with the third mark. Make another

mark on the wall, level with the foot

of the rod. This will be the startingpoint for the first horizontal row of

whole tiles. Draw a level line across

the wall at this point. Nail a batten

with its top edge aligned with the line.Nail on another aligned to the vertical line.

1 Position the gauge rod

against the vertical pencil line, with its

end touching the floor (or skirting).

Put a pencil mark on the wall in linewith the top tile mark on the rod. Now

move the rod up the wall, still

following the vertical pencil line until it

touches the ceiling. If you are lucky,

the pencil mark on the wall will align

with one of the marks on the rod. Ifthere is no alignment, look at the

mark on the rod below the wall mark;halving the distance between them

will give you the size of the cut tiles required. It is best if these are

at least half a tile deep. If they will be narrower than this, make a

mark on the wall in line with the next mark down on the rod.

3 Reposition by aligning the

rod with the centre-point asbefore, then pencil a new mark

on the wall so that it falls halfway

between two tile marks on the

rod. This will be the actualstarting position for tiling and will

ensure that the cut tiles at eachend are more than half a tile wide,

and that the centre-line of the wall

passes through the centre of a tile.

4 Hold the gauge rod

against the new wall mark,

using a spirit level to ensure

that it is truly vertical, and

draw a line in pencil from top

to bottom.

Successful tiling relies on planning.To achieve a symmetrical design youmust centre the pattern, with cut tilesof equal size at the end of the rows.

Wall tiling

Before you startn Make sure the surface to be tiled is clean, dry and flat.

n Strip wallpaper back to the plaster and fill any holes.

n Allow new plaster to dry out completely.

n Prime porous surfaces with a PVA-based adhesive.

Calculating quantitiesThe size and number of tiles in a pack can vary. Check thepack to find out the area each pack will cover in square

metres, then measure the height and width of the area to be

tiled and multiply to obtain the area in square metres.

Allow 10% extra for breakages.

Simply follow these stepsto plan your wall tiles...

Making a tiling gauge rodA gauge rod allows you to work out the

positioning of the rows and the size of any cut tiles.

Use a 50mm x 25mm wooden batten and make it 1.8m

long for tiling a wall, shorter for a small area.