Careful planning is the secret of successful tiling. Whether a room is being half tiled or fully tiled to the ceiling, the aim is to leave a neat, balanced effect. Plan to have a full size tile at the top of the wall or in the top course of a half-tiled wall. Narrow pieces of…
Glazed tiles make a good finish in bathrooms or kitchens. They will resist most liquids and the range of patterns and colours is considerable. The most common tiles are about 110 mm square and 4 mm thick. Normal tiles have square edges, but others have one rounded edge for a ledge front or the top…
The first essential for successful tiling is to make sure that the walls are scrupulously clean, firm and dry, and that all traces of cleansing detergent are washed off. If the adhesive you use — the one recommended by the tile manufacturer — is applied to a powdery surface it will stick to the loose…
Expanded polystyrene tiles, which provide decorative covering for the ceiling, reduce condensation and cut down sound transmission, are suitable for any room in the house. In addition they help reduce heat loss; although a polystyrene tiled ceiling should not normally be regarded as a substitute for loft insulation, it makes a useful barrier in flat-roofed…
Ceramic tiles make one of the most attractive and hardwearing surfaces that can be found inside our homes today. Their polish remains unaffected by anything except direct physical damage and once applied they really require no upkeep at all They are not cheap, but taking into account the years of wear which one can expect…
Hard floor tiles of all types (e.g. vinyl, cork, ceramic) must be stuck down with the manufacturer’s recommended adhesive, using a notched spreader. The exceptions are types of vinyl tile with peel-off self-adhesive backings which are quick and simple to lay. Planning. Draw a grid of the floor corresponding to the size of tile you…
Tiled worktops not only look good — they’re practical too. Easy to fit and in a wide range of designs, tiles can quickly transform a worn work surface into a bright new feature. Tiles might be ideal for walls and floors but they also make a practical and attractive work surface for a kitchen. They’re…
If you’ve prepared the walls properly, fixing tiles is a straightforward job but take your time to achieve a good finish. Start by spreading adhesive over an area of about one square metre in the corner where the two battens join. Use a notched spreader to get the adhesive reasonably even. Start laying the tiles…
The important thing about preparing walls for tiling is that they should be true and flat and that their surface should be good enough for tiles to stick permanently. That means that you will have to strip off any wallpaper, fill any depressions or holes with general purpose interior filler and remove flaking paint. If…
Tiles look good in practically any situation in the home, partly because you can get them in such a variety of materials and textures and partly because you have a wide variety of laying patterns open to you now that tiles are produced in such a mix of shapes. From providing easy to clean surfaces…