Tile Buyer Guides

We have a host of tile information waiting for you in each of our Tile Buyer Guides which have been broken down into different tile types to make our tile buyer guides easy to read and understand and to help you choose the type of tile you want.

All of the above tile buyer guides will cover what type of tile you need for the kind of job you are doing, the type of tile you need for the area you are to tile, which type of tile is best in certain environments such as damp or wet areas and so on. The tile buyer guides also cover how you should prepare your tiling area and tiles before you start tiling your tile area. Last of all any specific instruction to make tiling with your chosen tile type.

Plastered Brick Wall Preparation

For any Wall Tile installation you need to first of ensure that the tiling surface is clean, dry and clear of any dust and debri.

Repair of all cracks and blemishes using a suitable filler (we recommend Granfix) is very important and you should always allow plenty of time for your filler to completely dry.

To prevent your tiles from kicking out on one edge or corner you should make sure you check the tiling area for any prominent dips and bumps. Dips and bumps on the walls surface can cause you big problems once you start tiling so make sure this is all clear.

If you are tiling on new plaster you should make sure it has had enough time to dry (this depends on the manufacturer but is normally recommended at around 10 - 14 days), you should also read the plaster manufacturers guidelines as some new plaster need a coat of primer.

Tiling over old tiles

To tile straight over the top of old or existing tiles you will need to, use a suitable detergent or tile cleaner to remove all the dirt and grease etc on them, do this by horizontally and vertically scoring the tiles using a tile scriber, this will facilitate a bond between the old tiles and your new tiles.

We have a range of tile adhesives specialy designed specifically for laying tile on top of tiles, with some of these types of adhesives you can use them without scoring your old existing tiles.

If you are considering tiling straight over old tiles you need to keep in mind that this will make the new tiles at least the thickness of your old tiles proud. The resson to keep this in mind is it might cause you problems when it comes to tiling up to edges or door frames.

The majority of times when tiling it is much better to remove your existing tiles, this may make the project take long and more time consuming but your end tile results will be well worth the extra time and effort.

Guide Rods

Like most DIY jobs, setting out your tiling project is the most important part of tiling and should never be rushed. We find that the easiest way of setting out your tiles is with a guide rod self made from a wooden batten. Once done you can use the guide rod to mark out your tiles positions giving you a perfect preview of how your tile project will look finished.

1. Half your walls width and take off 4cms (1.6"), note this down as figure A.
2. Cut your wooden batten to the length of A and lay it down on the floor.
3. Get several tiles and some tile spacers ready to hand.
4. Starting from the left edge of the batten mark the width of your tile spacer on the batten.
5. Place the top left edge of a tile on the mark you just made.
6. Leaving the tile in place, place another spacer next to the first tile and lay your second tile next to that.
7. Place tiles along your whole wall by repeating step 6.
8. Making sure the tiles and spacers are tight against each other all you need to do now is mark on both sides of each tile with a felt tip pen.
9. Using a different colour pen mark in the middle of each tile.
10. Last of all trim your batten where the lest tile ends (remember the lest tile needs no spacer on the right).

If your tiles are not square making them taller you will need to make a second rod for the longer side using the same process as above. We would recommend marking the two rods height and width and dont forget to place your tile spacers between each tile.