Frederick Jace
Whenever you think of decorating or renovating your house, the first element you think of that is necessary for the process is tiling. Tiles are actually the most important and most used materials during decorating or renovating a home. Tiles can really spice your home up with the various colors, designs, and textures they offer. As tiles have a wide price range, and you can install and maintain them easily, people all over the world have embraced tiling as one of the prime elements for building their homes and other structures.
But while making the budget for your tiling process, you’ll have to take two different things into account. The cost of the tiles you are getting, and then the installation cost of the tiles. The installation cost isn’t something insignificant, it actually requires quite some spending. So, many people try to cut the installation cost by installing the tiles all by themselves, and by doing so, they can get more expensive tiles, or they can use this budget elsewhere in the decoration or renovation process. “Do It Yourself,” or DIY tiles projects are really amazing, and many people are really into it. But it’s not something that’s very easy, so many people tend to mess up the tiling or take a lot of time while doing it. But if you take a lot of time to install your tiles, it can greatly hamper your other tasks. So, you need to do the installation as quickly as possible. And here are a few ways how you can do it-
Keep Your Tools Ready
You should keep all of your tools ready and close to your hand before starting the installation task. Some tools are really necessary for the project, while other tools are not as important. But getting those tools can help you do the job in a shorter time and more easily, without having to struggle much about it. Here are necessary tools that you’ll need while carrying out the tile installation process-
- Grout Float
- Notched Trowel
- Spacers
- Grout Sponges
- Buckets
- Tape
- Wet Saw
- Tile Nippers
- Bubble Levels
- Chalk Line
- Utility Knife
- Driver/ Drills
- Rubber Mallet to set the tiles properly in their places
- Grout Sealer
- Mastic
- Caulk
- Grout
- Outlet Extenders
- Stone Tile Sealer for installing stone tiles (in case you are installing them)
You need to keep these tools by your side before you start the tiling process so that you can complete the process smoothly and quickly. If you start without having them all, you might have to pause your work from time to time to go search for a particular tool that you might suddenly feel the need of. That can cost you quite some time, so make sure to have them all.
Envision Your Design
You should always know about the design you are going for before starting the tiling process. If you need it then sketch the design out on paper. You can start the tiling from a corner, and then work your way over. You can use chalk lines in order to keep the tiles in a line, as it won’t look good if you can’t keep them in a line. You will need to cut the tiles in a proper shape based on the space you are working with, so cutting and notching are important. Mark the tiles carefully before cutting them and use cutting tools to cut them properly. In the case of cutting a chunk in the tiles, you can try cutting some horizontal lines first among the lines. Then it will be easier to remove the existing area.
Apply Mastic on the Tile’s Bottom Surface
While many of you might like to apply mastic on the wall or in the five spots, it is way better to apply the mastic on the bottom surface of the tiles, as if you apply mastic all over the surface, the tiling will be much more durable and long-lasting. Before putting the tiles in their place, you can put some zigzag lines of mastic to grab the surface tightly. You need to use enough mastic so that you can cover the whole area, but make sure that the mastic doesn’t overflow the tiles. After setting the tiles, use the levelers to level the tiles to have a plain surface.
Use Tile Spacer
You can use a tile spacer during the installation process so that you can ensure that each tile is at a uniform distance. Make sure to measure everything before installing them once and for all.
Wait 24 Hours Before Grouting
If possible, it is better to wait 24 hours before you start the grouting and let the tiles soaked and untouched to get them installed properly. After that, you can grout the tiles with angular for doing it quickly. After grouting, wipe the whole surface and cluck all the edges.
Final Words
If you follow these steps, you will be able to finish your tiling task quickly. But you should know that installing tiles all by yourself can get really complicated and troubling, so it’s better to start with a smaller project if you don’t have prior experience. But it’s really satisfying to tile your own home based on your own will and own terms. You will get a feeling of accomplishment.
