Sooner or later, every owner will face such a phenomenon as bathroom renovation. It may be a need or a desire to simply update the interior. In any case, finishing in the bathroom should be done with tiles. This material is not afraid of moisture and is very durable. However, in order for the finish to not only look attractive, but also have a long service life, you need to know how to start laying tiles in the bathroom correctly. The process has its own subtleties and nuances. Where to start laying tiles in the bathroom? What should you pay attention to? All this and more - further in our article.
Purchasing material
Initially, we need to purchase a tile. It is important that it not only fits into the overall design of the room, but also be in full quantity. It is not uncommon for cases where, due toincorrect calculation, the owners returned to the store and bought the missing material. You should leave 10 percent of the total "in reserve". Measurements are taken taking into account the location of the bath and washbasin. Remember that it will be more difficult to install a tile with a pattern than a regular glazed tile. You also need to purchase tile adhesive. The range of funds is very wide. The best option is a mixture of CM 11. This glue is used very often and has received numerous positive reviews.
Preparing the premises
So, we need to prepare the room for tiling. To do this, you should take out all the furniture, appliances, and turn off the hot and cold water supply. Next, you need to remove the old tiles. A perforator will help us with this. We set the tool in shock mode and wind it under the lower edge of the tile. Be careful - the work is very dusty and it is better to protect the eyes, as well as the respiratory tract.
If there was plaster in the bathroom instead of tiles, it needs to be checked. If swelling is found, the plaster must be knocked down to the wall. Remember that the final result of installation is 90 percent dependent on the preparation of the surface of the wall and floor.
It is important to completely remove all construction debris before laying new tiles. There should be no fragments and other remnants of old tiles on the walls and on the floor.
Wall Alignment
When the wall is cleared of old tiles, you need to measure its geometry, using a water level, a square and a plumb line. With the help of the latter, it is necessary to determine the leveldeviation of the wall from the vertical. A square should measure angles. Ideally, the angle should be 90 degrees. If the walls turned out to be crooked, they must be leveled. For this they prepare:
- Plaster beacons.
- Container for mixing mortar.
- Plaster mortar.
- Perforator and mixer attachment.
- Spatula and trowel.
- Rule.
If the wall in the bathroom is not very strong, you need to apply an additional primer. Next up are the lighthouses. Glue is applied in several places. A beacon is attached and set according to the level. It is important that all beacons are in a vertical plane. The rule will help us with this.
The gaps between the beacons and the wall should be filled with mortar. It is important that the guides do not move. Sagging must be avoided.
By the way, it is permissible to use cement mortar to level the surface of the walls. However, in order for it to be durable, you need to replace one part of the cement with a part of the tile adhesive. Next, the solution is applied with a trowel to the wall. You need to apply with sharp and short movements. It is better to start work from the top. When the space between the guides is filled with one and a half meters, a rule is applied to the beacons and everything superfluous is removed. It is not recommended to press hard on the guides. Masters advise to make zigzag, short movements. All excess solution is placed in a common container.
This work is continued until all the gaps between the beacons are completely filled. If the surface hasirregularities, they can be removed with a trowel. But you need to wait until the solution dries. You need to work in a circular motion.
Leveling the floor
Where to start laying tiles in the bathroom? The floor also needs to be leveled. This is done in two ways:
- Using a self-levelling compound.
- With the help of beacons.
The first method is simpler but more expensive. Before you start laying tiles from the bath, you need to find out if leveling the floor is required at all. It is better to use a laser level for this. It is installed in the corner of the room and the distance from the marks on the walls to the floor is measured. If the deviation is less than five millimeters, then alignment can be dispensed with.
If there is no laser level, you can do something else. To do this, visually determine the highest angle in the bathroom. From it we draw a horizontal line along the wall using the mounting level. Next, we extend this line in a circle to all the walls of the bathroom. The strip should be even, so we constantly use the level. Further, in the center of the room, two ropes are pulled between parallel walls. However, they should intersect in the center. When the thread does not touch the floor, but from the highest point of the floor to the line on the wall no more than two centimeters, this will be the level of our floor. If the rope touches the floor in several places, it must be raised a few centimeters and marked on the walls.
Next proceed to the installation of beacons. This is done in the same way as in the case of walls. But you need to make sure that the guides are levelmarkup. Their location can be checked by rule. We mount it between the marks on the walls and see that the beacons touch it.
Laying
So, after a series of preparatory work, you can start laying. Where to start laying tiles in the bathroom? You need to start with the walls. We measure its height and divide by the height of the tile. If in the end we got an integer, there will be no difficulties in the work. Otherwise, you will have to cut the tiles. Please note that when calculating the number of whole rows, you need to take into account not only the height of the tile, but also the gap between it. Usually this value is about three millimeters.
Where is the best place to place the cut pieces? They should be laid at the bottom, as they are more visible at the top. But laying from above cannot be started. A horizontal starting rail will help us here. From the floor we measure the height of the scraps and fasten a wooden rail at this level. It is important that it is horizontal.
Before laying tiles in the bathroom, prepare a container for the solution and fill in a certain part of the water (according to the instructions on the mixture). Next, pour the dry mixture, stirring the solution with a mixer. The glue should have a consistency like sour cream, that is, it should not drain from the tile and at the same time stretch well over the surface. Please note that the solution dries quickly. Therefore, it is better to prepare the glue in several portions (so that it is enough for 1-2 square meters).
With a notched trowel we put our composition on the tile and press it against the wall. The adhesive should be evenly distributed. Next, take the next tile and repeat the process again. To make the gaps the same, we use crosses. We need this gap in order to prevent the destruction of the tile during thermal expansion.
What's next?
When the bottom row has been laid, we install vertical strips on both sides. Their position must be checked with a level. We stretch a horizontal thread between the planks at a distance equal to the height of the tile from the first row. This will be a guideline for laying the second row.
How to lay on the floor?
We figured out how to tile the bathroom wall. But what about the floor? This process is not very complicated.
Where to start laying tiles in the bathroom? You need to start from the far wall. Then you should move towards the exit. We stretch the nylon threads. They will help us prevent displacement. To set the tile to the desired level, you can use a rubber mallet. What to do if the tile "drowned"? In this case, you will have to remove it and mount it again.
Grout
If we lay tiles in the bathroom with our own hands, we should not forget about the grout. Work should begin when all the tiles on the wall and on the floor are already installed. We remove the remnants of the adhesive mixture and wait for the time until the solution dries and gains strength. Then you can start grouting. In order for the tile to serve for a long time and look good, it is recommended to use a fine grout. After herapplication immediately remove the excess. The composition is very durable, and after drying it will be problematic to get rid of it. This is especially true for textured tiles.
Conclusion
So, we have considered where to start laying tiles in the bathroom. As you can see, the process is not very complicated, but requires accuracy. It is important to correctly calculate the number of rows and periodically monitor the level of the tile. Only in this way will we get a quality result.
