The positive qualities of ceramic tiles were appreciated many years ago. It should be noted such advantages of this material as ease of installation, color retention over time, ease of cleaning, as well as resistance to dust and odors. Due to its advantages, tiles are used in the bathroom, when decorating a work apron in the kitchen, and placed on the floor in hallways and other rooms.
Deciding to do the work yourself, you need not only to know how to lay the tiles, but also what you need for this:
plaster for surface leveling;
primer;
tiles;
· adhesive suitable for base and tiles;
Distance crosses;
cutting tools (special manual or electric tile cutter);
· rubber spatula;
spatula with teeth and flat edge;
· drill with stirring attachment;
· container for mixing glue;
· grout;
· clean washing spongetiles.
All work consists of the following steps:
1. Surface preparation.
2. Wall markings.
3. Trimming tiles.
4. Laying tiles.
5. Grouting.
6. Washing the finished floor.
Preparing the base
If there are defects on the wall in the form of cracks, irregularities, then all this is eliminated in advance. Before laying the tiles, you need to perfectly level the surface.
Not in every case the foundation is concrete or brick walls. For this reason, the question arises of how to lay tiles on drywall. Note the fact that drywall must be resistant to moisture. It is also treated with special compounds, gaps are closed. Further, the process is the same for all surfaces, only the glue is chosen differently.
Tile calculation
For each wall, we calculate the number of tiles separately. Trimmed tiles are counted as integers, that is, we round off their number. Before you learn how to lay tiles, write down all the calculations and make a markup.
Tile layout
First, mark the vertical rows. Find the center of the wall (measure the width and determine the middle). This will count the number of tiles on the wall. After that, draw horizontal lines.
Laying tiles
Considering the question of how to lay tiles on the wall, it should be noted that work begins from the far corner. We lay the first tile with particular care, since it depends on itevenness of the rest of the rows. Use the level and constantly check the quality of work. Use the slats as a support for the first row to prevent the tile from sliding down.
We apply the adhesive solution on the back side, running a notched trowel over the mixture. Then we firmly press the tile to the wall. Having installed the next tile, do not forget to use seam crosses, otherwise the gaps will be uneven. Once the adhesive has set on the surface, the crosses are removed.
Grouting
We've covered how to lay tiles, but the work doesn't end there. You can proceed to this stage only after the final setting of the glue. The solution is applied with a rubber spatula in several layers. Dirt on the tile is removed with a damp sponge after 10 minutes, while the seams are not affected. The final wash of the surface is carried out after a minimum of 1-2 hours.
