Putting tiles in the bathroom with your own hands is not an easy process, especially if you do this for the first time. It will also take a lot of time to decide on the exact design, and therefore you will have to visit the hardware store more than once.
How to choose the right material?
In order to lay the tiles in the bathroom with your own hands, first of all, you should make the most accurate calculations regarding the amount of material. Not all stores practice returning tile residues, but another problem may arise - the product may be out of stock. You can buy tiles of a similar color or type, but during the repair process the difference will become more pronounced and for a long time it will be an eyesore to the owners of the apartment.
At home, it is necessary to draw a plan of the tile structure, preferably at the most approximate scale. This will not only help to take into account the number and size of the required tiles, but also help to find places in which sections of the tiles will be the least noticeable.
You can’t save on material, because in this case the price category really plays a big role. It is because of the high cost of the tile that you need to plan your installation in advance.
How to choose a color?
Tiles, like any other object used in interior design, can hide the imperfections of the room, as well as emphasize its merits. But how to make the right choice? Need to understand in more detail.
Using non-standard tiles, you can make unusual even the most ordinary bathroom, and therefore you need to familiarize yourself with the full range of possible colors and textures of the tiles.
As in any other interior, light tones of the tiles visually expand the room, and warm colors help to achieve complete relaxation.
It is better to abandon the everyday option with blue or green tiles. After all, it is able to destroy the uniqueness of any bathroom. If a similar color has already been selected, it is better to add some interesting ornament to it or make sure that there are other bright details in the bathroom.
Bright colors are recommended only to make any accents in the room. If you completely cover the room with such tiles, it will interfere with concentration and relaxation, as well as quickly tire your eye and make you think about re-repair.
Glue selection
To put the tiles in the bathroom with your own hands, you need to take care of purchasing the appropriate glue. The most popular mixture is CM11, but it can only be used if your bathroom does not have any special conditions that can make the process of gluing tiles more difficult. The price of this glue is very affordable, and its quality is time-tested.
Room preparation
The preparation of the premises should be approached with extreme caution, especially if replacing anything from the plumbing is currently not included in your plans. The toilet and washbasin must be carefully removed. However, this can be done only after shutting off the supply of hot and cold water.
Dismantling the old coating: is it possible to do without it?
Before laying the tiles in the bathroom, many homeowners are wondering if it is really necessary to dismantle the old material. The answer is simple: it all depends on her condition.
If the old tile is in good enough condition and does not disappear anywhere, then you can mount the tile on it. To do this, you only need to thoroughly rinse the previous layer and with special care treat the seams between the plates.
If the old tile is in disrepair, it certainly needs to be dismantled. For these purposes, a hammer drill, which must be put in shock mode, is perfect.
You need to take care of your own safety before you put the tiles in the bathroom yourself. In the process of dismantling from the material, pieces will most likely fly off. Therefore, it is better to find gloves and safety glasses.
If the old tile falls off together with layers of glue and / or plaster - you do not need to worry, because the glue in any case will have to be removed. Plastering the room is also recommended again.
Wall alignment
Rarely are the walls in high-rise buildings, especially brick or concrete, even. In this case, they simply need to be aligned, otherwise the repair does not make any sense.
If the walls are not strong enough, it is recommended that they be primed before leveling. It is recommended to repeat this before putting the tiles in the bathroom. But this is not all the nuances of the work.
How to put tiles in the bathroom next? To determine how much work remains to be done, you need to take a square and a plumb line. The latter must be used to determine the deviation of the wall from the vertical. The square will help to measure the degree of deviation.
After the primer has dried, it is necessary to fix the beacons on the wall. To do this, apply glue in several places, and then fix the beacons in turn. Equipment must be in the same vertical plane.
Wall alignment process: what is it?
After fixing the beacons, you need to fill the gap between the wall and the mount with the solution. Typically, ordinary cement mortar is used. However, it is better to exchange one part of cement for one part of glue. This will add more strength before putting the tiles in the bathroom on the wall.
Then, with sharp and short movements (a trowel or a plaster bucket can help), it is necessary to apply the solution. You need to start from the very top of the wall. However, if this is too difficult for you, you can start from the bottom.
Each time when the gap between the fasteners is filled, using the rule you need to get rid of the remains of the solution. An excess amount of the solution is better to return back to the container. The process must be continued until all the gaps are filled.
Floor leveling
Before you put the tiles in the bathroom, you need to take care of aligning not only the walls, but also the floor. There are two ways:
- With the help of lighthouses.
- Using a self-leveling mixture. However, this method does not belong to a number of cheap ones.
The bathroom floor does not always need alignment, which is easiest to measure with a laser level. If the distance between the laser marks on the wall and the floor is the same or does not exceed five millimeters, then you can do without level correction at all. A slight curvature is corrected directly in the process of laying the tiles.
If a deviation has been identified, before laying the tiles on the floor in the bathroom, you need to repeat the same procedure as with the walls. The only difference is that the lighthouses should be clearly marked.
Finish
In the matter of how to properly lay the tiles in the bathroom, you need to remember that you always need to start from the walls. First you need to calculate the number of whole tiles on one wall, taking into account the fact that the distance between them should be no more than five, but not less than three millimeters.
If you get a non-integer number, you have to cut the tile. Aesthetically cropped tiles will look below (where it least attracts attention).
Nevertheless, it is not recommended to start laying from below, and therefore you need to approximately measure the height of the scraps and install a wooden rail at this level. Now you can safely start laying from above.
Solution preparation
To properly prepare the mixture, first you need to pour in a container of water, and then gradually add the dry mixture. The solution must be constantly stirred with a construction mixer to allow it to thicken.
A large amount of solution does not need to be done right away. After all, it will dry up. It is better to limit yourself to small portions that can be constantly replenished.
The result should be a mixture similar to gruel. However, it should not drain from tiles or walls, but should be evenly stretched over the surface. If the solution looks like this, you can proceed to the next process.
Laying tiles on the wall
The solution obtained during the previous step must be applied to the tile and pressed against the wall. Each tile should be located exactly above the level.
During installation, use special plastic crosses. They will help control the gap between the plates. Despite the fact that you always want to neglect the gap, it is important enough for the long-term safety of the repair. The fact is that the distance between the plates helps to prevent the appearance of cracks on the material due to thermal expansion. In addition, crosses will help to make the seams relatively the same. This has a positive effect on the appearance.
Before putting the tiles in the bathroom yourself, it is recommended to pull the thread (horizontally) for the second row. This will significantly reduce the repair time and help not to double-check the level of each tile separately.
When you need to put very small pieces, they are best placed in the corners (where they will not be visible). It is important to comply with the level. After all, if the tile goes downhill at least a little, it will be quite noticeable. This will significantly spoil the overall impression of even the most expensive material. Even the slightest displacement of the rows cannot be allowed.
Laying tiles on the floor
When wondering how to lay tiles in a bathroom, you are most likely interested in the process of laying tiles on the floor.
Despite the fact that, basically, the process of laying tiles on the floor is no different from wall decoration, it has its own nuances. You should always start only from the far wall. And then move towards the door.
In the case of laying on the floor, it is also necessary to tension the kapron thread to prevent displacement in a certain segment. The tile can be set to the desired level with a rubber mallet. But do not overdo it, if the material has gone too deep, then it will have to be removed, and then laid again.
Final stage: grout
When the last tile fell into place, the entire structure must be cleaned of glue until it is completely absorbed, and then let the mixture dry and get stronger.
How nice to lay the tiles in the bathroom? After laying, you need a couple of days (ideally three to four) not to go into the room for repair. It is better to open the windows in the apartment and let the glue smell disappear.
After the material has completely dried, you can proceed to the process of grouting the seams. On the grout itself, saving is not worth it. Indeed, not only the appearance, but also the durability of the new repair will depend on its quality. By the way, grout can be of several types. There are finished products in the form of a solution. The first is sold in tubes under the gun. The second is a powder that must be diluted with water for further use on the surface of a wall or floor.
The finest grout is considered to be the highest quality, which will last for many years. Poor grout will have to be changed in a few years.
After the material has been applied, it is best to immediately get rid of the excess. The fact is that the grout is sometimes difficult to remove. This is especially acute for tiles with a bright or textured design.
findings
Laying tiles in the bathroom practically does not differ from the decoration of walls and floors, however, this process has its own subtleties for each surface, and it is simply impermissible to forget about them.
The comfort of all family members for many years may depend on the choice of tiles in the bathroom, and therefore it is not necessary to treat this process irresponsibly. It is better to carefully consider the manufacturer, the price and even the color of the tiles. The bathroom is a place to relax, and some details in the interior can be very distracting.
It is customary to use the tile in the room because it is the most convenient, stable and has many positive characteristics. For example, the material is not afraid of moisture; it can be easily treated with detergents. The tile does not peel off when interacting with steam or hot water, which cannot be said about the wallpaper. The material will last and keep its appearance unchanged much longer than any other type of coating.
As can be understood from all of the above, the tile is not only quite simple to lay, but it is easy to use and as picky as possible. Even a beginner in construction will be able to cope with the quality of laying tiles. However, this may take a little longer than that of professionals.