DIY Guide: Tiling a Bathroom

When designing your bathroom, tiling walls offers a practical and decorative alternative to painting or wallpaper. Gone are the days when the biggest and best bathroom tile ideas were a luxury most homeowners couldn’t achieve within their budget. In today’s post, we’ll give you all the information you’ll need to choose the best finish for your bathroom, as well as a handy DIY guide to tiling a bathroom yourself – giving you the tools to brighten up your home and save yourself some money.

Why opt for tiles in your bathroom?

Bathrooms don’t follow the same design rules as the rest of the house, and the practicality of the bathroom should be your main consideration. When it comes to choosing a finish for your bathroom, you’ll need to factor in the wet conditions – opting for a finish that’s both waterproof and durable. Tiling a shower room is an ideal way to avoid incurring any extra costs associated with anti-mould paint or installing an extractor fan.

How do bathroom tiles differ from tiling walls elsewhere?

Unlike tiling walls in the rest of the house, it’s important to consider that tiling a bathroom wall  requires waterproof tiles. Bathroom floor tiles should be non-slip and small in order to facilitate drainage. The durability of materials such as ceramic, porcelain and natural stone makes them ideal options when it comes to creating a light and airy bathroom.

How to: tiling a bathroom wall

1. Measure the walls to ensure you’ve got enough tiles to complete the job and decide which side you’re going to start tiling from.
2. Beginning at floor level, prop the first tile up with spacers. This will allow for a grouting gap. Hold the tile against the wall and mark up, then cut tiles to size using a scoring wheel.
3. Using a notched trowel, evenly spread tile adhesive to the back of the tile. Use moderate pressure to place the first tile into its marked position on the wall. For tiles surrounding the bath, you’ll need to fix a single column of tiles vertically – with spacers between each one.
4. Using a spirit level, draw a horizontal line above the bath tub – at the point where the top of the tiles is higher than the top of your bath. Any tiles below this line will need to be cut to size.
5. A shaped cut may be necessary where the tiles meet the lip of the bath. Place the tile in this area and mark the position of the lip and the depth of the cut. Use tile cutters to cut the tile and file down any rough edges.
6. Apply adhesive to the back of the cut tile and press into position, using spacers between tiles. Repeat this process for the remaining tiles directly above the bath.
7. For the rest of the wall, spread one square metre of adhesive at a time onto the wall. Position the tiles on the wall, using spacers. Repeat the process until the wall and any adjacent walls are completed.
8. Cut wall trims at external corners to length, spread a line of adhesive against the wall and embed the trim. Scrape off any excess adhesive with a damp sponge.
9. Leave the tiles to dry. Add grout to water and mix to form a creamy consistency. Place grout onto a squeegee and apply to the tile face. Work the grout into joints, and wipe off any excess.
10. Leave for 15 minutes before wiping down with a damp sponge. After 60 minutes, polish with a dry cloth.

Top tips for tiling a bathroom

To prevent the silicone from splitting, half-fill the bathtub with water prior to sealing around the bath. Apply the silicone and leave overnight – the bath can be emptied the next morning.

Flexible sanitary silicone should be used in the corners of a bathroom in order to avoid cracks in the grout – as walls can be subject to differential movement in wet environments. Browse our selection of silicone products, all of which are available to order online!

Our wide range of bathroom tiles will guarantee that your home looks exactly the way you imaged. If you’re still not convinced and would like to try before you buy, you can order your very own tile sample for just 99p.