Help with tiling technique

[jc888]

Hi All

I am currently tiling an area about 20sqm and this is my first time.

I found that cleaning the glue that squeezed through between takes longer than putting down the tile and that at first I do one tile at a time now I come to do two tiles. I have just started tonight and that it took 2 hours to lay 16 tiles of 300X300 and I know this is not right.

Can any one please share any tip that could help me speed up the process as I can only tile the floor after work and the rate I am going it will take along time.

Much appreciated for any help.

JC888

[mic-d]

Hi jc888,
Firstly what size notch trowel are you using? An 8mm is the most you generally need for floor tiles, and you should hold it at about 45-60º. You should not be getting very much up in the grout lines at all and generally very little to clean out. To work faster, you have to spread more adhesive, say enough to do a 4x2 matrix of tiles - or so. As a beginner, you might worry about spreading so much but you just have to bite the bullet and do it, only way to get faster. I like to take my time with the layout, mark the centre lines of the room, work out if tile centres or grout lines in the centre of the room are best (one or the other will give a border of cut tiles larger than 1/2 tile - the best option), then with a chalkline, mark say every second grout line for the whole room and also the grout lines for the cut tiles to the wall. Then I go around and make all the cut tiles first and sit them in position. Then start glueing tiles down anywhere by spreading enough adhesive to cover 4x2 martrix, just leave the chaulklines visible. Place in the 8 tiles and tap them in gently with a rubber mallet, set all joints equal by eye - don't need to use spacers at all. Then repeat with the next 8 tiles. Try with 4 tiles first if you like. Set the cut tiles as you go too. You should be able to lay 20sqm in a weekend as a beginner.

Cheers
Michael

[jc888]

Hi Michael

Thankyou for the tip. I will try tonight with 8 tiles at once, I guess by doing it one or two at a time then there are more glue to clean. I found that by the time I trowel the glue it comes too close to the fixed tiles and so the glue comes through the grout lines. I hope by doing 8 at a time it will be less cleaning. Oh, the shop gave me 10mm trowel.

[Bleedin Thumb]

I recently did my second tiling job.................I now hope it is my last.

I have laid a few square metres of paving over the last 23 years, one job alone was 4,000 sq.m..... but tiling!!!!!

Leave it to the tilers.

[drummelars]

hi jc ,

mate im doing 25sqm for a loungr room and hallway and has taken me almost 1 month doing it every weekend. By all means this was my first tiling job (large job anyway).

I takes time as a beginner to get it right. I d rather lay a few sqm at a time and get it right, as once they are down thats it so you might asqell get it right.

Also i use a 12mm trowel for floors and 6mm for walls.

I find as a beginner i lay out my pattern then make all my cuts to size. Then as mic-d said start laying.

Im not a pro i wish i had finished by now but i only have half a hallway to go. Give it a go mate better than paying $40 per sqm i havent got that kinda money to pay a tiler.

[drummelars]

ps: i also acid etch my floors and use boncerete in my add mix.

cheers jace

[jc888]

hi jc ,

Im not a pro i wish i had finished by now but i only have half a hallway to go. Give it a go mate better than paying $40 per sqm i havent got that kinda money to pay a tiler.

$40/sqm ?? I thought for smaller tiles it would be about $28 to $30.

I have started on it, and I could do about 8 tiles per hour and that is being careful. I can't seem to get it evenly flat yet but it is in the outdoor alfresco so I don't mind. Sore back but.......

[drummelars]

yeah i rang 2 places one even charged $46 per sqm i figured this was the going price.

unless they are badly uneven once you grout it they will look good mate

[squashedfrog1]

jc888,

If you are laying big tiles, I found when I did my first tiling job that "buttering" the back of the individual tile was far less messy. How big is your tile? A 10mm glue applicator is for pretty big tiles. Hold the applicator on about a 45 degree angle so it puts less glue on the surface. Sounds like you might have too much adhesive happening there. I found with my first job that by applying the glue to the back of the tile, the glue stops about a cm from the edges of the tile, when I pressed into place, the glue came perfectly to the edge of the tile with absolutely no mess.

Hint number 2 is never lift off a tile you've pressed into place, if you have to, then clean the glue off both tile and wall and start again. If you don't trust your eye and you're trying to work too quickly, then use spacers. Go back over the last half dozen tiles and check that spacings are good and nothing has slipped or moved. If you are using spacers, don't push em into the glue. Leave them forward enuff to be able to grab with pair of pliers to remove before grouting.

Then like the others have said, always plan where your cut tiles are going to be FIRST and lay accordingly.

[jc888]

Thankyou for the hint.

My tile is 300X300 and based on the size 4.5mX4.5m I have over 200 tiles to lay and I am working on it every night from 8pm to midnight and as it getting late my work is less perfect and the glue really get to me. I will try to spread the glue not too close to the tile so when pressed down it won't be too messy.

My other problem was that it is my first time purchasing tiles as well and I was only looking at the colour and pattern of the tile without comparing the tiles, that was because I wanted to do a checker board patern so I was looking for dark and light colour tiles and I found it but the size is not exactly 300X300 as per the sticker label in the shop also the thickness of the tile is not the same so it is hard to lay it flat evenly.

Anyway I think the guy at the tile shop just wanted my money as he knew what I wanted to do but did not advise me correctly. Big lesson learned.

Thanks again.

[drummelars]

ouch now thats a different kettle of fish having different tiles thickness. I mean thats what thre trowell is supposed to do its supposed to lay a nice EVEN bed of glue/mortar to lay even thickness tiles onto.

hmmm maybe a pro can jump in on this one

[pawnhead]

It sounds like the difference in tile thickness may be your problem. If you have to tap the thicker ones down to get them flush, then they'll be squeezing more glue out than the thinner ones. You may be able to spread a thin layer of glue on the back of the thin ones (as well as gluing the floor) by holding the trowel at a sharp angle. That may compensate for the difference, but even a pro would be cursing at having to lay two different tile thicknesses together.