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How To Prepare For Tiling

How To Prepare For Tiling

Instructions

So you've decided to tile your bathroom or kitchen but where on earth do you start? Here's where, watch this Homeserve prepation video, get going, and after a couple of hours gritty work your room will be ready to get tiling.

Step1:
You'll need a:

• A hammer and chisel
• Eye goggles
• Filler
• And coarse sandpaper

Step 2:
Whether you are preparing a wall or floor, a good start is to remove the existing tiles. The easiest way to do this is with a chipping hammer or claw hammer. Before you start using this make sure that you are wearing protective clothing and eye goggles, and your floor is protected against falling debris. Take the hammer and point the thin edge towards the adhesive joint that is holding the tile in place. Now you can carefully chip away the tiles. Be careful, although some may come off easily others might shatter.

Step 3:
Once all the tiles are removed, make sure that all the surfaces are clean and dry and you have brushed away any dust or debris. You may find that your wall is in a bit of a state, if this is the case you will need to apply plaster bolster before you can fill the holes.

Step 4:
If the area you're tiling has any cracks or holes, grab some filler and just repair them. Make sure that you allow plenty of time for the filler to dry completely.

Step 5:
Once all the cracks and blemishes have been filled in you will need to smooth over the surface. This can be done in a number of ways depending on whether you are tiling a floor or a wall.

Step 6:
If you decide to sand off the adhesive, the easiest and quickest way of doing this is using an electric sander. Whether you use one of these or do it by hand, buy the coarsest grade of sandpaper and keep on working on the surface until it is smooth. Always wear a mask and open the window to improve the air circulation.

Step 7:
You don't have to remove the existing tiles but instead you can choose to tile directly onto the current tiles. Clean and sweep away any debris, then mark out lines on the floor or wall where the tiles will be laid. Mix up the filler.

Now you're ready to get tiling, and our guide to tiling a wall will show you how. But don't forget, if it all seems like too much hassle, give Homeserve a buzz and let us do the graft for you.