Find a Tiler you can trust in Seaford.

Kitchen fitters are often trained carpenters and not all will offer tiling but many will know a tiler that they have worked with in the past. If you are looking to get your kitchen retiled without fitting a new kitchen when it's worth talking to tilers directly to get a range of prices.

It's useful to know in advance what tiles you like, a visit to your local tile store and either pick up a brochure or take some photos. It's probably better not to purchase the tiles at this moment though as often your appointed tiler may be able to get you a better price for the tiles or recommend alternatives. 

Are you interested in fitting tiles in your home or office? If yes, then you’d probably want to know the total cost of getting the project over the line. And being fully aware every job is unique, having a cost per square metre to work with will give you a more accurate price estimation for the overall project. 

First and foremost, the cost of a tiler depends on a wide range of factors such as the type of floor tiles and the size of the area. The cheapest of them all is the vinyl tiles which can be easily cut through and waterproof when properly sealed. As a result, making them a better fit for bathroom floors. Other kinds of tiles include ceramic tiles, mosaic tiles, quarry tiles and porcelain tiles. Each of the types have their own unique qualities including the quarry tiles’ durability and the afore-mentioned vinyl tiles’ waterproof qualities.

Having in mind that the major part of your tiles cost largely depends on the size of the area and the type of tile selected, you can then go ahead to contact your preferred tiling professional for an installation quote. The average price of bathroom tiles installation ranges about £20 to £25 per square metre. Meanwhile for a kitchen floor tiling project, the cost should range between £20 to £50 per square metre.

Finding a tiling professional you can rely on to complete your project and deliver a top quality job while also offering a very competitive price can be almost impossible. The professional you use greatly determines the price of your tiling effort, so there’s the need to review various professionals before making a decision.

If you’re not an expert floor installer who would take wall tile installation as merely being a vertical floor, you are advised to be very cautious when tackling the project. The installation of wall tiles follow some set of rules which you’d better not break if you really wish to protect your investment. And worst of all, a wall tile done wrong is a lifetime penalty of having to look at it. So how can you get it right? Well, probably by reaching out to a wall tile installation professional for a good quality solution that’ll save you time, money and effort. However, we’ve put together this guide to help give you an insight of how it works and also to help you avoid some unnecessary expenses. Let’s have a look!

• Hang a batten board

✓ Start your rows of tiles or bottom-most course with a batten board which works to prevent spillage of tiles.

✓ Position the batten board at 3/4 of the tiles’ height. Ensure not to start at the floor.

• Form A Pyramid Shape With The Tiles

✓ If you’ve reached the bottom row of tile, then arrange the tile in a pyramid shape. To achieve this, you’d have to install the tiles one through four as instructed. Each following row will be draped over the pyramid.

• Examine The Floor For Level & Walls For Plumb

✓ If your floor level or plumb is off by a maximum of a half-inch over the course of 8 feet, add extra baseboards and trim to cover up the problem.

• The Least Size Of Tiles To Be Used Is Half-Wide

✓ Ensure that no “silvers (tiles that are lower than half the width of the tile in question) are incorporated in the project.

How To Lay Tiles On Concrete

Installation of tiles on concrete sub-floors can be done with relative ease under adequate guidance. Here is what you have to do.

lPrepare The Concrete Subfloor

• Ensure the concrete is dry, clean and must be at least 6 weeks old.

• If there are dips and humps, level the concrete using a levelling compound.

lSet Out

• Working from the centre outwards, take a measurement of the floor (both length and width) and draw a cross at the centre.

• Lay out the tiles from the cross with a space of 3mm between each tiles. This will allow for movement stresses within the floor and later to be filled with grout upon installation of the tiles and adhesive dried.

lCut The Tiles

• Due to the particularly had nature of some floor tiles such as natural stone and porceclain, high quality tools are usually required to produce a clean cut through the tiles. With the help of an electric wet cutter alongside a slide cutter and nippers, your job would be made a lot easier.

• For a better result during intricate cuts, make use of a cardboard template.

lFix The Tiles

• The tiles should be fixed using a cement-based adhesive.

• Ensure to refer to the packaging or product data for the mixing ratios information.

• Stir the mixture till its lump-free

lApply The Mixture

• Spread the mixture onto the concrete sub-floor to create parallel ribs with the help of a floor trowel.

• Push the tiles into the parallel ribs.

• Clear out any excess adhesive from the tiles surface with a damp sponge.

• Do not walk on the tiles for at least 2 hours.

lGrout

• Once the adhesive is dried, wipe out any dust, adhesive or dirt from the tiles’ gaps.

• Mix about 4 to 5 parts of grout powder with 1 part of water and ix together.

• Apply the mixed grout diagonally across the tiles using a soft rubber grout float.

• Wipe out excess grout from the tiles surface and allow the tiles to dry.

• Stubborn residues can be cleaned using any washing up detergent with warm water within 24 hours after grouting.

Tiling a kitchen wall can seem like an easy task until you get started. Errors made will forever be evident for everyone to see unless you’re prepared to spend some extra bucks. When done right, it can actually be a very satisfying project, but don’t even think about rushing into it. If you lack a proper training or experience, it’s advisable to leave the task to a skilled professional for the best results and to avoid extra costs. This guide is meant to give you a detailed insight into the process and help you avoid possible errors.

• Preparation

✓ Ensure you have the required amount of tiles, adhesive and grout.

✓ Take the tiles measurement and calculate in square metres.

✓ Determine the number of tiles to be used and add about 10% to the total number to cover for possible wastage.

✓ Check to surface to make sure its clean and dry.

• Mark Out The Area To Be Tiled

✓ Mark out the width of the tiles with spacers using a baton of timber.

✓ Position a tile against the bottom-most point and draw a line.

✓ Put a baton along this line and follow this by a vertical line at the wall’s end.

• Install The Tiles On The Kitchen Walls

✓ Apply an even layer of adhesive with a wall trowel on the kitchen’s wall surface.

✓ Place the first tile on the adhesive and apply small pressure, do this for the remaining tiles with similar pressure to ensure its levelled.

✓ Make use of tile spacers to get a uniform space in between.

✓ Leave the adhesive to harden before applying the grout.

• Grouting

✓ Remove the tile space and clear out excess adhesive

✓ Prepare the grout

✓ Make use of a grout float to apply the mixture into the joints.

✓ Let the grout dry up a bit before washing the surface off with a sponge and water.

Thanks to its durability, resistance to moisture and stain as well as aesthetic appeal, ceramic tile is a popular material for floor installations. The same qualities that makes it stand out for both kitchen and bathroom floors also makes it a natural choice for walls.

Fitting of ceramic wall tile is a task that requires pre-planning and lots of patience. Generally, it’s usually not that difficult to do but it can be very easy to make mistakes here and there. And because you’ll have to attach a relatively heavy material to vertical surfaces, the project can be somewhat trickier than ceramic floor tile so more care and skill is required here. This can be done by any competent DIYer who is confident and also patient. If you lack any of these attributes, we’d recommend you call in a professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we’ll take you through the ceramic wall tiles fitting process. Let’s take a look!

✓ Prepare the room. This includes switching off power to electrical outlets, removing decorative wall plates and other accessories on the wall, protecting the surface and taking out the baseboard.

✓ Draw reference lines. Using a chalk line draw a reference line on the wall to be tiled.

✓ Spread the adhesive. Use a notched trowel to spread the tile adhesive

✓ Install the first tile. Use the reference line as a guide to fit the first tile near the centre of the wall, twisting it slightly so its firmly in place. Then check to ensure the tile is level and adjust if you deem fit.

✓ Install all tiles. Following similar technique to install the remaining tiles and use tile spacers to ensure even gaps

✓ Clear out excess adhesive and remove spacers.

✓ Apply grout. Dampen the grout with clean water before the grout application

✓ Caulk the joints. After like 10 days, use silicone sealer to caulk the expansion joints.

How To Tile A Kitchen Floor

Tiling your kitchen floor can seem a daunting task at first glance, but is a skill that can be mastered after a couple of practices. With this simple guide, you will find it easier to satisfy your kitchen floor tiling needs.

lPrepare The Subfloor

• Ensure the subfloor is very secure to support both the tile and the people working across it.

• If necessary, you can strengthen the kitchen floor with the help of a vinyl, heavy felt or any other good backer board.

• After successfully securing the floor, proceed to clear out all dust and dirt.

lMix The Mortar

• Mix a thinset mortar be referring to the instructions on the package. ( Mix only the quantity you can apply within 30 minutes).

• Once the mixture looks similar to the thickness of mayonnaise, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before application.

lApply The Mortar

• Apply a thin layer of mortar

• Do not cover extensive areas as the mortar can become very dry.

• Spread the mortar with a trowel in curved patterns to make it flat on the floor.

lSet The Tile

• Set down the tile slowly, apply a little pressure until its holds firmly to the surface. ( Apply a consistent amount of pressure throughout to ensure equal heights for all the tiles)

• Continue with the process until all full tiles are well positioned

lCut The Tiles

• Once all the full tile pieces are in place, start cutting to cover the edges requiring smaller tile pieces.

• Take accurate measurements of the outer edges needing smaller tile pieces.

• Cut the tile pieces to fit the measurement taken with the help of a wet saw or hand tile cutter.

lGrouting

• Remove all spacers and mortar residues and lay the grout

• Apply the grout along the tiles’ seams with a grout float

• Clean out excess grout with a damp sponge after leaving it to dry for about 30 minutes

• Once the grout is fully dried, apply the sealer (the drying process normally takes within 3 to 4 days).

For the best results, it’s advisable to contact a tiling professional for help when it comes to kitchen floor tiling especially if you have no training or prior experience. This way, you can get the best quality and also avoid the regrettable mistakes and extra costs that’s very common with newbies.

Are you looking to tile your bathroom floor very soon? Well, we’ve got you covered! Tiling is not the easiest skill to acquire and definitely not one you’d want to try out on your bathroom without some practices.  For the best results and to get it right the first time, we’d recommend you hire the services of a reliable professional especially if you’re inexperienced or without a bathroom tiling training. Hopefully, this quick step-by-step guide will put you in the right direction.

1. Make Sure You Have A Levelled Subfloor
   Your subfloor’s stability is crucial for the success of your tile laying.
2. Once done, then you can start planning how to level the floor.
3. Identify the highest point of your floor and place a really long level to determine the dip and hump spots.
4. Fill in the identified low spots with mortar.
5. Cut The Tiles
6. Using a wet saw with a diamond blade and pump, cut through the tiles to get the appropriate shape.
7. Choose The Appropriate Adhesive
8. To best adhesive is probably the one written on the label and suggested by the manufacturer. If uncertain, you can make use of a modified mortar
9. Prepare The Area
10. Using the prepared mixture of your mortar, prime the surface by spreading it on the floor with the trowel’s flat side.
11. Once done, you can add more mortar with the ridges of the trowel.
12. Space The Tiles
    Tile spacement depends largely on the surrounding walls. Straight walls equal straight tiles, if not your judge would be required to ensure a great outcome.
13. If the wall is straight, make a space of about an eighth of an inch. The bigger spacing, the higher the possibility for the grout to become visibly discoloured.
14. Use The Right Grout
15. With sanded and unsanded grouts having a variety of colours, choosing the ideal grout can a tricky affair.
16. The size of the spaces play a huge role in determining the best choice.
17. Use a sanded grout if the spacing is an eighth of an inch or more. However if less, make use of the unsanded grout.