More Tiling Tips
Money Saving Tips
The primary cost of any tiling project are the materials and approximately 80% of that are the tiles themselves. Tiles vary in price massively from sub £10/sqm to in excess of £60/sqm for natural slate etc. The dream bathroom or kitchen can be achieved however using clever combinations of tiles, a cheaper standard tile can be used on mass with a feature tile to enhance and draw the eye. This example is a large bathroom installation that used a large white tile throughout that was broken at dado height with a glass mosaic. In this case the single row of glass mosaics cost more than the entire white tiles! Border tiles in general, whether glass or not tend to be highly priced as retailers are aware that these provide the ‘wow’ factor that the customer is looking for and are willing to pay for it. Using some initiative however, you can deliver equally effective results far cheaper. Tile transfers are available, however not recommended in my opinion as you tend to get what you pay for, but you can angle cut standard tiles to create border tiles or even cut larger plain tiles down into a border tile, reducing costs yet still giving a great finish. These are just a few tips and of course every situation is different, if you want any tips to suit your situation, I’d happily offer advice at a no obligation free quotation, call me to arrange.
Silicone Application
This is a tricky thing to do should you attempt yourself. I’m sure you’ll hear most tradesmen advise you not to undertake works yourself (afterall what would they have to do!) but siliconing really is a art form! A bad silicone (too thick or lumpy) job at the end can ruin the effect of beautifully tiles bathroom or kitchen. If you do decide to give it a go, here a few useful tips;
• Ensure the area is both clean and dry
• Keep the nozzle cut small and ensure is cut at 45 degree angle
• Apply small bead (keep even pressure and speed of application)
• Use soapy water (fairly liquid works well) to gently rub bead with finger or tool (old toothbrush handle works well) to achieve desired look
• You can try using masking tape to keep lines true, but looks much better if you can get this accurate with normal application.
If all does go horribly wrong however, remove all silicone with cardboard or a scraper and use white spirit to clean and dry the area before trying again. Remember, silicone tends to stick to anything it touches and certainly wont come off of clothing, if you get it on your hands, remove the worst with a piece of card and use white spirit to remove the residue, always wash your hands well after cleansing with white spirit or using silicone in general.
Tile Joint Tips
Different grouts need to be used for different joint widths. 1-3mm joints will need a normal smooth grout (ensure it gets firmly in the narrow gap). Anything larger than this and you will need a wide joint gap which contains sands to suit wider joint sizes. If you use a standard grout on wide joints, the likelihood is that the grout will just crack and fall out of the joints.
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