The Home Depot
How to Tile a Bathroom Wall
For variety and durability, tile is an excellent choice. In addition to giving your home a great look, it also helps protect the walls and floors from various kinds of damage. Tiling gives homeowners an easy, affordable way to add charm and beauty to their homes that results that rival dose of tiling professionals. The Home Depot is here to provide the products and guidance you need to achieve those professional looking results. In our first demonstration, we will install wins cut tile with a cap in a bathroom.
The first step is to measure the tile. Place ten tiles side by side and measure the length of the row. Divide it by ten and use the resulting numbers to tile dimension for your layout. Using a level, draw a top line all the way around the room. If you are tiling only the partway of the wall, this line should be where the tiles will start. If you will be adding a row of cap tiles like we are, draw a horizontal line for those as well.
Now, measure from the floor to the top line and mark a mid height line half way in between then measure from the floor, the top line again and divide it by the size of the tile. If you end up with less than a full tile as your remainder, shift the mid height line down by that amount so you will have a row of full tiles at the top and a row of partial tiles at the bottom.
Draw a new mid height line around the room making sure it is leveled. Measure the width of each wall and mark the mid point on the top line. Using a level, extend this line to the floor. Now, measure from this line to one end of the wall and divide it by the size of the tile. If the last row of tiles will be less than a half a tile wide, shift the mid point so the last row of tile on both ends of the wall will be of equal width and draw a new line.
Using a chalk line, snap additional vertical and horizontal lines to create a grid of 8 to 12 square foot rectangles on the wall. When this is done, you are ready to start tiling. Start by fastening a level 1 x 2 or 1 x 3 wooden batten just below the mid height line. Double check to make sure it is leveled. The batten will keep your first row of tile straight, which will make the rest of the tiles on the wall straight as well. Make sure Latex Modified Thin Set Mortar as instructed in the technique section of tiling one, two, three.
Using a square notch trowel, apply mortar to one of the marked grids along the top of the batten and comb it into straight vertical ridges. Press the first few full tiles in place above the batten, Use a slight twisting motion to be sure it makes good contact with the mortar. Do not slide the tiles. After you have done three or four tiles, lift one off and check the back. The mortar should cover the entire surface. If it is in the rows, the tile ridges on the wall are not thick enough. Scrape the mortar off the wall and re-apply it using a trowel with a larger notch. Work up and out in a stair step pattern. Take your time and work on the wall in manageable 8 to 12 square foot sections. Set any tile that must be cut last.
If any mortar oozes up between the tiles, clean it up before it dries. Continue until all except the top row of capped tiles are in place. Finish by placing the row of capped tiles along the top of the tiled area. When you are done, let the mortar cure for at least 12 hours and remove the batten. Working from the middle, out and down, set the rest of the tiles. Support each tile with a piece of masking tape attached to the tile above it. Let the mortar dry completely. Each type of mortar has a different curing time. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Grout is the material that fills the space between the tiles and supports them almost like glue. Grouting is messy so be sure you properly cover any areas that you do not want to get dirty. Before you start, remove any excess mortar with a razor blade or a paddy knife. Using a margin trowel, mix the powdered grout with liquid and apply it. Skim the excess grout off with the edge of the float. To avoid digging into the joints, mov
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services