| Before making a start with your project, be sure you have all of the equipment you need close to hand. You should also wear safety goggles and protective gloves when cutting or trimming tiles. Ensure that the surface to be tiled is clean, dry and flat and that any holes and cracks have been filled. Porous surfaces such as plaster will require sealing prior to fixing. |
| Using a spirit level, secure your battens in place. Always work from the centre of the wall and work to the edges, putting in your final cut. This will ensure that even if your walls are "out of square" your tiling looks level and even. |
| Using a notched spreader, comb the adhesive evenly onto the wall covering no more than 1 m2 at a time. Do not exceed the manufacturers recommended depth of adhesive bed as detailed on the product packaging. |
| Fix the tiles into the adhesive using a twisting / sliding motion to ensure full contact between adhesive and tile. Using tile spacers will ensure that your tiles are evenly spaced to create uniformed grout joints. Excess adhesive should be wiped away using a damp cloth or sponge. |
| For straight cuts, your tiles can be "scored and snapped" with a tile cutter to obtain the desired size. Tile Choice recommends a combination pliers cutter or a flat bed cutter, making cuts even easier. |
| Tile nippers are ideal for trimming edges and a tile saw will enable you to create more complicated shapes (for cutting around pipe-work etc). Remember to use a tile file on those sharp edges for safety when grouting. Once your tiles have been fixed, allow at least 24 hours for the adhesive to dry before grouting. Using a grout spreader, work the grout into the grout lines. Wipe off any excess grout with a grouting sponge, used at a 45 degree angle to ensure that the compacted grout stays in the joints, to give a professional finish. |
| Finally, once the grout residue has created a "haze" on the tiles, use a soft dry cloth to "buff" the tiles to a polish. |
