Sophie’s Cleaning Company Cover All North East Areas Including: Northumberland Newcastle Upon Tyne Durham Middlesbrough Stockton Darlington Tyneside Gateshead Chester le Street Teesside Sunderland.
Please CLICK HERE to see a full list of our cleaning services
Read what our customers say HERE
Ladies Wall Tiling Is NOT That Hard – Honestly!
It is so much easier to fix wall tiles if the walls are nice and flat. With this in mind, think about having the walls plastered before you start. It can often save time and could stop you from wanting to commit suicide when you have to keep using more and more adhesive to make the tiles lay smooth.
ALWAYS MAKE A PLAN OF WHERE YOU WILL START TO TILE AND HOW THE TILE CUTS WILL FINISH UP ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE A PATTERN.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO LAY THE TILES ON A LEVEL LINE AND MAKE SURE THE SPACES ARE EQUAL.
A good tile cutter makes the job so much easier and for those difficult intricate cuts an electric cutter is invaluable.
When you come to an external angle you can use tiling bead to round off the corner. This can also be used to cap the tiles if you are only half-tiling the walls.
When you tile over the bath it is a good idea to fill the bath with water first. This will drop the bath to its lowest point, if indeed it drops at all. Therefore, when the tiles are set and the water is drained, the bath will not get any lower and a watertight seal can be made around the bath with a silicon sealant.
When making difficult cuts, around wash basin corners for example, it is sometimes a good idea to make a paper template of the shape you need. Transfer this shape to a tile and cut or nibble it out with pincers for the perfect finish.
When grouting do not grout a larger area than you can clean before it sets. Approximately 1 square metre at a time is about right. You will soon find out. This is especially pertinent when you have to grout embossed tiles.
TIP: Never leave too much grout on the tiles as this makes for hard work when polishing the tiles off.
Replacing a broken wall tile
Mark a cross in the centre of the damaged tile using the masking tape, this will act as a guide for drilling and prevent the drill bit from slipping.
Wear safety goggles and gloves to protect you from shards of broken tile when drilling and using the chisel.
Using the electric drill with a large masonry bit, drill through the centre of the damaged tile. Make sure your drill has the hammer action disabled and is set at the lowest speed to avoid damaging the surrounding tiles.
Then working from the hole outwards, use the chisel and mallet, to remove both the tile and the existing dry adhesive until the wall is bare.
Spread the tile adhesive onto the back of the replacement tile using the spreader, then push the tile into place, making sure that it sits flush with the other tiles. Remove any surplus adhesive with a damp cloth.
Use spent matches or cardboard formers between the new and existing tiles to position the new tile correctly.
Once the adhesive has dried thoroughly, apply the grout to the gaps around the tile and wipe any excess grout from the face of the tiles with a damp sponge.
