The average bathroom renovation costs around £7,000, and tiling the walls and/or floor can cost roughly 18-20% of that at an average of £1,300 for a medium-sized room.
This is all well and good if you have money to throw at the project, but if you’re trying to revamp your bathroom on a budget, that can be a big expense you can’t really afford.
The good news is if you’re prepared to learn some new skills and put the work in, tiling your bathroom yourself is not only possible, but it will give you serious bragging rights once you’re done.
Plus, you save money, of course!
So this year, why not have a go at tiling your bathroom yourself? You can find out how in our comprehensive guide below.
Plan your bathroom carefully
You need to have a good idea of how you want your bathroom to look. This will determine where the tiles go, which you choose and how many you need to fill the space.
You need to think about whether you are planning on tiling the walls, the floor or a mixture of both. The more tiles you use, the more waterproof the bathroom, though this requires more work on your part.
However, if you only partially tile the walls and/or floors, you have a chance to be more creative with other colours and materials. So think about all of this before you do anything, and make sure you have a relatively solid design in mind before you hit the shops (or the internet).
Measure up
Next, you need to measure up carefully and make a note of the dimensions. This shouldn’t take long, but it’s crucial that you get this right, as this will determine how many packs of tiles you need to buy.
The last thing you want to do is set a weekend aside to tile the bathroom only to run out midway through the day!
Do your research and buy your tiles
Once you know what you want and have your measurements, you can begin researching and shopping around to see what bathroom tiles are out there. This will also give you a chance to get a rough idea of the costs.
You might be able to go in-store to look at tiles in real life, while for others, you may have to order online. In that case, they might take slightly longer to arrive, so you should account for this extra time.
You might want to look at interesting patterns too if you want to do something a bit special with your tiling, that is. Whatever the outcome, spend some time looking around, and when you’re ready, you can order your tiles.
Prepare the space
Before you begin actually laying the tiles, you need to make sure that you’ve prepared the space properly. In order to do this, you need to ensure the surface is clean, dry and even, and this applies whether it is the floor, walls or both.
To do this, strip any leftover wallpaper away or take out any old flooring, remove any crumbling plaster and wipe down the surface. If there are any holes, smooth these over with plaster and let this dry.
Just be aware that if you have to plaster large areas, this can take a few weeks to dry completely, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time.
Get everything you need together
When the day arrives to start laying your tiles, make sure you start with everything you need. After all, you can’t do the job without the right tools. With this in mind, be sure to have the following:
- A pencil
- A tape measure
- Your chosen tiles
- A tile cutter
- Tile spacers
- A bucket
- Tile grout
- A mixing paddle
- A trowel
- A grout float
- A spirit or a laser level
- A sponge
Mark the wall
If you’re laying tiles on the floor or covering an entire wall, you won’t have to worry too much about this stage unless you’re following a pattern. However, if you’re only tiling the wall up to a certain point, be sure to measure carefully and mark the wall with a pencil before you get started.
You can use your spirit or a laser level to make sure that everything is straight before you begin attaching your tiles. This way, you can safely start from the middle of the wall and work up, down or towards the edges accordingly.
Start applying tiles
If you need to prepare your tile adhesive, make sure that you do this according to the instructions and follow these very carefully. Don’t make too much, as you don’t want this to go to waste.
As soon as you’re ready, begin by applying your adhesive either to the wall or floor ready to attach the tiles. Ideally, don’t go over an area of one square metre at a time, or the adhesive could begin to harden before you apply enough tiles to that area. As such, it’s best to work small and slower for the best results.
Spread the adhesive with your trowel or spreader and carefully place down the tiles. Use tile spacers in between each one to ensure you get the right angles and spacing. Also, be sure that you push these in far enough so that you can comfortably grout over them at the next stage.
Cut your tiles where necessary
As you begin to reach the edges of the floor or wall, you might find that you need to trim down some tiles to fit the leftover space. Before you do this, measure these carefully at least twice and mark where the tiles need to be cut.
Then, using a quality tile cutter and protective gear such as goggles and gloves, cut these to size and lay them to complete the room. You can now leave your tiles to dry.
Apply the grout
Finally, after at least 24 hours, once the adhesive is completely dry, it’s time to prepare the grout. Again, if this requires some preparation, make sure to follow the instructions very carefully for the right consistency.
You can then begin filling in the spaces between the tiles using your grout float. You should also have a bucket of water and a damp sponge with you to clean these off as you go. Once you’ve filled in all the gaps, leave your grout to dry for at least an hour and then give your tiles a final, gentle polish to finish.
Congratulations, you’ve successfully tiled your own bathroom! You should be very pleased and proud of yourself – and your bank balance will thank you too.