Thread: Tiling

Don't know anything about tiling but the larger the tiles the more issues you may have if the concrete is not flat.

Hi easy to cut with a diamond blade on a 4" grinder, or a cheap box tile gutter, lay with ultaflex tile add, or powder mastic, spend a while checking all your layout options,set out with chalk line, and lay against a good long straight edge, and don't put your spacers on the flat but only one part of the cross .. And spend time wiping the grout clean as dodgy grouting will undo all your work...also if you haven't tiled before there's lots of help on "you tube". But only go to the Aussie sites as the yanks and poms do weird stuff...Gary

give your local TAFE a ring and see if they have any short courses going

That size is normally for floors, but make sure your not buying wall tiles for use on the floor.

They will chip and crack with spills and drops of cutlery, crockery, etc.

If you are handy, tiling is a relatively easy DIY skill to pick up. Starting point and view lines through the area are critical. Planning to reduce the amount of cutting is pretty important too.

Perhaps to learn you could consider hiring a qualified tiler for a day and do the labour for him/her asking lots of questions along the way. Not many tradies are happy doing this though. It is back breaking work if your not used to bending and getting up and down from the floor.

Me and my wife tiled all the floors in this house. We had never done any tiling before. The supplier was a good source of information. It is very important that the surface you are laying them on be accurately flat - if it is not, it will cause all sorts of problems.

As indicated, it is hard work!
But it is not beyond the skills of anyone with a modicum of ability with their hands.

John

Originally Posted by Ranga

Anyone know much about tiling? I'm thinking of tiling downstairs concrete on the cheap, and can get hold of a pallet of 500x500 tiles. Does this size tile have any issues? I imagine cutting tiles that size might be a challenge?

BTW, I've never tiled before, but hopefully will know someone around who can give me a hand.

I've got a tile cutter, knee pads and a trowel you can borrow

i will be watching this thread as although slightly different me and Ian are considering tiling our bathroom and we have never done it before either.

Bunning have cheap bench saw cutters, about $70- by memory from last weekends visit. Blades are about $10- and last well as long as it's kept wet and you don't force it. Larger tiles are harder to keep flat as said, you need to find any high point and work to it.