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It’s Autumn and many of us are preparing our homes before the colder weather hits by clearing out unwanted items and renovating our homes. Choosing new floor tiles or wall tiles for your renovation can take some time and consideration. It’s important to choose carefully as you could be living with the tile choice for many years to come.
Careful planning is key to completing a home renovation that you’ll love. With that in mind, it’s important to consider these factors when
choosing tiles for your home:
Choosing the Right Tiler
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is using someone that is inexperienced. When choosing the right tiler for your project it’s best to have someone that is recommended by others and has had plenty of experience rather than an individual that is passing themselves off as a handyman on gumtree. Sites like mybuilder.com will help you find the right person for the job. It’s easy to use, simply post your job and wait for responses. You can vet those that respond by seeing reviews from others that have used them on the site.
Where are you Tiling?
This will influence the type of tile you will want to use. We all know different tiles are suited to different purposes. The tiles you’ll choose for a splash-back, border or feature wall will be very different to those that would suit an all-over project. It’s important to know what type of effect you want to create. The key is to know what you want and I find pinterest great for inspiration.
Choosing the Right Colour
Choosing the right colour scheme is a must. It’s important to coordinate this with wall and floor tiles. But many people forget that your tiles should complement the whole room and its features unless you are working with a blank canvas. If the space you’re working with features an organic mixture of colours and styles,
neutrals are a safe bet. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean sticking to greys and beiges. You’ll find that any muted colour with a grey undertone can add colour to a space. Dusty roses, mauves and duck-egg blues are ideal for this whereas darker colours add atmosphere to a room.
Sizing Tiles
The size of a tile will vary depending on what you are looking to achieve. Want to make a room appear larger? Try using large tiles, the bigger the better. Large tiles can make a room look really impressive. You could also consider using a matching grout to create a seamless effect. Prefer to make the tiles stand out then try using a smaller tile with a contrasting grout. It’s amazing the difference a well thought out and professionally tiled room can make.
Running out of Tiles
Ha, you’d never think of this would you, but, I’m going to admit this has happened to hubby a couple of times over the years. Not helpful when you’ve got someone in to tile for you now is it! Remembering to allow for waste from damaged or broken tiles and avoid only allowing the exact number for the space you are tiling. Allowing for an extra few tiles is far better than having to rearrange for a return visit from a tiler and the time taken to wait for extra to be delivered. Tile sites will often have an online tile calculator helps to prevent this by calculating the exact number of tiles you’ll need with an extra 10% for any waste.
Unprepared Surfaces
Before any area is tiled it’s important to ensure it is properly prepared. Remove wallpaper, flaking paint and existing tiles as well as any nails, hooks or screws. The surface should be clean and smooth with no dust or dirt.
Uneven Tiles
A relative once decided to retile around their bath. They were extremely proud of themselves so when I went to take a look I must admit I was a little surprised. It was clear they hadn’t used a spacing tool and this made the tiles appear uneven. By using a spacing tool they would have created a professional look and prevented tiles from twisting on application.
Take Care Grouting
You can tell if grout has been applied evenly and slowly using a suitable support tool. If you try to rush the job and grout
too large an area too quickly, the grout will dry unevenly and will cause an overall patchy effect. It’s important to remove any excess grout to guarantee a seamless finish.
These tips should help you avoid the most common tiling mistakes and ensure your tiling projects look great.
What tips do you think are most important when tiling a room?
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I didn’t realise there was so much to consider when it comes to tiles! Renovating can be so stressful so it is important to get everything right
It is important to do it right the first time. I know a few people that tried their hand at these things themselves and really regretted it after.
We’re in a very fortunate position because as my boyfriend is an electrician who can also do a lot of other handy and DIY bits, he knows people who can do all manner of things so we’d know we’re getting the right person x
That’s great. There are so many rouge builders out there you need to be careful.
I’m useless with DIY so I’m glad I stumbled across your post, never know when it might come in handy for me.
Hi Kacie. Glad you found this interesting. I hope it and some of my other posts will be helpful to you in the future.
I hate anything to do with DIY but we have so much to do in this house! Thanks for the advice. x
It can be super easy if you can find a good tiler. The site I suggested will help you do just that x
The process of tiling looks really tedious but the finished result looks nice, must be really proud of the result! Must be stressful when you run out of tiles x`
Ha, yes. We’ve been there a few time over the years. The large tiles looked amazing once they were laid.
I had a go at tiling once, when the bathroom in the house we bought was only half-tiled above the bath. Let’s just say I won’t make that mistake again! It was alright if you went into the bathroom without your glasses on
Oh dear. I’d probably do the same if I was doing it myself which is why we always get professionals in. Saves on having to look at wonky tiles.
We have had to retile my parents bathroom ourselves as the builder we hired didn’t do a great job. Thanks for these useful tips.
Oh no, that’s awful. It is important to check their previous work before hiring them.
I love how tiles have become more popular in recent years. I can’t wait to have my own house and start designing things how I want them.
They can really add a sense of luxury to a room. Both my husband and I love tiles.
We’ve been putting off some tiling in the bathroom and the kitchen for a while now, less than 3 months of the year to go, so we must get on!
Glad I don’t have to tile right now!
I think you’re right about picking an experienced tiler for a good job. Have had a bad experience with a rubbish tiler and it wasn’t a saving in the long run!!!
Interesting post. For me I have rye most important of all you cant buy. Ex is a joiner. My 2nd husband is a joiner and so is my 2nd son.
Joiners have to have cross trade knowledge because things like fitting a kitchen include plumbing, tiling and so on.
I am lucky in that sense as I dont have to worry about getting the trades tradesperson
These tips are so useful I would still find it daunting to tackle without using someone who ( hopefully) knew what they were doing
There are so many fabulous tiles available now that it’s good to have some guidance on selecting the right ones. My extremely small bathroom is due to be refurbished next year so I will look at large tiles which I have never considered before. Thanks for the tips.
i had no idea tiling was so complicated but wow thanks for the tips
I personally think that it’s very easy to get carried away when looking at the wide variety of tiles on offer and that’s fine if you don’t mind changing your tiles every couple of years and also have the money to do so, but if, like me, you’re on a tight budget and want your tiles to last, it’s better to go for good quality, neutral tiles and then use your accessories to add colour and vibrance…just my opinion.
I am so lucky that my partner is good at DIY because I am useless! Love how the end result looks when you do something yourself
Some really handy tips in here, thanks very much!
Getting a good tiler is so important as is getting the best quality tiles you can afford
Great tips. A friend is currently trying to decide whether to get tiles or the new waterproof panels in her new bathroom. She likes the idea of no grout to clean but I reckon tiles would last a lot longer.
It depends on what she wants to spend and the look she is going for. I’d personally prefer tiles 🙂
DIY is my weak spot but reading this is really going to help me
I love a tiled bathroom or kitchen maybe one day I’ll get mine done
Don’t mention it – our landlord was tiling half our bathroom in preparation for the shower – one of the two workmen made a right mess of the tiling and his colleague had to come back and sort it all out.