DIY tiling: A beginner's guide

Tiles can undeniably bring a sleek and radiant feel to any kitchen, but what if you could lay the tiles yourself instead of hiring a professional? Assuming you do the job correctly, you could wind up saving a heap of money and still get striking results for your kitchen floor. So how can you achieve this without years of training? In a nutshell, the key is in preparing the area properly, choosing the right tiles, and then following the rules. A few invaluable tips will certainly set you off in the right direction, although, floor tiling is considerably easier than wall tiling, and, technically speaking, only an experienced professional should take on the latter job. However, if you're feeling brave, read on for the details.

Choosing the best kitchen tiles

As well as considering the aesthetic aspects of tiling (namely how tiles match up with existing or chosen colours and patterns), it's vital to consider a few practical factors. Tiles come in a variety of materials, each suiting a different purpose. Here's a basic breakdown:

• Ceramic tiles include terracotta, stone, marble and granite. Unglazed terracotta is not suitable for outdoors but creates a natural earthy look in kitchens. The other types are more expensive but hardwearing and durable once laid. Mosaic tiles are small blocks of colour used to create a pattern, most commonly for splashbacks or wall detail sections
• Porcelain Tiles come in a variety of colours and finishes, and have the strength and durability of stone

Consider the look you're going for in your kitchen and try to match a tile type accordingly.
It's worth considering the general usage of your kitchen too - "traffic" volume, wear and tear, etc, again trying to calculate which tile will prove to be the perfect match over time. Once you're confident with that decision, it's down to brass tacks (figuratively speaking).

DIY Tiling: The task

Getting down to the actual job (should you feel confident enough to tackle it yourself), there are naturally a few key steps to set you on the right track. Firstly, the surface you are going to tile needs to be prepared; clean (free of powder and damp) and level (free of bumps), whether tiling onto existing tiles or using a fresh surface.

Floor tiling

The rules for floor tiling can act as a guide for all tiling in general, but specifically you need to consider the following:

• Tiling needs to start from the middle, so that you end up with a uniform pattern to the edges. Begin by marking the middle of the room. Do this by finding the midpoint of each wall. Then draw a line in chalk from one midpoint to the midpoint on the opposite wall. Continue until the lines intersect and the middle of the room is found
• Choose your pattern and begin working from the centre to the walls, laying and checking as you go. Work on a small area at a time, perhaps a layer of four tiles, cleaning adhesive off with a damp cloth before it can dry
• Cut partial tiles to bring the edges to the walls, these may need to be small triangles
• Grout after at least 24 hours, using pre-mixed or powdered grout that you mix with water. Squeeze grout between the gaps in the tiles, cleaning the extra off with a clean flat sponge

As mentioned previously, floor tiling is generally easier to tackle than wall tiling, and the latter is best attempted by more experienced DIY'ers. However, there are a few specific rules for the ambitious.

Wall tiling

Other than adding the obvious difficulty of working on a vertical, rather than horizontal, surface, with wall tiling you also need to consider the following:

• Prepare the surface, as for floor tiling
• Mark a vertical line in chalk along the centre of the wall you'll be tiling
• Tile outwards from this line, spreading only enough adhesive for half an hour's worth of tiling. Fill in with partial tiles at the edge
• Grout, cleaning extra from between tiles with a neatly rounded stick, then polish with a soft cloth.

Naturally this makes tiling sound very easy, and if you have no experience you may want to practice on an old section of wall rather than your beautiful new kitchen.

Tiling done by a certified professional will always best guarantee quick and efficient results, but if you think DIY tiling looks like something you'd like to undertake yourself, follow these steps carefully - and don't be afraid to ask for advice from your local hardware store or bathroom supplier beforehand. With the right preparation you should be able to enjoy gleaming results in no time.