Hello,
I’m currently a bit undecided. We want to either tile the entire ground floor of our house or the bathroom on the upper floor.
The tiles to be used are as follows:
Ground floor: 100 sqm (1,080 sq ft) Cerrad Mattina in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 18 sqm (194 sq ft) floor (bathroom): Marazzi Treverklife in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 14 sqm (150 sq ft) wall (bathroom): Villeroy & Boch Unit Four floor tile in the format 60x60cm (24x24 inches)
All without any specific laying pattern.
Some have advised me against doing it myself. However, I find the cost of about 6,000–8,000€ somewhat too high.
I have never laid tiles before but I’m not under much time pressure and I am used to researching details thoroughly. I am also willing to accept higher material usage since I would save a lot of money that way.
What do you think? Is it possible to manage something like this with the help of YouTube, forums, and similar resources?
I’m currently a bit undecided. We want to either tile the entire ground floor of our house or the bathroom on the upper floor.
The tiles to be used are as follows:
Ground floor: 100 sqm (1,080 sq ft) Cerrad Mattina in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 18 sqm (194 sq ft) floor (bathroom): Marazzi Treverklife in the format 120x20cm (47x8 inches)
Upper floor: 14 sqm (150 sq ft) wall (bathroom): Villeroy & Boch Unit Four floor tile in the format 60x60cm (24x24 inches)
All without any specific laying pattern.
Some have advised me against doing it myself. However, I find the cost of about 6,000–8,000€ somewhat too high.
I have never laid tiles before but I’m not under much time pressure and I am used to researching details thoroughly. I am also willing to accept higher material usage since I would save a lot of money that way.
What do you think? Is it possible to manage something like this with the help of YouTube, forums, and similar resources?
Domski schrieb:
Hello @ypg, with correct tooth size and sufficiently stiff mortar, there shouldn’t be much swelling. And for aligning straight, there are line lasers (can be borrowed) and a straightedge.Yes, I could have posted such clever remarks here too. After all, I know how it’s done.
But personally, after 19 years, they don’t help me at all... I didn’t have YouTube back then, but I had plenty of technical books from the library and a colleague who was a tile setter—I grilled him with questions—he gave me small tips. And if I had telephoned back then, the advice would have been as tough as the mortar that didn’t turn out as expected.
That’s why simply dismissing the small issues, such as:
hstkai schrieb:
And if there’s a bit too much adhesive in the joint, just scrape it out with a cutter knifedoesn’t really help the original poster. Scraping it out over 50 m² (about 540 sq ft) or more is not enjoyable... after one square meter (about 10.8 sq ft) with 30cm x 30cm (12 inches x 12 inches) tiles, you already have over 7 meters (23 feet) of joints to scrape, and multiplying that by 50 m², you can easily imagine when you’ll start to swear and consider paying someone $5000 to do the job instead.
The laundry room is now fully tiled, and we cursed quite a few times during the process. It’s a 50m² (540 sq ft) area, including a floor-to-ceiling shower and a half-height tiled toilet area. The 30x30cm (12x12 inch) tiles were by far the easiest to install – almost a dream. The 60x30cm (24x12 inch) tiles were less enjoyable, but the worst were definitely the mosaic tiles because of the floor drains. For me personally, laying the tiles wasn’t that bad, especially when working with a partner – one person lays the tiles while the other cuts them.
The real pain, in my opinion, was grouting and the final cleaning. It was particularly tough with the mosaic tiles; it felt like a punishment. Fortunately, we had a good supply of cleaning sponges BEFORE we started. Afterwards, not so much ^^
By the way, I mostly removed the remaining adhesive from the tiles using a wooden wedge.
The real pain, in my opinion, was grouting and the final cleaning. It was particularly tough with the mosaic tiles; it felt like a punishment. Fortunately, we had a good supply of cleaning sponges BEFORE we started. Afterwards, not so much ^^
By the way, I mostly removed the remaining adhesive from the tiles using a wooden wedge.
Fummelbrett schrieb:
Luckily, we had a stock of plaster sponges BEFOREHAND. After that, not so much anymore ^^ Good to know. Looks like I’ll have to pick up some more as well.
Fummelbrett schrieb:
The worst part, in my opinion, is grouting plus the final cleaning. Especially with mosaic tiles, that was really a tough job. Luckily, we had a stock of cleaning sponges beforehand. After that, not so much anymore ^^I feel the same way. Laying tiles, especially when there’s little need for electric cutting (cutting out corners, holes for fittings), can even be fun. But grouting and especially the cleaning are definitely not enjoyable—especially on walls.
Let me quote myself...
dertill schrieb:
When wiping off, use a sponge float and fresh water frequently, but not too much.A sponge float with an appropriate bucket and a squeegee significantly speeds up the process and reduces the need for small sponges. For the final finish, though, you still end up using plenty of wipes like paper towels or similar—something thick and absorbent.
Ok, we’re done tiling the workshop. My husband laid all the tiles himself. It’s not perfect here and there, but that doesn’t matter.
The secret trick for cleaning grout: First, wipe the fresh grout with a sponge board using pressure to remove the coarse dirt and even out the grout. Then rinse it out and gently drag the sponge board over the same area without pressure, keeping it straight and without lifting it.
The secret trick for cleaning grout: First, wipe the fresh grout with a sponge board using pressure to remove the coarse dirt and even out the grout. Then rinse it out and gently drag the sponge board over the same area without pressure, keeping it straight and without lifting it.