With the current dip in the housing market it is now more important than ever that your home stands up to even the closest inspection – especially if you’re looking to sell. Freshening up your existing décor could pay massive dividends if you put your house on the market.

Retiling your bathroom is one of the most effective ways to bring back that all important gleam as nothing puts off potential buyers like faded, grimy or chipped tiles. However, tiling requires precision and a steady hand, other wise you’ll find yourself looking at wonky décor for a few years!

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Below are the necessary steps to follow in order to install tiles successfully and bring the wow factor back to your bathroom:

Step One – Preparation

Once you have removed the old set of tiles you must carefully prepare the walls, making sure they are clean, dry and free from debris ready for the new tiles. The surface should be flat so you will need to fill in any dips or cracks that have been caused. Measure your wall surface as accurately as possible. Boxes of tiles will tell you how big an area they will cover, but make sure you buy more than you’ll need – this will allow for the inevitable breakages! Plus, it’s not a waste of money as most suppliers will give you a refund on unused boxes.

Whilst some people claim you can tile over the top of old tiles, great care must be taken not to cause a water trap spot. Professionals will usually remove old tiles even though it may involve some re-plastering as old tile fixing adhesive doesn’t come off lightly.

Step Two – Setting out the tiles

The shape and size of your bathroom ultimately decides how you go about setting out the tiles on the walls. Lay a row of tiles on the floor and place quarter-inch spacers between the tiles to define the grout lines. Using a piece of softwood, make your own measurement stick by laying it next to several tiles and mark off the position of each tile along the stick. This will help you plot the position of the tiles on the wall. Use this stick – plus of course a spirit level – to help you draw horizontal and vertical lines on the wall to which will enable you to easily position each course of tiles.

It is a good idea to fill in the centre of the wall first, leaving a one-tile thick border around the edge, which will be filled in with tiles afterwards. This keeps the amount of tiles that have to be cut to the minimum – making it easier for you!

You very rarely have a truly horizontal surface from which to start, so screw two timber battens to the wall – one vertical and one horizontal – to act as a starter for the second row from the bottom. This batten can be removed later, once the adhesive has set.

That said, even the most basic pattern of rows of tiles can take time and patience to align correctly. When you consider the more complicated patterns of diamond formations or decorative tile covings, then you really do want to keep waste to a minimum. Again, a professional bathroom company will have many years experience in different tiles and patterns and odd corners and sloping ceilings won’t faze them. They’ll have seen it all before.

Step Three – Applying the adhesive

Remember, it is important to use a waterproof adhesive for areas that will come into contact with water. Apply the adhesive to the wall, so that it covers about one metre square at a time. Then, using the teeth of your tile trowel, create horizontal ridges in the adhesive. Now you’re ready to go!

Professional bathroom installers will be able to tile larger areas much quicker than you – don’t be tempted to apply adhesive to the whole wall like they would.

Step Four – Applying the tiles

Take the first tile and position it in the right angle formed by setting out the battens at the beginning. Place the spacers between each tile and use a damp sponge to wipe away any adhesive from the surface of the tile to keep it as neat as possible. Tile along the batten until the first row is complete – ensuring each tile is level, and that it shares the same depth as the one next to it. When you are finished, allow the centre area of tiles to set before removing the battens.

Now it gets difficult! You will need to cut the tiles that are to be placed around the edges. Place the border tile face down, and with one edge next to the wall, mark where it needs to be cut – remember the spacing for grouting when doing this. Use a felt pen to mark and put a tick on the bit you wish to keep. Also, number each tile according to its size to avoid a mix-up later on! Tile cutters can be rented from hardware stores however you may want to rope someone in to help if you’ve never done it before! Slide the tile in place, draw the wheel back along the tile to score it and press the handle down to break the tile. Place masking tape on the tile and mark the cut line with a pencil. Using a saw cut the tile to a smooth finish.

Craftsmen with years of experience know every trick in the book when it comes to working around odd corners, plumbing and windows. When it comes to cutting tiles, their trade tools far out-perform home cutting solutions. While it is possible to do it yourself, you’re guaranteed to end up with less waste and sharper, cleaner lines and fit using a professional company.

Step Five – Grouting and sealing

It is essential to use waterproof grout for any bath or shower areas but make sure the adhesive has been left to harden for 24 hours before your start applying it. Using a rubber bladed spreader, ensure that all the gaps are filled – wiping away any grout from the surface of the tiles before it sets and then smooth the joints. When the grout has dried, use a dry cloth to polish the face of the tiles.

Do not, however, use grout to seal the gap between the shower tray or bathtub and wall as it will crack and lose its waterproof seal. For this, it is best to use a silicon sealant which you can buy from any good hardware store.

If you were thinking of grouting the tiling using your finger, you’ll end up with a very sore digit after just a few rows, let alone a whole bathroom. Again the professional years of experience come into their own. With regards sealants, we’ve all used one at one time or another and made a right mess into the bargain I’m sure. The seal is the bit that everyone always sees when it isn’t straight or uniformed, plus it has to be right to act as that all important waterproof barrier.

As you can see, tiling is not a simple DIY job but it can freshen up a whole room at a very reasonable price – much cheaper than remodelling your whole bath suite!

Top Tip – even if you are using plain white tiles, always ensure to take a tile from each pack in rotation. This way, you’ll lessen the chance of creating patches of one shade noticable against another due to variations in the tile manufacture, even when you’ve chosen all packets with the same batch number.

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