Learning how to tile

[marcop2487]

Hey folks, I'm building my house in a few months and want to learn how to tile the less visible areas upstairs..... I'll let the pros handle the downstairs job since I dont want to waste money and material.

Is there anywhere/person which teaches people how to install tiles? I've been watching youtube videos and reading a comprehensive book but would like to hands on tutorials.

[MG Man]

it's not rocket science....key is prep...make sure your decking is nice and flat, no high spots etc
invest in a quality tile cutter, good drill for mixing thinset etc
Youtube is good enough to get you started

[adnj]

Isn't there a UWI Open Campus course on tiling? It you want hands-on experience, you can try tiling a tabletop instead of a room.

[88sins]

Hey folks, I'm building my house in a few months and want to learn how to tile the less visible areas upstairs..... I'll let the pros handle the downstairs job since I dont want to waste money and material.

Is there anywhere/person which teaches people how to install tiles? I've been watching youtube videos and reading a comprehensive book but would like to hands on tutorials.

boi, I go say this much
it have some so-called professional tile men, by the time they done you fraid for your life to walk on then tiles, cuz every step you make is potential for tile to crack under your feet.
Like MG Man said, take your time & you could do it yourself. Start in the middle of the floor for even ends at the walls, apply thinset evenly on the floor/tile, make sure to tap out any air pockets, and take your time with it. A good drill, an angle grinder & tile disk, & a multi angle ruler is all you need to get started.

[88sins]

& if you want to be a stickler with it, a small spirit level.

[adnj]

As MGman said earlier...

You really need a good tile cutter or a wet saw table.

I have seen many good tilesetters' work in Trinidad. You do tend to get what you pay for.

[stev]

never start from the corner of a room......start in the middle and establish a straight pattern....then work your way to the ends of the room....not all walls tend to give u a straight line.

[redmanjp]

is there a special way to tile the shower area in the bathroom so that it won't leak? some tiles at the side are starting to unstick from the wall but we might do over the whole thing including at the bottom.

[MG Man]

is there a special way to tile the shower area in the bathroom so that it won't leak? some tiles at the side are starting to unstick from the wall but we might do over the whole thing including at the bottom.

that's just poor workmanship

[marcop2487]

Thanks for the advice guys. It's about time I learn a trade for DIY projects at home.

[MG Man]

yeah man, go brave...most of that stuff is down to proper prep-work and just taking your time
'measure twice, cut once'
I taught myself to lay bricks and plaster walls because I got fed up of bad work and wasting of material. It baffles me how tradesmen can't plaster a wall smooth
Tip for tiling, try using a mechanic creeper to save your back...just lie and roll
Cheap foam knee pads are good too...

[pugboy]

make sure the surface is good, not dusty and loose plastering sand

tile size helps, 8-12" gives good coverage and easy to tap level,
bigger is a little harder to tap level, smaller is headache as plenty tiles
I once tiled a shower with old school 6" tiles, never again

Good tilemen have plenty patience, they check levels and lines
and not afraid to pullup a tile and do over

Tiling is backbreaking work if you not make out for it and a taller person
better to have a helper to have the thinset ready, handing you the tiles etc
because the constant getting up and down takes a toll

also know how to calculate if to start with a full tile or half of a remainder
so you dont end up with a sliver on one end

[maj. tom]

This is important. Pay attention. Watch it several times. Plenty men doing tiles and don't know these things.

NTCA approved, correct trowel techniques.

[pugboy]

Good info

[marcop2487]

Thank you

[teems1]

Thanks for the advice guys. It's about time I learn a trade for DIY projects at home.

Honestly it's better to pay someone.

Throwing out your back isn't worth it to save a couple grand.

[stev]

OP invest in a good back brace....as teems said...yuh go murder your back if u not accustomed. lol

[88sins]

Thanks for the advice guys. It's about time I learn a trade for DIY projects at home.

Honestly it's better to pay someone.

Throwing out your back isn't worth it to save a couple grand.

like u a member of d bad back crew owa. doh worry, i in da squad too, but I still do all my own tile work & it have ways to reduce the risk of back pain. get a helper to pass tile & thinset, position your work pieces close by before you go down to set them, get a low dolly & lie flat on it, etc
maybe not worth it for you. But two things to remember

A man that can do his own work feels a sense of pride in knowing for a fact that he did a good job the right way, in addition to saving himself several thousand dollars in labor costs (that he may or may not have readily available btw)

A man that can do his own work & knows what the right way is will always know when the person he gave a job to does kaka, & will be able to offset the cost of bad workmanship by not paying for it, as opposed to paying for crap labor that will have to be redone in a short space of time, thus costing additional labor and material.

[marcop2487]

Lol.... I'm not going to do the entire house. Just 2 or 3 smaller rooms at most. My wife already banned me from tiling any floor space downstairs when the superstructure is done.

I'm just considering to learn tiling/masonry as a hobby in order to do small jobs DIY around the house.