Tiling Tips For Beginners

Take Your Tiling From Beginner To Expert With These Helpful Tips

Here are the best tips for tiling for beginners! I used to struggle with uneven grout lines and inconsistencies, here are the tips I wish I knew when I started tiling. These are all of the tools I used to create the best results for our kitchen tile backsplash and bathroom floor tiles.

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Tile Cutter

Rent a good quality tile cutter rather than buying a cheap used one. You can rent great quality tile cutters from Home Depot for $29 a day. This will make the job so much faster and the tiles will have a much cleaner edge.

Tile Leveling System

Using a tile leveling system is an absolute game-changer. Tile levelers ensure that the tiles lay nice and even with each other. I also recommend using tile leveler pliers since they can be difficult to press with your hands.

Tile Spacers

Spacers are needed to keep an even space between each of your tiles, I prefer to combine tile levelers with tile spacers to make sure everything is 100% spaced and level. This probably isn’t necessary but I’d rather do too much than too little.

Laser Level

A laser level is a great tool to keep your lines straight, I start by using it on the first row and then work my way from there. If you don’t start your tiles in a perfectly straight line, they will look crazy by the time you get to the end of your project.

Grout

Since I’m still fairly new to tiling I prefer to use a grout that is similar to the tile because it makes any imperfections much less noticeable.

If you don’t feel comfortable mixing the grout, you can purchase pre-mixed grout in a variety of colours. It’s a bit pricier than mixing it yourself but I like to use it on small projects like our kitchen tile backsplash.

Sanded VS Unsanded Grout

A floor will have different grout requirements than a kitchen backsplash so make sure you use the proper grout for your specific surface or it will crack.

Thinset Mortar

The consistency of the mortar is key, I used to mix the mortar too thin and it would fall off the trowel. The tile did not stick as well as a thick peanut butter consistency, you want to make sure that your tiles are getting an adequate amount of mortar to adhere to.

You can also purchase premixed mortar but I find it’s quite expensive since you typically need a lot more mortar than grout and it could cost you around $100 depending on how large the area is.

Angle Grinder

An angle grinder with a diamond blade can be very intimidating but it’s helpful for smaller cuts that the tile cutter can’t make. If you have to cut around any pipes or small corners then this will be your best friend. Always make sure you wear safety glasses and ear protection because they are very loud.

Grout Sealer

Some grout sealers can alter the color and sheen of your grout. I used the StoneTech Grout Sealer for my shower and floor tiles, which didn’t alter the color of the grout. I applied 2 coats of sealer with a microfibre roller and wiped it off after 15 minutes with a microfibre cloth.