Everything you need to take your tiling skills from beginner to pro. Keep in mind, some items are worth renting if you only need them for a day but since we will be completing a few more tiling projects we decided to purchase these items. Shower tiling essentials you need.
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How To Tile Like A Pro
Tile Cutter
Tile cutters make the job fly by when you just have to do simple straight cuts. I recommend renting if you feel confident it will only be needed for a day or two. If you decide to purchase one, don’t cheap out as the cheap tile cutters will chip and crack the tiles easily.
Tile Saw
This tile saw is amazing for nice clean cuts around the edge of the shower and niche. You can also achieve beautiful corner cuts with this tile saw.
Tile Diamond Sander
Tile sanders are great if you need a nice clean edge, I used these after using the tile saw if it didn’t give a perfectly smooth edge.
Diamond Hole Saw Drill Bits
We used this drill bit to cut holes around the faucet and valves, it was easy to use although we decided to clamp it rather than use the sticky pads that came with it.
Tile Leveling clips
These tile levelers are an absolute game changer, they ensure that the tiles lay perfectly flush with one another.
Tile Leveling Wedges
These wedges go with the above leveling clips, luckily, you can keep the wedges and continue to use them over and over again.
Tile Leveling Pliers
These pliers will save your fingers and ensure all the wedges are secured properly. Trying to use your hands to push the wedges into place is tougher than it seems.
1/4 inch Trowel
We used a 1/4-inch trowel to apply the mortar to the tile and secure it to the wall.
Grout Float
The grout float was used to apply the grout to the shower tiles, applying it in 45-degree angles.
Laser Level
A laser level is a must-have! This kept all my lines level and square with each other, I don’t know what I would do without one.
Grout Mixer
A simple mortar and grout mixer is necessary to achieve the perfect smooth peanut butter consistency.
White Bucket
You want to make sure that you use a white bucket when mixing the grout, if you use a colored bucket it could alter the color of the grout.
Thinset Mortar
Thinset mortar is necessary for setting the tiles and also to apply the Kerdi waterproof band to the Kerdi-board. I recommend purchasing white mortar but we didn’t have the option so we used grey mortar.
Subway Tiles
We used 4×16-inch glossy white subway tiles from Home Depot. They were inexpensive as well as a tile that will last a lifetime, I don’t want to change these any time soon…
Non-sanded Grout
The non-sanded grout was used for the shower walls, it gives a nice smooth finish. I wanted a super white color to match the tile so I chose “artic white”.
I hope this helps you with your shower tiling journey to make it easier! These are all the tiling essentials that I wish I had known when I first started tiling.
