Cheshire Tiling Services

How do I prepare the surface?

Walls; Must be as level as possible

Papered; strip back to plaster.

Painted; The paint must be well fixed, and of the gloss type. Ideally strip back to plaster, but you can simply wash well with sugar soap and abrade with sandpaper before priming.

Plaster/plasterboard; The plaster must be sound, and well stuck to the wall behind. Prime with PVA bonding agent diluted 4:1, allow to dry overnight. On highly troweled surfaces sand before priming. Again do not use cement- based (powder) adhesives on plaster as in the presence of moisture the two can react with each other which will result in bond failure.

Concrete/render; As for plaster, but cement-based adhesives are suitable. The surface should be cleaned of any mold release oil by mechanical roughening or acid etching if the concrete is cast, and any laitence must be removed.

Tiled; Abrade with coarse sandpaper, prime with a waterproof primer. Obviously the existing tiles must be well fixed.

Timber; Must be reasonably rigid - 1/2" marine ply recommended. PVA bonding agent diluted 4:1 left to dry overnight

Floors; Must be as flat as possible

Concrete; Any laitence (the fine material which tends to congregate on the surface of the concrete) must be mechanically removed e.g. by a kango hammer with a toothed blade. If greasy (e.g. a garage) contact an adhesive manufacturer. Prime with PVA 4:1.

Floor boards; 12mm marine ply screwed down at 140mm centers. (1/2" at 6" in old money) Prime with a waterproof primer.

How many tiles should I buy?

As a general rule area +10% but if you buy from one of the multiples buy an extra pack as you can return it for a refund if it is left over.

There seem to be an awful lot of tiles on the market,
what should I look for?

In general you get what you pay for. Pale colored tiles with a dark biscuit (the bit behind the glaze) may let the biscuit grin through. For floors a lot of tiles aren't really tough enough for e.g. a kitchen. In that sort of environment I would use Quarry tiles or the fully vitrified type. For a bathroom most tiles are suitable but avoid shiny smooth finishes on the floor to avoid a bad fall. Mosaic tiles on a sheet of paper are another option, but for wet areas avoid the type of mosaic with the paper or cloth scrim stuck to the backs of the tesserae, as the adhesive used to do this is frequently not waterproof.

Talking of makeovers, can I paint on top of my tiles?

Yes, Clean the tiles with hot water and sugar soap until they are squeaky clean, and abrade lightly with fine wet-and-dry sandpaper. Then paint as per (e.g.) metal, with a good quality oil-based gloss on top of primer.

International Disclaimer;
The above is based on current practice in the UK, other countries have rather different products and techniques.

Disclaimer: This information is given in good faith, based upon the typical properties of these products. Different manufacturers have different specifications for their products, so, if you are in any doubt ask the manufacturer's technical department. The packaging normally also carries detailed information about how to use the product inside.