Tiling your floor could be an attractive option if you’re looking for something that will endure a long time and won’t detract from the overall look of your home. The end product is well worth the time and money it may take to get there. You can save money by laying the tile flooring yourself, or you can pay a professional tiler to do it.
Most individuals estimate that tiling a 40-square-foot area will take between 10 and 16 hours. Each project will require an hour of preparation, an hour of layout, and three to four hours of grouting and cleaning. It’s important to wait at least 24 to 48 hours before grouting after installation.
This article compares the typical time required for a professional tiler to finish a job with that of a novice. I’ll also discuss the challenges of tiling a bathroom and the time commitment involved, as well as the differences between tiling a wall and a floor.
When tiling a room, how long should I allow?
We need to talk about the big question. You want to know how long it will take to tile a room.
Regrettably, there is no easy answer to that issue because it depends on so many variables. Consider the space available, the quality and type of material, and your own level of expertise. Tile flooring in a standard 40 square foot room may be laid by a novice in around 16 hours, according to experts. If you have the necessary experience and skills to complete the installation, it should take no more than 12 hours. Highly skilled experts have proven they can finish the job in less than 10 hours.
Planning the layout of your design ahead of time might help you install it more quickly. If you have a concept of what you want but aren’t sure of the specifics, going to a professional can speed up the process. However, if you’re confused, your flooring contractors will be able to help.
Tiling a Bathroom
Two or three days are needed to tile a bathroom floor (approximately six to eight hours). You should expect it to take more time if your bathroom is larger. A tile floor’s cure time is between 24 and 48 hours. If you walk on the tiles too quickly, they may shift and begin tenting, and your floor will become uneven. You should give the tiles enough time to dry before walking on them.
The size and complexity of your bathroom floor will impact how challenging it is to clean. Tiling a compact bathroom can be done in a day or two. However, tiling a 100-square-foot master bathroom can require many days of dedicated effort. Hiring a professional should be considered if the task is too difficult. Check the condition of the subfloor to ensure it is stable before tiling. If not, the floor could crack and become uneven.
A subfloor is the base of your floor that is beneath the tiles. You can walk on it and the tiles won’t crack under your feet. Most subfloors are made of plywood. One common exception is concrete slab flooring, which does not need subflooring.
If your current floor is damaged or uneven, you may need to repair the subfloor underneath it. The subfloor could rot if it gets soaked. Another indicator that your subfloor needs to be changed is if it has a musty, damp smell. You should fix this before you start tiling. It’s possible that you’ll need to engage a professional to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Should You Take the Toilet Out Before Tiling the Floor?
Although it may be challenging, removing the toilet prior to tiling the floor will make the flooring project much more feasible, especially if a plumber is hired to do the job.
This is because many toilet base designs are out of the ordinary, with circular edges and curves. Cutting flooring around these obstacles is difficult for even the most skilled installation.
As soon as the toilet is out of the way, you can lift the tile up to the flange and place it there. If you do this before reinstalling the toilet, the base will lay firmly on the new floor and hide any rough spots around the flange.
Differences Between Wall and Floor Tiling
The walls or the floor can be tiled first, but most people agree that if you’re tiling both in the same room, the walls come first because of the extra space they provide. Since you won’t be walking as much on the floor tiles after they’ve been installed, they’ll stay cleaner. Tile the floor first, then tile the walls up to the row you want to leave untiled.
However, it really comes down to individual taste. The main benefit of tiling the floor before the walls is hiding the grout lines where the floor tiles meet the walls.
It is important to leave an expansion gap between the tiled floor and the walls while installing ceramic tile. If you want to tile your floor and walls, the Tile Council of Ireland suggests giving yourself a quarter-inch buffer zone. Since tile grout is stiff, it will not fill up this space. Instead, fill it with a flexible substance that can absorb the inevitable shifting of walls and floors. Caulk is ideal for this situation.
Installing Wall Tiles
Keep in mind that the tiles on the walls will always draw more attention than the tiles on the floor. You can even lose floor tiles if you put something heavy on top of them, such a table, desk, or carpet. Tile, however, is never absent from a wall.
- To double-check your previous datum point, you can attach a baton horizontally to the area you noted.
- Apply glue evenly to a vertical datum point in the centre of the wall, and then lay the first tile there. (The centre is typically the ideal place to begin tiling.)
- To ensure that the tiles are evenly spaced, use tile spacers to work your way along the wall. Moving upward, cut down any tiles that are too large.
- Once the top row is secure, you can take the baton away and begin working on the bottom row.
- It is recommended to install an edging strip under the final tile of the first row and then tile over it, working your way up the wall to hide the raw edge.
- Once the adhesive has dried, you can remove the spacers and any excess adhesive.
- Make the grout fill the spaces between the tiles by working it in with a grout float. It’s important to only grout as much as you can before it hardens then wash it off. Just after you’re done filling in the joints, give the grout enough time to cure so that washing it off leaves a smooth surface and doesn’t lose any of the grout.
- After waiting for the grout between the tiles to dry, wipe away any excess grout with a damp sponge. A clean, dry cloth will provide the highest shine if used a few hours later.
- If you need to make a connection somewhere damp, follow the manufacturer’s advice and use high-quality silicon.
If the tiles are in a bathroom, you can run a bath or shower to expose them to moisture after the grout has cured.
Flooring Tiling Instructions
It is recommended to start tiling from the middle of the room and work your way to the walls. The first step in tiling a room is drawing a layout line, or guideline, to distribute the tiles evenly throughout the floor. Measure the length of all four walls in the room to locate the centre.
- Make sure the ground is firm and does not give when you step on it. Cement backer board with a thickness of 6 mm should be adhered to timber subfloors using tile adhesive, screws, or decoupling matting. Then, stick your tiles down with some flexible adhesive.
- Set the starting point and determine the layout of the tiles. In a square room, that would be its geographic centre as opposed to one of its four corners.
- Use the guide you made to lay the first row of tiles perfectly straight, and then work your way out to the room’s perimeter, spreading glue and tucking tiles into place. Be sure to completely seal off the area beneath the tiles, as this is where cracking is most likely to occur. The use of a membrane designed to prevent fractures could possibly be of use in this regard.
- Spacers and waiting till the adhesive is dry will guarantee that the tiles are evenly separated. When working with larger tiles, especially those with a glossy finish, it is beneficial to use a lash clip system to keep the tiles evenly spaced and at a consistent height.
- Grout the tiles when they have cured as instructed in the section on wall tiles.
- After installation, natural stone and some porcelain tiles should be sealed. Learn about tile maintenance from the experts at the shop by following the manufacturer’s recommendations for sealing and cleaning.
Conclusion
Depending on the room’s dimensions, the tile being used, and the tiler’s proficiency, tiling a standard-sized room can take anywhere from 10 to 16 hours. Tiling the area surrounding a bathroom fixture like a shower, bathtub, or toilet, however, might take significantly longer. It is important to wait at least 24 hours before walking on the tiles once they have been installed.
When tiling a floor, it is best to begin in the centre and work outward from there. Because the floor tiles will get dirty while you tile the wall, and you’ll have to wait for the floor tiles to dry before you can get started on the wall tiles, it’s best to tile the wall first.
