How to lay out floor tiles in the bathroom. Laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom and toilet: the nuances and rules of cladding

In this article, we will describe in detail how to lay tiles on the floor. However, doing it with your own hands is much easier than the master tilers imagine. Of course, a specialist will cope with this work several times faster, but is there really a need to rush here?

In this article, we will consider all the nuances, from how the floor surface is prepared and the screed is made, to the direct laying of tiles and grouting.

The quality of your masonry will be at a competitive level if you follow some simple rules. And most importantly, you will not only save money, but also get the most valuable skill for FREE! See photos and video materials for clarity. As you know, first they lay tiles on the floor, and only then on the walls.

Leveling floors with tile adhesive costs 3-4 times more than using a self-leveling screed. And if the price criterion is not so significant for you, then remember the following rule: laying tiles on a high-quality base reduces the labor intensity of work by 90%! And if you are not a professional, then this is very important. Therefore, take the time to prepare the floors.

For this you will need:

• Dry mix + primer (preferably from the same manufacturer).
• Needle roller.
• Solution container.
• Drill with a nozzle (as in the photo).

The screed is also done without problems on old wooden floors, so this option should not be discarded either.

We completely clean the floor from old tiles, debris and dirt

The flow rate of the self-leveling floor mixture and the maximum thickness, the manufacturer indicates on the packaging. But on average, with a screed thickness of 1 cm, 15 kg / m 2 will be required. In a small room, such as a bathtub, differences of more than 1 cm are rare. But still, take the mixture with a margin of 20%.

For example, if the area of ​​​​the bathroom is 4 m 2, then (15 x 4) x 1.2 = 72 kg of dry mix (3 bags of 25 kg each) will be required for alignment. But the price of the mixture is quite democratic, so here you can not be afraid of high costs.

The primer increases adhesion and reduces the consumption of screed material under the tile.

If drying time is critical for you, then purchase a quick-drying mixture. It seizes throughout the thickness during the day.

The filling process captivates with its simplicity:

Now it remains to wait for drying. In the case of using a quick-drying mixture, laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom can be started in a day.

In a wooden house, the process is almost the same; before laying tiles on the floor, you need to make a screed.

Watch the video on how the floor screed is made:

Materials and tools

For work you will need:

• Ceramic tile
• Adhesive composition
• crosses
• Solution container
• Drill with nozzle
• Notched trowel (photo)
• Master OK
• Kiyanka
• Laser level
• measuring corner
• Tile cutter (or grinder with cutting disc + goggles)

A few tips for choosing:

• Glue must be purchased exactly the one recommended by the tile manufacturer. How to find out? - On the packaging of tiles. If there are no such recommendations, buy according to reviews or advice from sales consultants.
• The thickness of the crosses directly depends on the quality of the tile. If the tile is cheap, then its dimensions may deviate from the declared ones by 1-2 mm. To hide these defects, it is required to use thicker crosses. Otherwise, you will not be able to achieve straight seams.
• Laser Level (LL) is preferable to the rule. But only if the LU gives two beams, horizontal and vertical.
• If you use a grinder, then get a cutting disc that has radial slots.
• Which tile to choose? - Ceramic is ideal for the floor, although sometimes you can also find tiles on the floor in the bathrooms.

Before starting work, you need to decide how to lay the tiles on the floor. There are three types of layout methods:

1. Straight
2. Diagonal
3. Art

The first method is the simplest and least wasteful. With this installation, 4-6% of scraps remain. The second option is more time consuming and costly. Even an experienced craftsman wastes at least 15-17% of the material, which accordingly affects the price of repairs. The artistic look of the installation requires remarkable experience and an increase in the number of bathroom floor tiles by 35-40%.

Which method to use is up to you, but obviously for the first time, the direct styling method is the most optimal and easiest.

Laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom

Laying tiles on the floor must begin from the most noticeable corner, along a long wall. Since there will still be trimmings, the correct start will allow them to “hide”. First, mark at both ends of the wall a distance equal to the width of the tile. Install and fix the laser level on one side so that the vertical beam marks the border of the first row of tiles.

If it was planned to install a warm floor with your own hands, then this should be done just at this moment.

Dilute the tile adhesive according to the instructions. into container pour water first, and only then pour the required amount of dry mixture.

TIP: do not dilute the glue too much, it seizes quickly enough.

Dial the required amount of glue with a trowel and apply it to the floor surface as shown in the video. Then, using a notched trowel, level it with soft and undulating movements. Using a notched trowel allows you to lay the flooring evenly and avoid the formation of voids under the tiles.

The thickness of the adhesive must not exceed the thickness of the tile. Laying out the tiles in this way will be the easiest.

Then glue the first tile. Make sure that its edge is in line with the laser beam. To check if the laying is horizontal, apply a measuring corner to each corner of the tile. The horizontal laser beam should indicate the same height on the scale. The rule will not be able to give an objective assessment if the tile has even a slightly wavy (bumpy) surface. This is only possible with a spark: laser level + corner.

Similarly to the first, stick the second tile. But before checking for horizontality, insert crosses at the rate of 2 pieces per side (see photo).

IMPORTANT: CHECK EVERY PLATED TILE FOR HORIZONTALITY!

The last tile of each row needs to be customized. Measure the size with a ruler, subtract the thickness of the crosses from the obtained value and draw a cut line on the tile. Draw a line with a thin marker or felt-tip pen. When working with a grinder, be sure to wear safety glasses. Place the cutting tile on a piece of plywood or chipboard. The prepared tile must be laid so that the cut edge adjoins the wall.

After laying out the first row, set the laser level and proceed to the next. By changing the position of the laser level, with a high probability you will change the height of the projection of the horizontal beam. You shouldn't be embarrassed by this. The main thing is that the distance from each corner, each tile to the laser beam is the same. The sequence of actions is the same as with the first row, but only the crosses will need to be inserted from three sides.

The last row will be the most time consuming, because before laying it, it is almost always necessary to cut each tile. Measure and cut each tile after laying the previous one.

After finishing the last row, let the shutter speed to set the adhesive composition. How long does tile adhesive take to dry? - Usually in a day you can start grouting.

Finishing work

For grouting you will need:

• Two-component cement grout
• Capacity
• rubber spatula
• Clean cloth (preferably microfiber)

Please note that in the bathroom, it is best to use just such a mixture. In addition to cement, its composition includes a latex-based plasticizer, which gives it the following properties:

1. She is not afraid of water.
2. Resistance to action of household chemicals.
3. Has an antifungal effect
4. Indifference to temperature changes

In matters of choosing the color of the grout, you will have to decide based on your own preferences. But keep in mind that a pronounced contrast between grout and tile will clearly highlight possible defects.

Before starting work on, you must remove all the crosses. Dilute the grout following the manufacturer's step-by-step instructions. In some cases, the mixture should stand for 5-7 minutes, then you can get to work.

Scoop some grout onto a rubber spatula and run it along the seam around one tile. The seam must be completely filled, flush. Then, with a clean napkin, it is necessary to remove stains from the tile and excess mixture from the seam itself. This operation must be carried out very carefully, because after drying, such a procedure will require an order of magnitude more effort and money.

Once you're done with one tile, move on to the next. The work itself is very simple, but do not try to immediately seal the seam for the entire length of the room. This is fraught with a decrease in quality.

After grouting all the seams, allow time for curing. Usually, complete drying occurs during the day, but you can use the bath for its intended purpose after 3-4 hours.

If desired, at the end of all work, you can install skirting boards. This is not always done in bathrooms, but if you wish, you should pay attention to the fact that you need to use special tile drills.

All work, together with technological breaks, takes two days. The hardest part is laying tiles on the floor. After numerous observations, we can say that an ordinary person, who for the first time started laying ceramic tiles in the bathroom on his own, does it at a speed of 1 m 2 in an hour and a half. For a long time? Not! Fun and free!



Currently, the most practical type of bathroom flooring is ceramic tile. It is easy to look after such floor, it continues to look very good for a long time. After appropriate preparation, ceramic tiles can be laid on almost any substrate. And today, continuing the series of articles on our website, we will talk about how tiles are laid on the floor.

All operations will be done in the following sequence:

1. We prepare the surface.
2. We decide on the design of the floor and choose ceramic tiles.
3. We are planning to install floor tiles.
4. We do installation.
5. We sew the seams.

We prepare the surface

Since we are doing do-it-yourself repairs in the bathroom, it is initially assumed that we already have some kind of floor. We need to bring this floor to the proper form.

And the first stage when preparing the surface, it will be necessary to determine how well this floor is laid. In my case, there was a classic option for bathrooms of the Soviet period, the floor was lined with “brown boar” - the most common floor finish of those times. Basically, since the tile was laid on the cement mortar, it holds very poorly and is laid very crookedly.

We arm ourselves with a chisel, a hammer, a sledgehammer and goggles - we remove all the old tiles. This is not a very difficult matter, the main difficulty is knocking down the cement plinth around the perimeter of the bathroom and making the surface flat.

Second stage it is necessary to determine how horizontal the surface we have turned out.

To do this, at a convenient height on the wall, we put a horizontal mark. (I, since I tiled the bathroom completely, combined this procedure with marking the horizontal rows of tiles on the walls). Using the hydraulic level, we transfer the height of this mark to all 4 walls of the room in such a way as to draw a solid horizon line on the wall along the entire perimeter of the room. We measure the distance from this line to our floor. Ideally, the distances on all 4 walls should be equal, which means that the floor is horizontal and nothing needs to be done.

In my case, when checking the floor for horizontalness, a height difference of 1.5-2 cm was found, although the size of the bathroom is very small 1.45 m. wide and 2.2 m long. For such a small room, I think this is a big difference. Moreover, the highest level was in the opposite corner diagonally relative to the lowest. All this needed to be corrected.

At the highest point, we retreat from the floor a distance equal to the thickness of the floor tile plus the thickness of the seam. This is approximately 1 cm in total;

We put a horizontal mark on the wall;

We measure the distance from our mark to the horizon line, which we drew earlier;

We transfer this distance from the horizon along the entire perimeter of the room;

Draw our new floor horizon, this will be the finished height of our new floor.

If in your case, the height difference is significant (more than 2 cm, excluding the thickness of the tile), it will be necessary to first level the surface. This is done using a special leveler for the floor - or, if the difference is very large, using a cement screed with beacons.

In my case, the difference was not very large, and I decided to remove it by changing the thickness of the adhesive layer under the tile.

Third stage final surface preparation. It must be well cleaned, any flaking elements, grease and oil stains must be removed, and dust must be vacuumed out. Porous surfaces should preferably be primed.

We decide on the design of the floor and choose ceramic tiles in the bathroom

There are many ways to lay tiles on the floor. It all depends on your room, its size, lighting, furniture arrangement, plumbing fixtures and much more. You can lay the tiles in the classic way "seam to seam" with clear rows in the longitudinal and transverse directions parallel to the walls.

They use the method of laying tiles in a run-up, for example, only longitudinal seams coincide, and transverse ones come with an offset.

You can apply the diagonal laying method, i.e. seams in the longitudinal and transverse direction will be parallel to the diagonals of the room.

Having a large room, it would be advisable to lay out some kind of drawing on the floor. This will decorate the floor very well and will bring a certain unique zest.

At the same stage, you need to think about what size tiles you want to see. If the bathroom is not very large, it would be advisable to choose a small size tile.

A catalog of goods from a trusted online store will help with the choice, for example: http://nashaplitka.com.ua/catalog/plitka/

If there is a desire to save on the cost of materials, then it is necessary to correlate the size of the tile and the size of the room. For example, with a room width of 3 meters and a length of 3 meters, it would be more appropriate to choose a tile with a size of 30 cm * 30 cm. When laying it, there will be no waste at all, all tiles will be intact, and accordingly the floor will look very impressive. And vice versa, if you choose a tile 33 cm * 33 cm, then there will be a lot of trimming, and accordingly there will be a lot of waste.

We are planning to install tiles

We bought a tile, we proceed to the laying process itself. Most tiles produced are square, or at least 90˚ rectangles. Most rooms, however, are far from square in shape. Most walls have deviations, both from the straightness of the walls and from verticality, internal angles are very rarely 90˚. And there can be many such construction flaws. This does not mean that your house was built badly, it is quite normal.

It is necessary to mark the laying of tiles so that:

In the most prominent place (for example, at the entrance to the room or the place where the eye immediately falls), the tile lay parallel to the wall and was not cut;

Regardless of the position of the walls (walls can also form an irregular rhombus), the laid tile formed a regular square (or rectangle);

The tile was cut in the most inconspicuous place (for example, under the bathroom);

After laying the main surface at the junction of the floor to the walls, narrow strips for insertion were not obtained, because. cutting a very narrow strip from a tile is problematic. It is better to slightly shift the entire pattern to another wall.

Based on these principles, in my bathroom, I first laid out one row along and one row across the room. I oriented the rows into the correct rectangle relative to the wall with the entrance. The goal was: at the entrance to put a whole tile at the level of the floor of the entire apartment, trim to the right of the entrance (under the bathroom) and place whole (uncut) tiles to the left of the entrance.

For the correct orientation of the rows in the longitudinal direction, we measure the distance from the wall to our row at the beginning of the row and at the end. Distances must be equal. If necessary, we slightly adjust the row using its offset. We achieve parallelism of the row to the wall.

We draw the position of the longitudinal and transverse row and remove the tiles.

This completes the preparatory phase. We decided on the rows, the location of the tiles, the height of the floor. In my bathroom, I started laying with a whole tile of a whole (not cut) extreme row, which is located opposite the entrance - to exactly match the floor level in the bathroom with the floor level of the entire apartment.

We make styling

For laying tiles, we need the following tools: a hammer with a rubber impact part, 2 levels (long and short), a tile cutting tool, a marking pencil, a ruler, a notched trowel, an ordinary trowel, a container for preparing glue, crosshairs for seams.

The tile can be laid both on ready-made glue (it is sold in buckets already diluted and ready for use) or you can prepare the adhesive solution yourself by buying it in dry form. I used dry powder.

It is easy to breed according to the instructions written on the package. While there are no skills at work, do not dilute a large amount, it is better to add a little later.

We lay the first tiles according to our markings, check their horizontalness in the longitudinal and transverse directions.

For the exact match of the floor level in the bathroom and the floor level in the entire apartment, I laid the next tile adjacent to the entrance. We check the level of the floor according to our drawn marks of the height of the finished floor on the wall and, if necessary, slightly adjust our three tiles in height.

Setting up the first guide tiles is the most difficult and time-consuming step. After its completion, we lay the tiles in a row up to the wall in one direction.

And to the wall in the other direction. We orientate the horizontality of the row according to our exposed three tiles and the height marks of the finished floor on the wall.

We lay the first extreme, but always the whole tile, of the next row.

We align it along our already existing row, applying a level in the longitudinal and transverse directions. We achieve a single floor plane and insert a seam cross to maintain the identity of the seams. All tiles that will go with trimming are left at the end.

We lay out the second row completely, and expose the last whole tile of the third row, similarly to the previous procedure.

The procedure for laying tiles in a row is as follows:

We lay the tiles close to the two already laid. Align the tile with respect to these two tiles in a horizontal plane.

We apply the level in the transverse direction of the row and achieve a plane, similarly in the longitudinal direction of the row. We check the horizontalness diagonally so that the free corner of the tile does not lift up. We insert seam crosses and set the straightness of the seams.

We check that the junction of the four tiles is at the same level and not one corner sticks out.

It is advisable after these operations to see how the laid tile looks in the general background, whether the seams are straight. Thus, we lay out all the whole (which are not cut) floor tiles.

And the last step will be the laying of the extreme tiles that are joined to the walls. All of them will be cut in a certain way, so it would be advisable to first cut and number them all, and then put them in place. When marking, it is imperative to take into account the width of the seam between the tiles.

It is convenient to do this whole procedure after the bulk of the laid tile finally rises and the glue under it hardens. This will make it possible to walk freely on the floor and mark all the tiles to be cut. and I have written in detail in the following articles. This is not a very difficult task, but it is impossible to do without it.

We overwrite the seams

The last step in laying tiles on the floor will be grouting. In the bathroom, it is imperative to choose a moisture-resistant grout that can withstand repeated wetting. How to choose it, what colors to choose and how to properly fill the seams is a separate and very multifaceted topic. I plan to cover it in the next article.

Putting all the tiles around the perimeter of the room and filling the seams, we get just such a picture of the finished floor.

Laying tiles on a floor is a difficult task, but with the right planning and good preparation, it is much easier and will no longer seem impossible. By acting carefully, slowly and enjoying the work, you are guaranteed an excellent result.

Approaching such serious types of work as laying tiles, I always say to myself: “I don’t have to fulfill the plan and lay twenty square meters in one day. I don't get paid here from work. I get pleasure from the work done with my own hands here. ”

Approach the same to complex repair things, and everything will argue and move forward very, very quickly.

In the article, I tried to describe in as much detail as possible the process of laying tiles on the floor in my small bathroom. You may have some of your own nuances and features. Do not be afraid, approach difficulties creatively, apply creative solutions.

Good luck with your renovations.

In this article, we will describe in detail how to lay tiles on the floor. However, doing it with your own hands is much easier than the master tilers imagine. Of course, a specialist will cope with this work several times faster, but is there really a need to rush here?

In this article, we will consider all the nuances, from how the floor surface is prepared and the screed is made, to the direct laying of tiles and grouting.

The quality of your masonry will be at a competitive level if you follow some simple rules. And most importantly, you will not only save money, but also get the most valuable skill for FREE! See photos and video materials for clarity. As you know, first they lay tiles on the floor, and only then on the walls.

Leveling floors with tile adhesive costs 3-4 times more than using a self-leveling screed. And if the price criterion is not so significant for you, then remember the following rule: laying tiles on a high-quality base reduces the labor intensity of work by 90%! And if you are not a professional, then this is very important. Therefore, take the time to prepare the floors.

For this you will need:

• Dry mix + primer (preferably from the same manufacturer).
• Needle roller.
• Solution container.
• Drill with a nozzle (as in the photo).

The screed is also done without problems on old wooden floors, so this option should not be discarded either.

We completely clean the floor from old tiles, debris and dirt

The flow rate of the self-leveling floor mixture and the maximum thickness, the manufacturer indicates on the packaging. But on average, with a screed thickness of 1 cm, 15 kg / m 2 will be required. In a small room, such as a bathtub, differences of more than 1 cm are rare. But still, take the mixture with a margin of 20%.

For example, if the area of ​​​​the bathroom is 4 m 2, then (15 x 4) x 1.2 = 72 kg of dry mix (3 bags of 25 kg each) will be required for alignment. But the price of the mixture is quite democratic, so here you can not be afraid of high costs.

The primer increases adhesion and reduces the consumption of screed material under the tile.

If drying time is critical for you, then purchase a quick-drying mixture. It seizes throughout the thickness during the day.

The filling process captivates with its simplicity:

Now it remains to wait for drying. In the case of using a quick-drying mixture, laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom can be started in a day.

In a wooden house, the process is almost the same; before laying tiles on the floor, you need to make a screed.

Watch the video on how the floor screed is made:

Materials and tools

For work you will need:

• Ceramic tile
• Adhesive composition
• crosses
• Solution container
• Drill with nozzle
• Notched trowel (photo)
• Master OK
• Kiyanka
• Laser level
• measuring corner
• Tile cutter (or grinder with cutting disc + goggles)

A few tips for choosing:

• Glue must be purchased exactly the one recommended by the tile manufacturer. How to find out? - On the packaging of tiles. If there are no such recommendations, buy according to reviews or advice from sales consultants.
• The thickness of the crosses directly depends on the quality of the tile. If the tile is cheap, then its dimensions may deviate from the declared ones by 1-2 mm. To hide these defects, it is required to use thicker crosses. Otherwise, you will not be able to achieve straight seams.
• Laser Level (LL) is preferable to the rule. But only if the LU gives two beams, horizontal and vertical.
• If you use a grinder, then get a cutting disc that has radial slots.
• Which tile to choose? - Ceramic is ideal for the floor, although sometimes you can also find tiles on the floor in the bathrooms.

Before starting work, you need to decide how to lay the tiles on the floor. There are three types of layout methods:

1. Straight
2. Diagonal
3. Art

The first method is the simplest and least wasteful. With this installation, 4-6% of scraps remain. The second option is more time consuming and costly. Even an experienced craftsman wastes at least 15-17% of the material, which accordingly affects the price of repairs. The artistic look of the installation requires remarkable experience and an increase in the number of bathroom floor tiles by 35-40%.

Which method to use is up to you, but obviously for the first time, the direct styling method is the most optimal and easiest.

Laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom

Laying tiles on the floor must begin from the most noticeable corner, along a long wall. Since there will still be trimmings, the correct start will allow them to “hide”. First, mark at both ends of the wall a distance equal to the width of the tile. Install and fix the laser level on one side so that the vertical beam marks the border of the first row of tiles.

If it was planned to install a warm floor with your own hands, then this should be done just at this moment.

Dilute the tile adhesive according to the instructions. into container pour water first, and only then pour the required amount of dry mixture.

TIP: do not dilute the glue too much, it seizes quickly enough.

Dial the required amount of glue with a trowel and apply it to the floor surface as shown in the video. Then, using a notched trowel, level it with soft and undulating movements. Using a notched trowel allows you to lay the flooring evenly and avoid the formation of voids under the tiles.

The thickness of the adhesive must not exceed the thickness of the tile. Laying out the tiles in this way will be the easiest.

Then glue the first tile. Make sure that its edge is in line with the laser beam. To check if the laying is horizontal, apply a measuring corner to each corner of the tile. The horizontal laser beam should indicate the same height on the scale. The rule will not be able to give an objective assessment if the tile has even a slightly wavy (bumpy) surface. This is only possible with a spark: laser level + corner.

Similarly to the first, stick the second tile. But before checking for horizontality, insert crosses at the rate of 2 pieces per side (see photo).

IMPORTANT: CHECK EVERY PLATED TILE FOR HORIZONTALITY!

The last tile of each row needs to be customized. Measure the size with a ruler, subtract the thickness of the crosses from the obtained value and draw a cut line on the tile. Draw a line with a thin marker or felt-tip pen. When working with a grinder, be sure to wear safety glasses. Place the cutting tile on a piece of plywood or chipboard. The prepared tile must be laid so that the cut edge adjoins the wall.

After laying out the first row, set the laser level and proceed to the next. By changing the position of the laser level, with a high probability you will change the height of the projection of the horizontal beam. You shouldn't be embarrassed by this. The main thing is that the distance from each corner, each tile to the laser beam is the same. The sequence of actions is the same as with the first row, but only the crosses will need to be inserted from three sides.

The last row will be the most time consuming, because before laying it, it is almost always necessary to cut each tile. Measure and cut each tile after laying the previous one.

After finishing the last row, let the shutter speed to set the adhesive composition. How long does tile adhesive take to dry? - Usually in a day you can start grouting.

Finishing work

For grouting you will need:

• Two-component cement grout
• Capacity
• rubber spatula
• Clean cloth (preferably microfiber)

Please note that in the bathroom, it is best to use just such a mixture. In addition to cement, its composition includes a latex-based plasticizer, which gives it the following properties:

1. She is not afraid of water.
2. Resistance to action of household chemicals.
3. Has an antifungal effect
4. Indifference to temperature changes

In matters of choosing the color of the grout, you will have to decide based on your own preferences. But keep in mind that a pronounced contrast between grout and tile will clearly highlight possible defects.

Before starting work on grouting tiles in the bathroom with your own hands, you must remove all the crosses. Dilute the grout following the manufacturer's step-by-step instructions. In some cases, the mixture should stand for 5-7 minutes, then you can get to work.

Scoop some grout onto a rubber spatula and run it along the seam around one tile. The seam must be completely filled, flush. Then, with a clean napkin, it is necessary to remove stains from the tile and excess mixture from the seam itself. This operation must be carried out very carefully, because after drying, such a procedure will require an order of magnitude more effort and money.

Once you're done with one tile, move on to the next. The work itself is very simple, but do not try to immediately seal the seam for the entire length of the room. This is fraught with a decrease in quality.

After grouting all the seams, allow time for curing. Usually, complete drying occurs during the day, but you can use the bath for its intended purpose after 3-4 hours.

If desired, at the end of all work, you can install skirting boards. This is not always done in bathrooms, but if you wish, you should pay attention to the fact that you need to use special tile drills.

All work, together with technological breaks, takes two days. The hardest part is laying tiles on the floor. After numerous observations, we can say that an ordinary person, who for the first time started laying ceramic tiles in the bathroom on his own, does it at a speed of 1 m 2 in an hour and a half. For a long time? Not! Fun and free!



Today we will look at how to lay tiles on the floor in the bathroom. To properly lay out the tiles for the floor, you do not need to have a lot of knowledge. Laying ceramics on the floor is easier than on the wall, since a person walks on this surface and, looking at it from a height, may not notice the unevenness of the floor.

1

When performing installation work, plumbing fixtures that are installed for years have a significant impact. They cannot be moved or their position changed. These include the bathroom bowl, toilet bowl, sink and other plumbing fixtures and pipes. It is they who cause inconvenience and possible types of marriage in work. How to lay tiles on the floor yourself? We will try to answer this question today.

Do-it-yourself tiling on the floor

Some owners of their apartments and houses try to lay tiles in the bathroom with their own hands for cleanliness and beauty, but having only the desire for this is not enough. To begin with, the owner should study the entire process of laying floor ceramics or look at an example of how such work is done correctly. And only after that you can start laying the tiles yourself, and preferably with an assistant.

Carrying out repairs in the bathroom, you should be careful about plumbing and new building materials, as the room is small, uncomfortable and also crowded. Let's take a closer look at the process by which floor tiles are mounted. It is best to start with the installation of the floor in place under the bath, and only after that the installation of the bath should take place. After the installation of the bathroom bowl, the floor tiles are laid.

2

So, how to lay tiles on the floor and what are the features that affect installation? First you need to take out all possible plumbing items. In order to properly start repair work, you need to examine your old floor and identify flaws that need to be addressed. If there is an old tile on the floors, then it must be knocked down manually with a hammer. The old screed is knocked down to a flat surface.

Removing old tiles

Under the tiles in the bathroom, you need to prepare a flat surface, and for this, level it with a cement screed. At the same time, it is necessary to perform waterproofing of the surface, you cannot save on it. Then pour concrete and carefully level the floor. Only after taking such measures, you can start laying tiles. To correctly lay the tiles on the floor in the bathroom, you need to take into account all the subtleties of working with this building material.

3

For repairs, you will definitely need:

• rubber spatula;
• level;
• crosses for marking the width of the seams;
• insulation;
• primer;
• glue;
• tile;
• sand;
• cement.

When choosing a tile, you should not save on the price and quality of materials. It comes in different sizes and original designs. Thanks to the variety of options today, you can choose a floor covering for every taste and budget.

After the cement screed dries, it is necessary to clean the surface of debris and dust. Laying tiles on the floor initially involves priming the floor, but the peculiarity is that the primer is not diluted before use, but applied to the surface in its original form. For these types of work, a liquid primer solution is used. It is poured into a bucket or basin and applied to the floors with a thick brush.

Priming the surface before laying the tiles

When applying soil to the surface, you should look at the "reaction" - foam should form on the floor. This indicates that the concrete screed is well saturated with the solution and it takes time to dry. The primer can dry for 1-3 hours, but professionals prefer to leave it overnight to ensure the best quality. When starting work in the morning, you can once again soak the floors with liquid soil for optimal laying quality.

The next important point is priming the surface with glue. Some masters overlook it and consider it optional, since the tiles are put on glue anyway. But priming with glue is necessary for better work.

Applying adhesive to the floor

To lay tiles on the floor in the bathroom, you should designate approximate rows for tiles. Laying floor ceramics takes place exactly in rows along the flooring. Some experts next to tiles consider two rows laid with each other. For the first row of tiles, you need to constantly use the level. A row can be started both horizontally and vertically. Everyone has their own technology here. Your first action is to apply the adhesive to the surface with a special notched trowel. They smear glue on the surface, after which they level it with the help of teeth. These actions must be performed in the direction of one row.

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How to glue tiles on the floor so that the rows are even and of high quality? First, you should consider the ceramic product itself from the back. An arrow should be displayed on its surface showing the direction in which the material should be laid out. If we are going to lay tiles in vertical paths, then the arrows should point upwards with their direction. If you place the tiles correctly, you will end up with even seams with minimal distances from each other.

How to glue tiles? We take the product and with the help of a comb we apply a thin layer of glue on it with movements from the bottom up. This rule is used to fill possible gaps in the floor and tiles and ensure that the free space between the tiles and the screed is filled.

Next, we independently lay the tile on the surface and align it with respect to our row. To lay the product evenly, some use a level. For this alignment, it is best to lay several tiles at once. After you have managed to lay out the ceramic product of the first row, there will be no problems with subsequent rows.

Laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom

The glued tiles must be tapped and pressed for packing density and checked by level so that the surface is even.

The nuances when laying tiles can be incorrect uniformity of the seams and the absence of teeth. When laying tiles in the bathroom with your own hands, you should use special crosses that have the shape of a cone. Before laying out the adjacent row, it is necessary to insert such crosses into the floor surface at the joints of the tiles. They align the width of the seam within the required size. After laying the ceramics, the crosses are immersed in concrete. However, if you are doing the floor in the bathroom, then the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room is usually small, so a slight deviation from the norm will not be noticeable.

If you lay the flooring over a large area, then all the irregularities of the joints will be striking. Therefore, for such work it is better to use crosses. An unpleasant moment when repairing a bathroom is that ceramics in the places where the legs of the bath and toilet are installed will have to be cut with a tile cutter or grinder to get the right bend. This requires experience and patience.

The final stage of repair is grouting. Seams are the distance between tiles. Floor grouting is performed after the glue has completely dried (it takes up to three days). In a hardware store, they buy dry grout. This mixture is diluted with water to a paste. Put it on a rubber spatula, after which the seams are lubricated with it. When the paste dries, you can straighten the seams with your finger, and remove the remaining paste with a dry cloth.

Laying tiles is not considered a difficult type of work. You can learn this. The main thing is to have the desire and the necessary building material and tools. And be sure to use our tips.

Laying floor tiles in the bathroom is practical, reliable and durable. That is why tile is the most used option for flooring in bathrooms. Consider all the features of the choice of material and the nuances of its laying with your own hands.

If, when choosing wall tiles, the focus is on the decorative component, then for the floor material, strength characteristics are more important. Ceramic floor tiles are produced in accordance with GOST 6787-2001. According to this regulatory document, the physical and mechanical characteristics of floor tiles must correspond to the values ​​\u200b\u200bspecified in the table.

In addition to the indicators given in the table, the tile must have chemical resistance to certain types of solutions in accordance with GOST 27180–2001.

Equally important is the size and thickness of ceramics for the floor. According to the current regulatory documents, floor tiles are produced in the following shapes and sizes:

1. Square: 150×150; 200×200; 250×250; 300×300; 330×330; 400×400; 500×500 mm.
2. Rectangle: 150×200; 200×250; 200×300; 300×400; 300×500 mm.

Note! The minimum thickness of ceramic tiles intended for use as flooring is 7.5 mm. All products with a smaller thickness are designed for wall cladding.

As for the choice of the size of the tile, here it is worth starting from the dimensions of the bathroom. For compact rooms, it is better to take ceramics of the minimum size: such a design will look as harmonious as possible and visually increase the area. For spacious bathrooms, large square or rectangular tiles are suitable.

Advice! When choosing floor cladding, pay attention to the front surface. You should not choose smooth glossy samples, as the floor will be very slippery and the risk of injury will increase, especially on a wet surface. The optimal structure of the front surface is slightly rough or embossed.

Often, for facing underfloor heating in bathrooms, porcelain tiles are used, manufactured in accordance with GOST R 57141–2016. It has less water absorption, greater strength and hardness. The physical and mechanical characteristics of porcelain stoneware slabs intended for indoor flooring are shown in the table.

Note! The dimensions of produced porcelain stoneware slabs are 300–1200 mm in width and 200–1200 mm in length. The minimum plate thickness is 7 mm.

What tile adhesive to use

When choosing an adhesive for laying tiles, the following factors are taken into account:

• The presence / absence of underfloor heating.
• Base type: monolithic screed or assembled from wood-based sheets.
• Type of tile: tile or porcelain stoneware.

Depending on these factors, the optimal composition is selected. We spoke in detail about the types of glue and the nuances of choosing for a specific surface and conditions.

Note! Each tile manufacturer lists the types of adhesive recommended for use in the installation instructions for their products. For best results, follow these guidelines.

Ways of laying tiles

When tiling the floor, 4 types of layouts (patterns) are used:

Note! Each owner chooses the choice of styling on their own, but for small bathrooms the best option is the usual straight or chess layout. Diagonal or artistic styling looks better in large rooms.

Pre-layout

Before laying the tile on the adhesive, it is recommended to lay it out on a dry surface of the base. This will allow:

• Decide on the best layout.
• Visually look at the final version of the appearance of the floor covering.
• Make adjustments if necessary.
• Understand where it is more convenient to start laying on glue.

Important! Dry laying of tiles is carried out after leveling the base with a cement screed, sheet materials or other available methods.

Preliminary layout allows you to visually see the appearance of the future flooring.

In the process of dry layout, the layout of the rows of tiles is marked. For marking, a marker or construction pencil is used so that the lines are not erased during the preparation of the base. Marking makes it easier to glue the tiles and avoids warping and avoiding a straight line.

Consider some of the nuances of how to make the straight (classic) tile layout the most attractive:

1. It is calculated how many whole products fit in one row. One element is removed from this quantity, and the rest are laid out from the center.
2. Trims are used along the edges near the walls for laying, which, with this option, should turn out at least half of the whole tile.

This scheme gives an increase in trimming waste by 10-15%, but makes the distribution of tiles uniform, without small trimmings at the corners, which significantly spoil the appearance of the coating.
Even distribution gives an attractive coverage.

In this case, the location of the plumbing should be taken into account. For example, if a bathtub or shower tray is being installed, then the laying is evenly distributed between the free wall and the bathtub screen, and the undercuts near the second wall are closed after the plumbing fixtures are installed.

More details about the secrets of laying ceramic tiles can be found in the video.

Step by step laying technology

Now consider the phased procedure for laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom.

Note! Floor finishing is always carried out last, when the wall cladding is fully completed. This allows you to maintain a presentable appearance of the flooring, because when finishing the walls it can be easily damaged.

Foundation preparation

Preparation of a rough base for laying ceramics includes the following steps:

1. Foundation waterproofing. This stage is carried out before pouring a wet screed or self-leveling mixtures so that the moisture from the solution does not go down under the influence of gravity. Waterproofing is needed only so that the moisture from the concrete does not spoil the repairs to the neighbors below, so there are no special requirements for it.
2. Alignment. It is recommended to lay the tile on a flat base with a maximum difference in height - no more than 1 cm per 1 linear meter. Laying tiles on a thick layer of glue is considered a violation of technology. On each bag is written the maximum thickness of the layer on which tiles can be laid, specifically on this adhesive.
3. Surface priming. An obligatory stage, which, in addition to reducing the absorbent characteristics of the base, increases the adhesion of tile adhesive and allows you to remove dust from the surface.

More details about the leveling technology, the methods used and other nuances of floor preparation can be found in.

Required Tools

For installation work, you will need the following tools:

• Comb trowel with 8 or 10 mm tooth depth.
• Building level.
• Tile cutter or grinder.
• Plastic distance crosses for a uniform seam. The optimal seam width is 2–2.5 mm.
• Mixer, drill or perforator with a nozzle for preparing tile adhesive.
• Rubber hammer for knocking tiles.

Glue preparation

When preparing tile adhesive, it is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions, especially in terms of the amount of water added, since not only the consistency, but also the physical and mechanical characteristics of the finished adhesive directly depend on this. The general technology and sequence of mixing dry mixes is as follows:

With the right consistency, the adhesive has good mobility and plasticity, but it does not float on the surface, and when set on a spatula, it remains on it.

Laying tiles

Floor tiles are laid in the following order:

• Glue with a conventional spatula is applied in a continuous layer on the base. At the same time, glue can be applied both for laying one tile, and for a whole series - depending on the experience of the master.

  Apply glue to the base.

• The applied layer of glue is “smoothed” with a comb trowel, which is held at an angle of 45 ° to the base. Movements are performed in one direction so that the resulting grooves have the same direction.

  We pass the glue with a comb.

• Then the reverse side of the tile is slightly moistened with a sponge moistened with water: this ensures maximum adhesion to the tile adhesive.

  

• The next step is to apply a continuous layer of glue to the back of the tile, which is also smoothed out with a comb. Here you need to follow the rule: the lines of glue on the base and the tile are applied perpendicularly, so that when they are connected, a continuous adhesive layer is guaranteed to be obtained.

  We apply furrows perpendicular to each other.

• The tile is laid on the base and pressed with vibration movements, if necessary, gently tapped with a rubber mallet.
• The following tiles are laid in a similar way with the installation of spacers between them and constant control of the plane by the building level.

  The process of laying ceramic flooring is constantly monitored by the level.

Note! When laying, each tile is recommended to be carefully inspected so that there are no chips on the front. Such elements go to pruning.

Ceramics with defects in the decorative coating is started for trimming.

Another nuance - on some types of tiles on the reverse side there is an arrow indicating the direction of laying. When laying such series, make sure that all the arrows are in the same direction.

Arrow to control the laying direction.

Having laid whole tiles in a row, they begin to trim to fill the entire row. To properly trim, the whole element is applied to the remaining free area near the wall and the cut line is marked on both sides. Next, a tile is cut with a tile cutter or a grinder, and the desired segment is laid on the glue using conventional technology.

Having completed the first row, they begin to lay the second one in compliance with the same technology and sequence of actions. During the installation of the floor tiles, make sure that the already glued elements are not stepped on or leaned on. To do this, laying is carried out towards the door. If this is not possible, the tile is mounted in several stages with the necessary intervals for the adhesive to set.

Grouting

Grouting is started no earlier than 24–48 hours after the last tile has been laid (depending on the type of adhesive and layer thickness). The tile joints are filled with special mixtures - fugues on various bases. The grout solution is applied with a rubber spatula with pressing movements. For grouting floor tiles, it is recommended to use waterproof fugues, the main types, selection rules and application features are discussed in detail in.

Common Mistakes

In conclusion, let's look at some typical mistakes that are made when laying floor tiles:

If you lay the tiles in accordance with all the rules and avoid gross mistakes, then such a floor covering is considered the most reliable and durable, because high-quality tiles practically do not wear out and do not change their appearance throughout the entire service life.