Special Techniques
Tiling Bathrooms and Kitchens

Find out more about the special techniques you should use when tiling kitchens and bathrooms with non-standard tile types.

Mosaic tiles, plastic, cork, mirror, brick or stone - get the info you need to complete the job....

If you are using standard, ceramic tiles for DIY tiling, your DIY tiling project can be quite straightforward.

Click here for basic instructions for tiling bathrooms and kitchens

It might be, though, that your interior design project needs something a little bit different...

Take a look at these tiling kitchen and tiling bathroom ideas for choosing tiles for more information about the different types of tiles available...

If you have chosen any of these 'non-standard' types of tiles, there are some extra, special techniques, that will make laying these types of tiles easier...

Special Techniques for Tiling Bathrooms and Kitchens

Mosaic tiles
Mirror tiles
Plastic tiles
Cork tiles
Brick tiles
Stone tiles

Mosaic Tiles

• Thankfully, mosaic tiles usually come as a larger tile, or as a tile sheet, rather than single, individual tiles
• Apply this as usual, onto the tile adhesive.
• Place a piece of carpet over the tiles, and hit gently with a mallet, to fix the tiles into the adhesive.
• Remember to leave a 'grout gap' between the sheets. You may need to soak off a paper 'facing sheet' before applying the grout.
• It is easy to cut out individual tiles, or strips, to fill small gaps, or to actually cut the small tiles themselves.

Mirror Tiles

• It is very hard to cut glass yourself, so it is best to only use mirror tiles in full squares, or with simple, straight-line cuts.
• To cut a mirror tile, use a specialist glass cutter, Scour the line first, them snap the tile across a stretched wire.
• You should then use an oiled slipstone to remove sharp edges.
• Mirror tiles are easy to use for tiling bathrooms or kitchens. No grout or adhesive is necessary.

  Use special adhesive pads (usually supplied with the tiles) and butt the tiles up next to each other (without a gap)

Plastic Tiles

• Plastic tiles are a very quick and easy option for tiling bathrooms and kitchens. They come in pre-moulded sheets, with usually around 9 tiles to a sheet.
• Don't use these anywhere that they might come into contact with heat.
• You should use plastic tiles with the manufacturer's recommended adhesive.

  You don't normally need to leave a grouting gap (but check the design of your tiling sheets first).

• Cut to shape with scissors or a craft knife
• Use a specialist grout (recommended by the manufacturer) to grout the moulded 'joints' to give a more authentic appearance.

  Wipe off any excess quickly, with a damp sponge.

Cork Tiles

• These are quite easy to line up together and apply to walls, so you shouldn't need to worry about wooden battens.
• Use a rubber-based adhesive to fix the cork tiles to the wall, taking care not to get any on the face of the tiles.
• You should use a thin layer of adhesive on both the wall and the back of the tile.

  Wait a short time (as recommended by the manufacturer) for the glue to 'set' then simply apply the tile gently but firmly to the wall.

• The cork tiles should be butted up very close to each other, so it is a good idea to fix one edge up to the neighbouring tile first...

  ...before gently lowering the rest of the tile down.

• Cork tiles can be cut very easily with a craft knife.
• After 24 hours, coat the tiles with 2 coats of varnish, to protect and seal the tiles.

Brick Tiles

• Brick tiles, or 'slips', can give a really authentic appearance of a wall.

  They are particularly good for tiling kitchens, (around a range area) or around a fireplace...

  ...or just for tiling bathrooms' or kitchens' walls.

• Use the bricks in standard brick patterns, rather than just laying one on top of the other, like ordinary tiles.
• You can use mortar, just like normal bricks, or you can use a special adhesive, as recommended by the manufacturer.
• For an authentic touch, to make brick tiles look like a real wall, remove the skirting board before you start your DIY tiling project, and re-fix back over the top of the tiles.
• Cut tiles as necessary with a hack saw.
• After 24 hours, 'point' the wall, with a ready-mixed mortar (don't use grout). Clean off the tiles with a stiff brush.

Stone Tiles

• Treat stone tiles in the same way as brick tiles.
• As stone tiles have so much natural variation, it is a good idea to plan the order of the tiles on the wall first, to get it looking good.
• Stone tiles can often be difficult to cut, so you may need to get a professional to do this for you.
• Sometimes a special adhesive is recommended, if so, you should certainly abide by the recommendations.

Hopefully, these tiling bathrooms and tiling kitchens special techniques can help you out with your DIY tiling project.

A reader wants to tile over an existing bathroom countertop

To find out more information about all these different types of tiles, and more(!), take a look at these ideas for choosing tiles

Also familiarise yourself with these Basic Instructions for DIY Tiling

And the instructions for tiling a floor...

Return to the main DIY Tiling Guide

Return from this Special Techniques for Tiling page to the Home Page



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