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Lincoln Tiler & Tiling Advice

Our staff are multi-skilled and are experienced tillers as well as plumbers. We use the latest technology to ensure your tiling is completed to the relevant British Standard – BS 5385. We set out your tiling installation by using state of the art laser levels. We use a cross-line laser which (unlike traditional pencil marks on the walls) remains visible even when the tiling adhesive is spread onto the wall. This ensures that tiles are placed as accurately as possible.

Traditional spirit levels are still used to ensure that your tiles remain plumb horizontally and vertically on each wall. Again, we use Stabila spirit levels – the industry leader in accuracy. You won't find a more accurate spirit level.

It can be very difficult for the end customer to tell the difference between a good tiling job that complies to BS 5385 and a poor tiling job where the installation is likely to fail in a short period of time as much of the important work (preparing the wall and the adhesive spreading) is hidden. Whoever you choose for your tiling job, please make sure they adhere to the following points or your tiling job will fail at some point in the future: -

It’s important that the substrate is smooth. To test this to the British Standard, place a 2 metre spirit level anywhere on the wall. There shouldn’t be any more than a 3mm gap anywhere under the level. Where walls are largely out of plumb or level, this will be identified to our customers at the quote stage if possible.
Adhesive comes in 2 formats, bagged and tubbed. Tubbed adhesive dries by dispersion of the water. This means it is only suitable for smaller tiles. Any tile larger than 300mm in either direction needs to be fixed with bagged adhesive. This dries by chemical reaction (it’s cement based) and so the lack of grout lines won’t stop it drying.
When tiling on wooden floors, any flexing in the floor should be removed by overboarding with at least 15mm plywood. The plywood should be screwed (not nailed) to the floor at not more than 300mm intervals in each direction. On very flexible floors it may be necessary to place ‘noggins’ between the joists (wooden beams that run at right angles to the joists to provide more support for the floor). As tiles are totally inflexible any flexing in the floor will mean broken or lifting tiles.
Fresh plaster must be left for at least 4 weeks prior to tiling onto. This makes it an unsuitable substrate for bathrooms where the whole project generally takes 1 to 3 weeks to complete.
Different substrates can hold different weights of tiles. Plaster is generally only good for tiles up to 8mm. Tiles thicker than this should be mounted on plasterboard or even cement backing board.
Plasterboard should not be used in power-shower areas. If it is being used in areas subject to water (showers over baths) the water-resistant type should be used.

Tiling quickly and tiling accurately are mutually exclusive. Therefore it follows that a good installation done correctly to BS 5385 will cost more money than one that does not follow this standard. The cost of retiling a failed install needs to be considered though! Depending on the size of the bathroom we typically take from 3 to 5 days to tile the entire room to full height. We are aware of tillers who can tile quicker than this but we refuse to sacrifice quality for speed.

What Thickness Of Tile Should I Choose?

We recommend a tile thickness of 8mm for bathroom installations. Tiles thinner than this can cause problems with getting a good seal on the edge of baths. This means having to chase the bath into the wall which in turn increases labour costs. Tiles over 8mm need to be fixed either to plasterboard or cement backing board.

What Tile Material Should I Choose?

To avoid complicating the issue, we will discuss the pros and cons of all 3 types of tile: -

Ceramic Tiles

Soft tiles, other than the hard glaze on the front these are easy to drill with normal masonry bits.
The softness of ceramic tiles makes them easier to cut than porcelain tiles.
Higher water absorption rate than porcelain tiles - tanking needs to be considered more carefully.
Less hard-wearing than porcelain tiles, particularly an issue when installed on floors.
Can be fixed with either a tubbed or bagged adhesive.

Porcelain Tiles

Very hard tile formed by compression of dust from porcelain clays.
Difficult to drill, diamond drill bits are needed - these are very expensive and don't last long before wearing out.
Must be fixed with a bagged cement-based adhesive, this is more labour intensive.
Very hard-wearing and a great choice for floor tiles.
Difficult to cut, only better quality dry cutters will do the job.

Stone Tiles

Hard tiles formed from natural stone, available as travertine, granite, marble or many other types.
Require sealing and regular maintenance to keep them water/stain proof.
Aesthetically pleasing - they look much nicer than normal ceramic/porcelain tiles.
Cost of fixing stone tiles is around 50% more than for ceramice or porcelain tiles.
Specialist fitter required. We are a Topps Tiles approved fitter and have experience of tiling with stone.

As you can see, choosing the right material is important as it influences labour costs and the installation life.

Why Is Tanking Important?

There is a common misconception that tiles and grout are waterproof. This is not the case. Whilst some tiles let through more water than others, all tiles let water through to an extent. Plaster and plasterboard are not waterproof. If you have ever left a sheet of plasterboard outside in the rain you will have realised this already! Failure of these substrates due to water ingress leads to tiles dropping off the wall and damp problems.

The solution is simple. Walls are prepared by tanking them with either a 'gum paint' or 'wallpaper style' tanking kit. The prepared walls are then tiled onto - the result is a more expensive but much longer lasting tile installation.