Once you’ve selected the tiles you watch to invite into your bathroom or kitchen, it’s time to pass them over to the tiling process, to fix them in place with adhesives and grouts and add those finishing touches; to create the look that will last for years to come! There are two main elements in the tiling process; applying the tiles using a suitable tile adhesive, and finishing the display by filling the joints with tile grout.
The right tile adhesive for the job
Tile adhesive is an important part of the tiling
process, as it secures the tiles in place, where they will
stay for years to come. Different tile adhesives cover
different settings and suitabilities.
For an
all-rounder wall tile adhesive, use our own-brand Kwik Grip
Ice White Wall Tile Adhesive. It’s suitable for most types
of wall tile, it’s water resistant (which is crucial if
you’re tiling a bathroom or shower area) and it’s non slip,
meaning your tiles won’t drop out of place over time. Best
of all, though, it’s readymix, meaning it’s a ready-to-use
liquid, rather than a powder than requirements mixing.
For a versatile floor tile adhesive, use our
cement-based Kwik Flex Floor Tile Adhesive. It’s suitable
for ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles, and can be
used to apply tiles to a variety of different surfaces. It’s
also rapid setting, and can be used with underfloor heating.
You can apply it straight onto the Thermonet matting (place
the cable side down, so that the mesh protects them).
Tile grout: The finishing touch
The final part in the tiling process is the
application of the tile grout. Once you’ve used tile
adhesive to fix your wall or floor tiles in place, it’s time
to fill the gaps between them using a suitable tile grout.
Make sure the tile grout you’re using is suitable for your
project. Mix up the powder with water so you have a nice
consistency and, using a grout float, spread a nice even
helping across the face of the tiles; working it into all
the joints and crevices. Use the float to gather up any
excess. If it can’t be worked into any joints, scrape it off
into the bucket. Wait for it to partly dry, then wipe off
any residue with a damp cloth (being careful not to pull
grout out from the joints).
You can use
different colours of tile grout to add effect to your tiling
project. For example, you can use a contrasting black tile
grout to frame white metro tiles. This really helps to make
them stand out. To avoid unsightly mould appearing in your
tile joints, use an anti mould tile grout.