Once you have prepped the tiles you can now start tiling. There are a few ways to start, one of them is running batten around the whole bathroom approximately one tile height from floor. Another option is start off a wall at a time from the floor and work your way up each wall. If using this option then the very first row of tiles are very important as they must be level, if they aren’t it will throw the hole wall off.
Once you have chosen your tiling option then you can start tiling, if this is your first time then go very slow and only work with 1m2 of tile adhesive at a time. I personally like to use Bal white star tile adhesive, and usually 2mm spacers.
You will find that spending longer prepping correctly and using decent adhesive will make the tiles go on a lot easier and faster.
Now that you have finished your wall tiling leave them another 24 hours to set. Once set you should remove all spacers and clean any excess adhesive, use a good tile cleaner and make sure all tiles are clean and dust free.
Grouting
Next the grouting, for this you will need a tiling sponge, grout float, mixer, and mixing bowl. The grout will tell you how much water to mix in and at what speed. Work the grout into all joints making sure you wipe any excess with the grout float. Leave the grout to dry for 30 minutes and then use a wet tiling sponge to clean off excess grout and smooth off grout lines. Once complete leave grout to dry for 12 hours and dust off tiles to clean finish. If tiling the floor then you can do this next using exactly the same process as the walls but use a bigger notched trowel.
When tiling the floor start from the furthest point so that you can work backwards. You don’t want to stand on any of them, as you will throw them off level. Make sure you have a few different sized levels and check at different stages, I use 3-4mm spaces but you can use bigger. Leave to dry, remove spacers clean floor and grout. Follow the same process as the wall grouting.
Next comes the fun part where you can start fitting the finishing touches. If we start with the shower first. The type we have is a thermostatic bar shower and sliding door shower screens. To do this follows the instructions, but the shower is usually fitted to 150mm centre copper pipes with a shower riser and hose. Shower screens are pretty straightforward as long as you have level walls and a shower tray. All holes should be drilled using tile drill bits.
Fitting The Toilet and Sink
Next you can fit the sink and toilet there are many different types but the type we have is a standard close coupled toilet with push button flush, sink and pedestal. Toilets come in 2 parts with the toilet bowl and cistern. Sometimes the float valve and internal parts of the cistern are pre fitted but not all of the time. If not pre fitted then the float valve, siphon and overflow cap should be fitted with rubber washers. Please go careful not to over tighten as you will brake the nuts.
Most new toilets don’t require separate overflows so this can be capped. When fitting cistern to toilet bowl you should use a doh but washer kit. Tighten bolts equally and again do not over tighten you will crack the pan. The sink will come without taps and waste. So first fit the taps and waste system following instructions. Using plumbers mate fix the sink to the pedestal and screw sink back to wall using holes underneath.
Fitting of the towel rail and bath panel next will require patience so again follow fitting instructions and take your time.
The central heating will need to be drained and boiler should be switched off. Don’t try this unless you know what you’re doing.
Fitting The Electrics
Now that you are nearly finished the electrician can come in and fit the spot lights. You should next clean the whole bathroom and dry everything off ready for silicone. In order to get this right practice is needed so I would recommend getting a specialist into do this unless you have experience in doing it. This will be covered at a later date along with more detailed instructions on fitting toilets, sinks, showers, baths and towel rails.
Finally everything can be turned on and tested if you have any leaks then repair them and your bathroom is now ready for use. Most good bathroom companies will guarantee your bathroom for a certain time period. I hope you’ve found part two of bathroom fitting useful. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of how it all works.
By Daniel Veale from Gas Storm Plumbing and Heating. Daniel heads a team of Bristol Plumbers across the UK and their local area. Please subscribe to this post to receive more tips on domestic plumbing.