How to tile a bathroom

How much to tile a bathroom?

To tile a bathroom you need tiles, adhesive, grout, and in some instances, sealant.

The size of your bathroom and the area you’re tiling determines how much equipment you need. And this is what makes the cost add up.

If you do it all yourself, you only need to pay for materials. Pre-mixed adhesive costs around £25 per 5m2 and grout is roughly £17 per bag and covers 15m2, so it’s more than enough to tile even the biggest bathrooms.

Tiles are also priced by the square metre and the cost varies depending on their material. Ceramic tiles cost between £12 and £50, with glass tiles going up to as much as £160 per square metre. Remember to add an extra 10% to your order to account for breakages.

If you choose to employ a tiler and the tiles are ready to be fitted, it will cost between £20 and £40 per square metre. For larger jobs, expect to pay around £150 to £200 per day.

If you need to remove old tiles, this adds about £30 per hour to the job. It’s not a very difficult job though and can be done yourself to save money.

How long to tile a bathroom?

Just like with price, the time taken to tile a bathroom changes based on a number of factors.

If your tiles are a tougher material, they’re harder to cut which can add time. The size of the area that needs tiling is also obviously a big factor, as is the quality of the surface the tiles are being laid on. A flat and even wall makes for a great canvas and cuts down labour time.

Experience is also a factor, a professional tiler will get the job done much quicker than a beginner.

Generally speaking, an experienced tiler will be able to complete a 15m2 job in roughly two or three days.

What size tiles for small bathroom

There’s a common misconception that small bathrooms shouldn’t use small tiles. While too many small tiles can create a boxed in feeling, they’re fine to use sparingly for emphasis. Really though, if you like a particular design then go for it! We’ve put together a guide for you that’s full of advice on choosing the right tiles and designs.

To figure out how many tiles you will need, you need to know the size of each individual tile and the size of the space you’re tiling.

The place you bought your tiles from should be able to tell you the coverage in square meters per order or box. To work out how many you need, take the square meters of your wall (measure the length and width and multiple the two together to get the square meter) and divide this by the coverage of the tiles. You should account for breakages or cracks by ordering another 10%. Multiply the number of boxes you need by 1.1 to figure this out.

So: wall square meter/tile coverage x 1.1 = number of boxes of tiles required.

A lot of tile retailers have coverage calculators that will help you figure out the exact amount you need.

How to remove bathroom tiles

Removing tiles can be a messy job so wear some googles and a pair of gloves to protect against flying shards of tile.

Cover your shower tray, bath, and sink so they don’t get scratched or chipped.

You also need a hammer and a chisel or sharp pointed flat headed screwdriver.

1. Remove the first tile

This is often the hardest part as there’s no easy point of access. Try to find a loose tile and pry it out with the chisel. If you can’t find a loose tile, place the chisel in the middle of a tile and hit it with the hammer. This should crack it and make it easier to remove the pieces.

2. Remove the rest of the tiles

Once you’ve removed the first tile, the rest should be easy. Position your chisel against the wall with the point sitting slightly behind the tile and tap with the hammer so it slides behind the tile. Then gently pull the chisel towards you to pry the tile away from the wall.

Keep going until you’ve successfully removed all the tiles.

3. Tidy up

Your new tiles will need to be applied to a clean and fresh surface, so you need to remove all the dried adhesive. It should easily peel or scrape away with the chisel.

How to tile a bathroom

If you’ve got the time and know-how, tiling a bathroom yourself can be a rewarding project. It takes some precise planning but once you’ve got past that, it’s a quicker job than you may think.

1. Work out the positions

A gauge stick helps you figure out the position and spacing of your tiles and helps you avoid constantly cutting tiles down to size. It also shows you how many tiles are needed per row and how to best position them.

Place your tiles in a horizontal row with tile dividers in place. Take a piece of timber that’s and position it along the width of the tiles. The timber doesn’t need to be the same width or length as your wall, but long enough for several tiles to fit. Mark the start and finish point of each tile as well as the gaps for the spacers. Repeat this process until you’ve filled the length of timber. Saw off any awkward excess bits at the end.

Use another length of time to repeat the process for the length of tiles places vertically. This will show you where to position the tiles.

2. Mark your wall

To make sure your tiling is even, you need to plan out on the wall where they’ll be positioned. To do this you need a pencil, your gauge stick, and a spirit level.
Measure the width of the wall you want to tile and find the centre point. Mark the wall where the centre point is.

Hold your gauge stick against the wall, making sure the end of the rod or one of the tile lines aligns with the centre mark.

If the area you’re tiling is wider than your gauge rod, you will need to move it across until it reaches the end of the wall. To do this, mark where the rod ends when it’s aligned with the centre line. Then move the end (or one of the tile marks if it’s not two rods wide) of the gauge stick against the new mark and keep going until you reach the end of the room.

If your gauge stick perfectly reaches the edge of the area, your tiles will fit neatly from the centre line to the edge, so you won’t have to cut any to size.

However if they don’t fit nicely, you may find that you have a narrow gap at the end. Ideally, this should be half a tile wide or more so you can easily cut to size.

If it’s smaller than half a tile, move the starting point so you have a bigger gap to fill. The stick should be aligned with the centre point like it was before. This time, make a new mark that falls halfway between the end of the gauge stick and the start of the next tile line. This will be the new starting point for your tiling and makes sure the end section is more than half a tile wide.

Hold your gauge stick vertically against the centre wall mark and use a spirit level to check it’s straight. Draw a pencil line from top to bottom. This will give you the starting point for the vertical tiles.

Place your gauge stick against the vertical line and make a mark on the wall against each tile line. Move the stick up and make the marks until you reach the top of the area you’re tiling. Remember if the final space is less than half a tile long you will need to adjust the starting point.

Revisit the centre point and place your gauge stick horizontal against the point and draw a line across the wall. Make sure it’s straight with a spirit level.

Mark the horizontal tile lines onto the wall. Again, if the end tile is less than half a tile wide, adjust your starting point. Use the tile marks on the rod to position tiles on the wall and make a mark.

You should now a grid-like pattern and a clear idea of where every tile should be positioned.

3. Cut tiles to size

You should already know if you have tiles that you need to cut to size – whether it’s to fit around a bath or shower, or for the edges of the wall.

Position the tiles against the wall and mark off the point you need to cut. This should be in line with the pencil marks you’ve already made on your wall.

Cut your tile to size using a tile scribe. A tile scribe is the easiest way to cut a tile in two. Simply line up a ruler with the mark you’ve made on your tile where you need to cut. Hold it in place and run a tile scribe along the tile, applying enough pressure to cut through the glaze.

Place a pencil underneath the tile and push down on either side. The tile should snap in two.

Alternatively you can use a tile scorer and snapper which should make snapping it in two easier.

If you need to make a curved cut, make a template out of a piece of paper or card. Place this on your tile and then draw the outline of the cut onto the tile.

Clamp the tile in place and use a tile saw to cut the shape you need. You can smooth it down and make any necessary adjustments with a tile file.

4. Lay the tiles

When you lay tiles you should start from the bottom and work your way upwards. Place your first tile against the wall with the spacers in place to allow for grout to ensure it fits.

Mix up your adhesive and spread it on the wall with a notched trowel. Set your tile against the wall and press firmly. Repeat this process for each tile. Remember to use horizontal and vertical.

For tiles that will be placed around a bath or shower tray, apply tile adhesive to the back of the tile and not the wall as this will give you greater control when it comes to positioning.

For adjoining walls start at the bottom and work your way up.

5. Leave your tiles to dry

You need to let your tiles set in place and dry before grouting.

Follow our steps below to get the perfect grouting finish.

How to grout tile

Grout seals your tiles and prevents water from seeping into the plaster and damaging it. There are a few different types of grout you can use for tiles.

• Unsanded or non-sanded grout is used for very fine grout lines because it shrinks up when it’s dried. It’s made by mixing cement, water and non-sand particles together and can be used on natural stone flooring and wall tiles.
• Sanded grout can be used for larger grout lines as it doesn’t shrink. It’s very durable so keeps your ceramic or stone tiles looking better for longer. Sanded grout is very absorbent and can attract dirt so to keep it looking pristine, seal it after you’ve applied it.
• Epoxy grout can be used for many different jobs and is very durable. It combines epoxy resins with hardener for a grout that’s waterproof and doesn’t necessarily need sealing. You can use it in any area that comes into contact with water like a splashback, bathroom walls and floors. It shouldn’t scratch natural stones, but test it on a small patch first just to be sure.

How to apply grout

Some grouts come ready-made so you can apply them straight away. If not, check the manufacturer’s instructions for how to mix it properly.

If you’re grouting walls and floors, do the walls first. For this job you will need grout and a trowel, spreader, or squeegee.

Before applying the grout, always check the manufacturer’s instructions first to make sure you’re doing it properly.

1. Clean the joints and use a scraping tool to remove any lumpy or protruding bits of grout. You don’t have to completely remove all the old grout.
2. Use a grout spreader to spread the grout between the tiles. Apply it at a 45 degree angle starting from the bottom corner. Don’t worry if you get grout on the tiles, you can clean it off later. It’s actually an easier job if you go in gung-ho and aren’t too careful.
3. Use your spreader (without any grout on it) to clear away the bulk of the excess. Angle it again at 45 degrees and work in across the tiles, then up and across again to systematically get rid of the remainder. This will also help to ensure your grout is evenly distributed without damaging the grout.
4. Once the grout starting to harden, use a damp sponge to wipe across the tiles. Some of your grout lines may be uneven and raised, so press lightly on your sponge as you wipe to smooth them out.
5. When the grout has dried you may still have a light dusting on the face of your tiles. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe away the rest of the grout.
6. For the sections where you tiles meet in the corner, at the ceiling, or against a bath or shower, you need to use caulk. Like grout, this helps to seal against water getting down the back of your bath or shower. Caulk often comes in a squeezy tube so application is really easy. Just make sure you don’t overfill the gap.

If your grout gets dirty, you can always touch it up with a cleaner or a grout pen which redefines the lines. 

How to paint your bathroom

Once you've laid the tiles and let the grout dry, you can set to work painting the rest of your bathroom.

Painting your bathroom is one of the easiest jobs you can do if you want a new look. You can easily do it yourself, it’s inexpensive, and you don’t need to be a DIY pro to do the job.

1. Prep the walls

A key part in any DIY project is the preparation and painting your bathroom is no different.

Grime, watermarks and grease can build up really easily in a bathroom, even if you can’t see it.

Sugar soap cuts through all of this and gives you a clean surface ready for painting.

You can buy ready-made sugar soap solutions which easily spray on the wall. Just make sure you wipe it down with warm water afterwards to remove all traces of soap.

2. Remove damaged paint

Damaged paint is a sign that it might not have been moisture resistant.

If there are any bubbling, flaking or peeing parts then you need to remove them.

Use a flat scraper to remove the damaged parts and sand down any loose bits.

Use 120 grit sandpaper to loosely sand over the rest of paint, making a rough surface for the new paint to stick to.

If there are any holes in the wall, fill them and smooth it out before you begin painting.

3. Protect fixtures

Use decorators tape to protect fittings and fixtures like lights, extractors, or plug sockets. Don’t forget to protect sealant too for a really neat finish.

4. Paint

One of the very few times you’ll need a primer in your bathroom is if you’re covering a dark colour with a light one. In those circumstances, a white primer should help you cut down on the number of final coats you need.

The first step to painting is to cut in around the edge with a paintbrush first. This helps to keep it neat and means that you won’t get paint on the ceiling or fixtures.

After cutting in, empty your paint into a roller tray and evenly apply it to your roller. Paint the wall, working in a ‘w’ motion to cut down on roller marks and overlaps.

Let the paint dry and apply a second coat.

When the final coat is still wet, remove the decorators tape. If you wait until it’s dried, you might end up removing some of the fresh paint.

How to paint tiles

Painting tiles is a quick and affordable way to change the look of your bathroom. However it doesn’t always leave the best finish so you should definitely do a test run first to make sure you’re happy.

There are specific tile paints that you can buy which should do a good job.

1. Your tiles needs to be clean before you paint them. See our advice on that in the next section. Make sure you use a lint-free cloth for this as you don’t want to get bits in your paint.
2. Stir the paint so the colour pigment is mixed together. Apply one coat of paint, making sure you work it into the grout line. Complete each tile with a vertical stroke so they all look the same.
3. If the colour you’re covering is very different to your new colour, you will need to wait 24 hours for the first coat to dry and then apply another.
4. After 24 hours, your final coat will be dry and you can use a grout pen to define the grout.

How to clean bathroom tiles

Dirty bathroom tiles can ruin the design of your bathroom and can quickly look really grubby.

Bleach can take care of filthy grout however it’s not ideal if you have dark grout as it can ruin the finish. So if you want to clean dirty dark grout, mix together baking soda and vinegar into a paste. Use a toothbrush to scrub this into the grout and leave it for half an hour to work its magic. All you need to do then is simply rinse it off.
If your grout isn’t coming clean, you can touch it up with a grout pen. This will brighten it up.

For tiles, plain ceramic tiles can be scrubbed with a scouring pad. Tiles with a pattern can be cleaned with a microfiber cloth and a specialist cleaning product.

If your tiles are made of marble, you should never use scratchy cloths or vinegar to clean as this can cause more damage.

Baking soda and vinegar is fine to use on ceramic tiles applied with a gentle wiping motion should be enough. Leave it alone for a few minutes and then rinse it off with fresh water.

How to remove paint from tiles

Sometimes it can’t be helped and paint ends up on tiles. Fortunately, it’s really easy to remove.

If it’s only thin splashes here and there, these should buff out with a damp cloth.

For bigger patches of paint, you can try and buff or peel it off or white spirit and a bit of elbow grease should get the job done.

If you’ve used tile paint, you’re better off painting over the mistake or replacing the tile.