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How ledges are laid out with ceramic tiles in the kitchen. How to lay ceramic tiles on the walls in the kitchen with your own hands: how to lay an apron on flat walls, execution techniques

Ceramic tiles are deservedly considered one of the best materials for kitchen decoration. Such “clothes” are beautiful, durable, resistant to moisture and high temperatures. Manufacturers today offer many tempting options for decorating the kitchen space, but the cost of installation work often exceeds the cost of the material, so the question of how to lay tiles in the kitchen remains relevant.

The problem that anyone who decides to tile their kitchen will inevitably face is what tile to choose for the kitchen? The presented assortment is varied: customers are offered matte and glossy, smooth and embossed tiles of various shades. What should you pay attention to when choosing first?

Kitchen tiles must be heat and moisture resistant and not afraid of the aggression of chemical solutions and mechanical stress. Pay attention to the size and weight - the lighter the tile, the easier it will be to glue it to the wall; large tiles are laid twice as fast as small ones.

It is important!
According to standards, when saturated with moisture, the increase in tile weight should not exceed 1%.

As for sizes, for small kitchens in small apartments the best option is 10x10. However, do not forget that small tiles are more difficult to lay and level. Large spaces can be decorated with larger pieces - 20x20 or even 30x30 cm.

Think in advance about the color of the tiles and texture, take into account the overall design of the room. You can calculate the amount of material as follows: determine the area of ​​the wall and add 10% to the resulting number (for trimming and possible damage).

Video instruction

In order for the result to please you for a long time, it is necessary to prepare the tools in advance and strictly adhere to the sequence of work.

Tools

  • grinder or tile cutter;
  • hammer;
  • crosspieces;
  • glue;
  • ruler, level;
  • metal profile for drywall;
  • bucket with water;
  • spatulas (small rubber and wide serrated);
  • dowel-nails;
  • pencil.

Surface preparation

Beautiful and reliable installation begins, first of all, with preparing the working surface. The walls must be cleaned and treated with a deep penetration primer, and then with sand-cement mortar.

It is important!
Clay, lime and gypsum mixtures are not suitable for surface treatment.

You can prepare the walls in 2 ways: level them using plaster or plasterboard sheets. Let's consider the sequence of actions of the first and second methods.

Leveling with plaster

  • clean the walls from dust, remove the old coating;
  • give the surface roughness (fill shingles on a wooden wall, apply notches on a concrete wall with a chisel);
  • treat the working area with a deep penetration primer or concrete contact, which will help avoid peeling of the plaster;
  • install beacons, attach corner profiles to the outer corners;
  • prepare the sand-cement mortar and 20 minutes after mixing, apply it to the walls using throwing or spreading movements;
  • prime the surface.

Leveling with drywall

  • if differences exceed 5 cm, you should purchase standard sheets of plasterboard for gluing with mounting adhesive;
  • make sure there are no crumbling areas;
  • apply primer;
  • cut drywall for sockets and ventilation;
  • take care of hidden installation of wiring (sockets and boxes for switches should protrude 20 mm above the base);
  • Apply gypsum or mounting adhesive to the cut sheets and glue the drywall to the wall;
  • Before the glue has hardened, level the sheets using a level and a rubber hammer;
  • prime the walls and putty the seams.

Important points

Please note that tiles are not placed behind wall cabinets and kitchen tables, because... in this case, material overuse cannot be avoided. If you decide not to deviate from tradition and want to lay out a tiled apron, then draw a horizontal line in the place where the countertop will end. Attach a metal profile for plasterboard sheets along this line with a margin of 3 cm, on which the bottom row of tiles will be based.

Plastic crosses are used to adjust the position of the tiles and the thickness of the joints. Thus, if you need seams 3 mm thick, then the crosses should be selected accordingly.
The size of the spatulas also depends on the size of the selected material. To lay large tiles you will need a trowel with a tooth width of at least 10 mm, for small ones - 6 mm. In addition, there is one that will harmoniously fit into the interior.

Sequencing

The process of laying tiles is simple, even a beginner who is faced with this task for the first time can lay tiles efficiently. However, it still doesn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with some of the nuances.

Mixing the glue

After mixing, the glue is not used immediately - it must gain plasticity. This usually takes 15 minutes. The adhesive is applied with a regular spatula, and the excess is removed with a serrated spatula. To prevent glue from accumulating on the spatula, dip it in a bucket of water from time to time. If possible, try to hold the tool perpendicularly, without tilting.

Glue the tiles

We fasten the tiles to the surface - if the preparatory work is carried out correctly, the tiles will lie as needed. We glue the second tile next to the first one and insert crosses between them from below. Do not forget to check the plane using the rule - there should be no intervals. By the way, after an hour after completing the work, the crosses should be removed - otherwise it will be problematic to do this later.

Some people prefer to apply adhesive to the wall or floor first, and then glue the tiles. Undoubtedly, this way the work will go twice as fast, but achieving perfect masonry will not be easy.

Check the verticality of the rows with a building level. If an obstacle arises, for example, a socket, draw the contours with a pencil and attach the tile to the socket from above and on the side - this way you will accurately determine which of the contours the tile should be cut along. Please note that the cut line should be on the wrong side.

It is important!
Do not glue the tiles immediately after cutting - check that you did everything correctly.

It is easy to increase the adhesion of the material and the surface - just tap the tile with a rubber hammer or mallet. It is most convenient to cut tiles with a tile cutter; curly cutouts can be obtained using a grinder.
To neatly design window slopes or corners, plastic corners are used, which should be 2 mm thicker than the tiles.

Grouting joints

Grout powder, selected to match the color of the tiles, is diluted with water and applied with a rubber spatula between the tiles. To simplify the work, you can use a squeezing gun or an empty sealant pipe.

Excess grout is removed with a damp sponge. Act carefully so as not to completely remove the fruits of your painstaking work. After a few hours, wipe the tiles with a cloth and admire the result.

The work has been completed, the tiles have been laid and are pleasingly smooth. As you can see, laying tiles in the kitchen with your own hands is quite simple if you have the desire. The main thing is to follow simple rules that will help transform your kitchen space and bring beauty to your home.

Ceramic tiles are one of the most popular finishing methods in the kitchen. The fact is that it is not exposed to water or temperature changes, it is easy to care for, and its service life can be counted in decades. Today, manufacturers offer tiles in various colors and structures, so it will not be difficult to choose an option that will look great both on the floor and on the walls. We invite you to figure out together which tiles are best suited for the kitchen, as well as how to lay them according to all the rules.

Before laying tiles, you need to choose the option that best suits the interior of your kitchen and operating conditions. The service life and user properties of ceramics depend on how high-quality the material is. The first thing you should pay attention to is, of course, the color scheme and texture. Textured tiles are not always appropriate in the kitchen, especially around the stove, since the tiles can become very dirty during cooking. And it will take much more time to clean a structured surface than a smooth and glossy one.

As for color, the main thing here is your desire, however, there are certain rules that allow you to visually either enlarge or reduce the room, as well as highlight separate areas, for example, cooking or eating. Light colors allow you to visually expand the boundaries, and bright colors allow you to emphasize a particular place. When solving the issue of laying tiles, you need to start from the size of the kitchen. For small rooms, tiles measuring 10x10, 15x15 cm or classic mosaic are suitable. For an apron this will be the best option.

For a small kitchen it is better to choose large tiles

You can (and should) choose something larger for the floor. If you have a spacious kitchen, then any size range will suit you, but remember that the more seams, the more work there will be during cleaning. Be sure to check the geometry of the tiles. Very often, if production or storage technology is not followed, tiles become curved. If on a large tile differences of 1 mm are not very noticeable and practically do not affect the installation, then for a small tile this can become a big problem.

The front side of the tile should be smooth and its corners straight. Thickness discrepancies of up to 2 mm are allowed, but try to choose minimal deviations. The height and width of all pieces in the batch must completely match, otherwise it will not be possible to obtain even tile seams. Advice. Choose tiles from the same batch, especially if it comes to colored tiles, as there may be differences in tone.

It is clear that most tiles have a practical function - they protect the walls. However, the aesthetic component of the cladding is also important for the home owner. In addition to color and texture, you also need to choose how (pattern) it will be laid out on the walls or floor. Everyone has the right to experiment with styling methods, but we will consider the main options that remain relevant at all times. The first and most common is the classical method. It is successfully used for tiles of different sizes, colors and patterns. Even a novice master can handle the classic layout, since laying out tiles in an even line is not difficult.

For kitchens in a traditional style, laying tiles "in a staggered manner" is perfect. The method is that each subsequent row is glued with a certain offset, and the offset does not have to start from the middle of the previous tile - you can always experiment with the pattern. Most often, rectangular tiles are used for this layout, since the resulting result resembles brickwork, although square tiles in this version look very interesting.

The classic method involves laying in a straight line

Diagonal tiling is a more complex, but nevertheless quite effective way to transform the interior. Before laying the tiles diagonally, you need to apply markings to the surface where the tiles will be attached, and if there is an opportunity to practice, then you should definitely do this. Very often, masters combine methods with each other. In this way, you can achieve truly interesting results, but before implementing this idea, you must definitely make a sketch of the future finish.

When the layout issue is resolved, proceed to calculating the required amount of material. To do this, find out the surface area to be tiled and divide it by the area of ​​one tile. This will give you the amount of material you need. In addition, you need to add about 5-15% to the total amount in case of damage to the tiles during work, as well as cutting them to the required size. When purchasing tiles, you can always ask the seller to calculate the required quantity, as well as make a sketch of the room, which can be easily created in a special program.

Before laying a tile backsplash or tiling the floor, prepare the kitchen surface. The service life of the tile will depend on the coherence and correctness of actions. The first thing to do is to examine the surface for the presence of flaking elements of the old finish. All this needs to be removed, and large depressions and cracks should be covered with mortar. Afterwards we prime the surface. Now you can start plastering the wall or pouring the screed if we are talking about a field.

When plastering walls, we recommend using fiberglass mesh, which will prevent the surface from cracking in the future. Some craftsmen do not stretch the walls “to zero” before tiling the surface, but prefer to level the wall or floor using tile adhesive directly while laying the tiles. It is not recommended to do this under any circumstances, since there is a high risk of the material peeling off from the surface due to a violation of the technology and an excessive layer of glue. Upon completion of plastering or screeding, re-treat the surface with primer compounds.

Before installation, you need to prepare the surface

In addition to plaster, you can line the walls with plasterboard for the subsequent installation of a kitchen apron made of tiles. Some people prefer to use this method because it is simpler - there is no need to repair small cracks and chips. We make a sheathing on the wall from wooden blocks or aluminum profiles, and then we attach sheets of plasterboard to it. It is important to use moisture-resistant gypsum board, as it retains moisture from the glue, preventing it from penetrating into the sheet and destroying it. Alternatively, plasterboard sheets can be replaced with gypsum fiber sheets, because they are more durable due to the inclusion of cellulose fibers. The seams between the sheets are reinforced with a special mesh or paper and carefully puttied.

Preparing the surface with drywall is especially important in houses built of wood, since it is almost impossible to lay a tile apron on wood (the exception is plywood). If the surface intended for cladding is flat, then there is no need to plaster it or level it with plasterboard. It is enough to treat the wall with Betonokontakt solution for better adhesion.

Wall cladding - becoming real masters

Nowadays, it is rare that anyone completely tiles their walls. As a rule, all you need to do is make an apron in the kitchen. If this approach is chosen, then the first thing you need to do is draw a strictly horizontal line, for which we use a bubble level or a laser axis builder. We draw a line at the level of the countertop, after which we attach an aluminum profile or a wooden plank under it, which will serve as a fixing element when laying the tiles with our own hands. We secure the support with dowels, which are inserted into the holes drilled with a hammer drill.

At the next stage, we prepare the solution with which the tiles will be laid. Here you can choose from two options: make the mixture yourself from sand and cement, or buy a dry mixture in the store and knead it by adding a certain amount of water. It is worth noting that cement mortar is not suitable for all types of tiles. So, for glass mosaic, which is used to cover a kitchen backsplash, you need to use a special white composition, and for porcelain tiles you need a special glue that will allow you to hold a lot of weight on the surface.

Apply tile adhesive with a spatula directly to the tile itself (when laying mosaics - on the wall), after which we remove the excess using a comb. It is not difficult to choose the correct width of the teeth - the larger the tile, the greater the distance should be between the rows. We attach the prepared tile to the wall and press it, making small movements left and right. Next, we take a level to check the horizontalness and, if necessary, correct it immediately, without allowing the material to harden.

By adjusting the inclination of the notched trowel, you can select the optimal thickness of the tile adhesive.

We repeat the process in a similar way for each subsequent tile. To position the tiles evenly relative to each other, we use special crosses that we place in the corners. We remove excess glue immediately from the surface of the tile, and remove the mortar and plastic crosses remaining in the space between the tiles after a few hours, when the glue has set. If necessary, to the required size, we use a special device - a tile cutter, and if it is not available, then you can try to do it with a glass cutter. You need to understand that not all tiles can be cut in this way; for example, porcelain tiles are cut exclusively with a grinder, since they are very durable.

Laying tiles on the floor - step-by-step instructions

Laying tiles on the floor, as a rule, begins from the center of the room, but in some cases you can deviate from this norm if design ideas require it. If you plan to lay out the tiles in a certain pattern, we recommend that you initially lay the material on the floor without glue to make sure that the elements have been selected correctly.

  • Using painter's thread, we beat off a straight line in the center of the kitchen, from which the tiles will be laid.
  • Using a spatula, apply glue to the tiles and floor, the excess of which is removed with a comb.
  • Place the tile on the floor and press it tightly, moving it slightly from side to side.
  • We measure the evenness with a level, and if necessary, use a mallet to knock down the tiles in order to achieve a perfectly even result.
  • We repeat similar actions with each subsequent element, laying them in a circle.

As in the case of wall tiles, the remaining adhesive must be removed from the tile immediately, and the crosspieces and mortar between the tiles must be removed as the glue sets. Grout the joints no sooner than every other day, using moisture-resistant compounds for the kitchen.

Have you decided to install new tiles in the kitchen, but you have no idea where to start this process and how to do it? Below you will receive all the necessary information that will help you lay tiles in the kitchen with your own hands, following all the technologies.

Today tiles on the construction market are presented in a huge variety of styles:

  • classical;
  • country;
  • minimalism and many others.

It is important to choose not only an aesthetic material, but also to choose one that has excellent technical characteristics.

Ceramic tiles are distinguished by the fact that they have a porous structure. Its top is covered with glaze. It is not suitable for the floor, but it can be glued to the walls.

Ceramic tiles are also glazed. The main disadvantage is low resistance to mechanical damage.

The most durable are porcelain stoneware tiles. Porcelain tiles are most suitable for kitchen flooring, as this material is highly wear-resistant. The main disadvantage is that there are very few color shades.

Surface preparation for installation, tools and materials

In order to lay tiles in the kitchen with your own hands according to all the rules, you will need:

  • tile;
  • plaster;
  • nails;
  • rubber spatula;
  • construction level;
  • metal spatulas;
  • deep fill primer;
  • plastic crosses and corners;
  • tile powder;
  • special machine for cutting tiles;
  • roulette;
  • aluminum rules;
  • Bulgarian;
  • drywall profile;
  • metal ruler;
  • special glue.

Let's start choosing a variety of materials. There are many types of primer, but each of them is practically the same from each other. It must be remembered that you cannot pour the primer back into the canister if you have poured it out of it. In addition to its unsuitability, it will emit a disgusting smell.

Glue on the market is also available in huge varieties. Some recommend using only foreign compounds, others – domestic ones. Experts, for the most part, are of the opinion that domestic ones are no worse than foreign ones. The main advantage is the lower price, since there is no overpayment of extra money for the brand.

Preparation of materials and laying tiles (video)

Leveling the kitchen walls with your own hands

This work is carried out in several stages. Besides, There are several options for doing this:

  • if the kitchen walls are cracked or uneven, then they are covered with plasterboard and tiled with ceramic tiles;
  • when the walls are covered with paint, you will need to remove it and plaster the walls;
  • If the walls are smooth, then initially you need to plaster them a little with your own hands.

The work begins with filling all the unevenness and cracks with putty. All protruding parts are also removed. Deep cracks and potholes must be covered with cement mortar. After this, apply the plaster and wait until it is completely dry.

Now you need to apply a deep penetration primer with your own hands. You will also need to wait for it to dry completely. After this, you can begin laying the tiles.

How to lay tiles: secrets

Each master can boast his own way of how best to lay tiles. For example, if the wall is covered with paint, then you don’t have to completely clean it off, but just make notches on it.

Secrets of laying tiles (video)

Basic tile laying work

Initially, ceramic tiles are purchased on the construction market. To find out how much it will be needed, you need to measure the area of ​​the kitchen walls and add about 20%, which will be spent on trimming the ceramics. These leftover materials can be placed behind the cabinets, where they will simply be invisible.

There are three ways to do it yourself lay the tiles correctly:

  1. lay the tiles diagonally. You will have to cut a lot of tiles, so you will need the same amount of material.
  2. Install tiles along the seams. This method is the most common and simplest.
  3. Dressing. The upper rows are shifted relative to the lower ones by half the size of the tile.

Once the method has been found, you can begin laying the tiles. It would be best to place one row of tiles along the kitchen walls so as not to make a mistake with the dimensions. First you need to lay the ceramics next to the windows and doors.

  1. A horizontal line is drawn at the height of the kitchen table;
  2. The metal profile from the plasterboard is fixed with nails to the wall at the level at which the line was drawn. You will need to leave about 4 centimeters in reserve and check with a level whether the installation is done correctly.
  3. The vertical line is drawn in the same way. The tile must be applied to the upper edge of the wall, a plumb line must be attached to it and the places where full-fledged plates of the material will be installed must be marked. Also measure where the tiles will need to be cut.
  4. Using a tool such as a tile cutter, cutting tiles is much easier. If it is not available, you can use a glass cutter. After this, you can break the ceramic on the corner of the stool or table. Since there is a possibility of cutting yourself on sharp corners, this must be done extremely carefully.
  5. It is important to choose the right spatula. Its width directly depends on the dimensions of the tile. To prevent the glue from remaining on the spatula, this tool must be constantly immersed in a bucket of water.
  6. On one of the corners of the tile you can find an image of a special arrow. Therefore, the tiles must be laid out in such a way that this arrow is located on one side of each tile. After this, a mark is made from the end with a pencil. This method marks the top and bottom of the tile.
  7. Now you need to knead the adhesive mass. This can be done by following the instructions on the package. The mixture should be plastic and soft. To carry out this operation, you may need an electric mixer or a drill with a screw attachment. After this, you can apply the glue to the wall yourself using a spatula. You can use aluminum rules to make sure the layer is even.
  8. Now take a flat spatula and apply glue to the back of the tile. The spatula is held in your hands only perpendicularly.
  9. The tile is applied to the wall and pressed evenly. Using a building level, you will need to check whether everything is done smoothly.
  10. The second one is laid next to the first ceramic tile. The aluminum rule checks the laying plane. In the same way, you can lay the rest of the tiles to the end of the wall.
  11. The glue sets within 10 minutes. This time should be enough for the tile to be adjusted if necessary.
  12. Using a plastic square, slopes and corners of the walls are formed.
  13. After all the tiles have been laid, the adhesive should dry completely.

Detailed process of laying tiles (video)

Ceramic tiles are, first of all, an aesthetic element in kitchen design. It needs to be selected in such a way that it organically complements the kitchen.

Plain tiles are more suitable if the room has an exquisite kitchen set. With ordinary furniture, it is best to do the opposite, that is, lay out tiles in a variety of colors.

Kitchen apron finishing options (video)

Conclusion

Tiles add brightness, harmony to the kitchen and organically complement its interior. The methods of laying tiles depend on the size of the kitchen and types of furniture. It is necessary to think through all the little things in order to subsequently enjoy the comfort in this room. You have already learned how to lay tiles with your own hands from this article.

Examples of apron design in the kitchen (photo)




You will need

  • - metal profiles;
  • - metal scissors;
  • - tile cutter or grinder;
  • - adhesive mixture;
  • - primer;
  • - level;
  • - spatulas;
  • - grout;
  • - tile;
  • - dowels;
  • - crosses for seams;
  • - construction corner.

Instructions

Prepare all the necessary tools and start preparing the walls. Knock off the old tiles and scrape off the old adhesive coating with a spatula down to the base of the wall. If there was wallpaper or putty on the walls, remove them completely and wash the whitewash off the walls. Using a level, check the walls for evenness vertically and horizontally. In case of a large deviation, the wall will have to be plastered.

Make notches on the cleaned wall using a hammer or chisel. Then go over it with latex or acrylic primer. Leave the wall to dry for one to two hours. If you decide to glue tiles onto monolithic concrete, then the surface should first be coated with “Betonokontakt” (drying time ranges from twelve to eighteen hours).

Depending on the height of the future furniture that you will install, determine the lower level for laying the tiles. Measure approximately 85-95 centimeters from the bottom and make a mark. Using a long level, draw a horizontal line along the entire length of the planned tile installation.

Take a metal profile, measure the required length, cut it with metal scissors and attach it to the wall level. This profile will help you maintain an ideal, strictly horizontal level, which is an important point in laying the apron.

Dilute a small amount of adhesive with water according to the instructions and mix thoroughly. Start laying the tiles from bottom to top, from the visible corner. Apply adhesive using a notched trowel in the area where the tiles will be laid later. Using a narrow spatula, apply a thin layer of adhesive to the back of the tile and set it in place. Lightly press it into the solution and press down with a rubber mallet.

Align the tiles strictly horizontally and vertically using a short level. If it is uneven, remove it with a putty knife, or add glue as needed. Install the first tiles perfectly and flawlessly, as the final result of your work will depend on them. Pay attention to the picture; on the back of the tile there is an arrow-shaped indicator.

Then place a second tile on the side and check its level in the same way. Place crosses between adjacent edges. Check the seam with your fingers; the transition should not be felt. Place the third one on the first tile, checking the angles between the horizontal and vertical edges with a square. Lay the remaining tiles in the same way, do not forget to use crosses.

As you lay the tiles, you will need to cut them to size. This can be done using a lever tile cutter or grinder. At the end of laying the apron, remove all the crosses and clean the seams between the tiles, insert the crosses into place so that the seams do not warp during the drying process.

A day after laying the tiles, you can safely begin grouting. Dilute the dry mixture with water until the consistency of sour cream (do the mixture in small portions, as it works within twenty minutes). Moisten the joints and apply the grout with a rubber trowel using a pressing motion. Remove excess in the direction of the seam, and after twenty minutes wipe with a slightly damp cloth.

note

How to glue tiles. The method of applying any glue is the same. Notched spatulas are best suited for this type of work. Your sales consultant will advise you on the choice of adhesive for a specific tile. Let's start applying glue to the part of the wall where we will glue the tiles. There is no need to cover the entire wall with glue. Use a notched trowel to “pull” the tile adhesive over the surface of the wall. In this case, the glue layer should have a thickness of approximately 2.5 mm.

Helpful advice

Before gluing the tiles to the wall, it is necessary to do preparatory work, remove the old coating, make notches if necessary, level the wall, and prime it. There are two ways to glue tiles to the wall: from the center of the wall, in which case the tiles will be at the same distance from the corners, and from the far corner, in which case trimming the tiles will be minimal. We dilute the tile adhesive and, using a special notched trowel, apply it first to the wall, 1-2 square meters, and then to the tile.

Sources:

  • putting down an apron in the kitchen video

Hello!

We continue to decorate the kitchen, and today’s article will be about how to lay tiles on the walls. Or rather, we’ll tell you how we did it, because each master has his own secrets and his own methods of laying tiles.

Our walls are already plastered. If you don’t have one yet, click here, it describes in detail how we plastered with cement mortar. I won’t make a long introduction and “pull the cat by the tail”; as the article progresses, I’ll tell you what tool we used and what material we used. By the way, if you are interested in laying tiles in the kitchen, go to the website tile4you.ru.

First of all, we prime the dry plastered walls with a deep penetration primer. There are a great many manufacturers now, but the composition of such primers is, in principle, no different. We used this one:

One clarification: it is advisable to immediately use up the primer poured from the canister to the end. If it remains, you should try to use it in the coming days and under no circumstances pour it back into the canister. The fact is that after several days of storage, used primer begins to emit a very unpleasant odor.

After the soil dries, grains of sand will no longer peel off from the plaster, and the tile adhesive will stick to the wall more reliably.

Now about the glue. There are also quite a few types of it; you can’t go wrong if you take the most affordable adhesive for interior tiling work, which will be in the store. There is almost no difference between the notorious Ceresit and, for example, our Artisan in terms of composition and quality, and in terms of price it is noticeable. So why pay extra for a title?

The choice of the tile itself is a matter of taste; we are not advisors here. You could write a whole book about the varieties, manufacturers and quality of this finishing material.

Typically, articles on how to lay tiles begin with calculating the number of tiles. You can simply calculate the area of ​​the walls and add about 10% for trimming and possible combat. If you know the size of the tile itself, you can cut out a cardboard template and, applying it to the wall, find out exactly how many tiles there will be in each row, and how many tiles will be used for trimming.

It is advisable to place cut tiles in places that will be covered by furniture, or where less attention will be paid to them (in shaded corners, behind pipes, curtains). Some of our customers wanted all sockets and holes for pipes to be located in the center of the tile, or in the middle of the seam, then the tiles were purchased with a good supply, and a detailed layout was made.

In our case, we will not lay tiles at the kitchen tables, so we measure the height of the table from the screed - 80 cm, and give another 3 cm to cover the edge of the tile with the tabletop. The resulting distance from the screed is 77 cm.

Draw a horizontal line on the wall.

Along the line we will attach a narrow metal profile for drywall, on which the tile will rest. We cut off the required pieces of the profile and fasten it with dowel nails.

We check the correctness of fastening using a level.

To regulate the thickness of the seams and the position of the tiles, we use plastic crosses and wedges. In our case, the seams will be 2 mm thick, so we take the following crosses.

We will lay the tiles large enough - 230x350 mm, to apply the glue we will take a notched trowel with a tooth width and height of 10 mm. Smaller tile sizes can be laid under an 8 or even 6 mm trowel; for floors, a 12 mm trowel is usually used.

Everything seems to have been completed, the primer has dried, you can mix the glue. If you have no idea what the consistency of the glue should be, read the instructions on the bag and follow them (it’s not just written like that). For mixing, use a powerful drill and a screw attachment.

And we have an electric mixer especially for these purposes. You can see what he is like.

After mixing, the glue is infused for 5-10 minutes, after which it is mixed again. This procedure makes it softer and more flexible; you should not neglect it.

One more detail - our notched trowel is constantly in water - this way the glue does not accumulate on it and does not dry out.

Well, aluminum rules are used to check planes.

We stack the tiles so that the arrow points in the same direction. Next, draw a line with a pencil along the ends of the tile, thus marking its top (or bottom - depending on the design). Now, by looking at the end, you can immediately find out how to lay the tiles, in the sense of which side goes where.

Finally, apply a layer of adhesive to the tile with a regular flat spatula. Using a notched spatula, remove the excess, leaving even grooves of glue. We try to hold the spatula perpendicularly, without tilting - the thickness of the layer depends on this.

Excess glue from a wet spatula almost automatically slides into the bucket - the spatula is clean.

Place the tiles against the wall and press evenly. We use a level to check horizontality and verticality, although if the wall is well plastered and the profile is attached horizontally, the tile itself will become as it should, pressing it with some kind of large distortion will be problematic.

The glue can also be applied to the wall itself, over a large area, but in this case, a certain skill and experience in quickly laying tiles over the surface is required. We simply don’t like this method, so we put it as described above.

We glue the second tile next to the first one.

We insert crosses between them above and below.

We go through the entire row.

Using the rule, we check the plane - there are no gaps, the tiles fit everywhere.

You need to glue a piece of tile in the corner.

Cut a straight piece using a tile cutter.

If it is not there, you can make a cut with a regular glass cutter, and then break the tile on the edge of a stool or table. This must be done carefully - you can easily cut your hand on a broken ceramic edge.

In places where shaped cutouts or holes are needed, we use an angle grinder (simply an angle grinder) with a diamond disc. Of course, there is a lot of dust from it, but not everyone can fork out for a special machine with a water supply.

The most primitive tool for such purposes is pliers, wire cutters or forceps. Round holes are made with tungsten-coated nozzles or special ballerina cutters. We didn't need them today.

To support the edge of the tile in the right place, you can simply drive a nail under it.

You can adjust the position of the tiles within 15 minutes after gluing; if more time has passed, it is better to remove the tile completely and, after cleaning, reinstall it.

In this way, little by little, we lay the tiles all the way to the ceiling.

On the right wall, the window slope serves as the border of the tiles. To neatly arrange it, we use a plastic corner in which we hide the end of the tile. The corner should be taken a couple of millimeters larger than the thickness of the tile. For example, if the thickness of the ceramic is 7 mm, the corner needs 9 mm, otherwise the edge of the tile simply will not fit inside.

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