Tiling Mistakes That Make Your Home Dull

An important decision like renovating your home or building a new one involves a lot of emotions. One moment you are happy and excited to build your dream home and the next moment start stressing about trivial things.

But don’t let this emotion distract you and make one of the common tiling mistakes. Because no matter what style you prefer, traditional or modern, laying tile in the wrong way can negatively impact the appearance of your home. Also, don’t let this discourage you from going ahead with the project.

We are here to help you avoid mistakes with tile work. Here are the 11 most common tiling mistakes many make – tips to avoid them! 

11 Most Common Mistakes Many Make – How To Avoid Them

“One mistake can destroy the whole look of your room.” to avoid that, follow this process, and you will be like a pro in tiling work.

• Not Ordering A Sample First

Many homeowners make the silly mistake of not ordering a sample tile or a small piece of the whole tile. A tile sample or piece will help you see the tile’s actual colour, texture, and finish. And also helps you envision- whether it will look good or not in your home. 

If you want natural stone or wooden effect tiles and want to see whether their surface is smooth or rustic, browse the vitrified tiles collection and order a sample of your selected pattern tile.  

• Selecting The Wrong Size Tiles For Space

As you have seen, tiles come in different sizes, from small to large. However, a variety of choices can lead to selecting the wrong tile size for the space. As a result, your project has a lower chance to succeed.

The other thing to consider is the grout line, as these significantly impact your space or room; smaller tiles mean more grout lines and make your space look busier. In comparison, large format tiles have fewer grout lines and provide a seamless community.  

For example, you want to renovate your living space with wood-finish vitrified tiles and a seamless look. Using smaller sizes makes your room look small and boring, while large format tiles make a room look larger and have a uniform appearance.

Similar goes with bathroom space; the benefit of using smaller tiles gives a cute yet dramatic appearance with the right design.  

• Miscalculating The Number Of Tiles, You’ll Need

Is there anything more frustrating than realising that you have a shortage of tiles while completing the makeover of your living room and bathroom? 

A common mistake is not buying enough tiles for your space, which is costly too! The main reason for not buying enough tiles is that you miscalculate area and tiles requirements and not considering wastage and cracking tiles. 

So start by measuring the length and width of the room. Multiplying the measurements and you’ll get square metres. Divide them by square metres that come in box tiles. This shows you many boxes it will take to cover the floor. Buy the extra ten tiles to cover cuts, breaking and waste. 

• Choosing The Wrong Tiles Material For The Space

Have you ever heard about “buy cheap, buy twice”?

Which tile is perfect for the space- whether the tiles will be used for external or internal use? Many homeowners choose price over quality and that is where they make huge mistakes. Many of them can’t find the difference between tile materials– which are vitrified tiles or ceramic tiles and local or branded tiles. 

Purchasing lower-cost tiles can save you money initially, but after some time, you need to replace them with better-quality tiles. Branded tiles for your space will look good and perform more functionally than the cheaper ones.

Vitrified tiles are highly durable and sturdy, suitable for high footfall. It is also water-resistant and slip-resistance best for wet areas like bathrooms.

• Unprepared Surface

Once you decide on the right tile material, size, and amount you need, it’s time to lay the tiles. But before that, you need to prepare your surface properly, which means installing underlayment correctly. 

First, remove the stone and grease from the surface. Tiles may damage and crack if the underlayment isn’t in good shape. A stiff base is necessary to prevent the tiles from cracking.

• Choosing The Wrong Adhesive

Laying tiles in moisture or humid space like bathrooms or swimming pools require water-proof adhesive. Even well-fitted tiles can crack easily. Choosing the wrong and cheaper adhesive can lead to crumbling and breaking tiles.

• Laying Tiles Improperly

One of the reasons why your home doesn’t look attractive is laying tiles improperly.

If you love experimenting with your wall and floor and also want to look attractive, then lay tiles in a horizontal or vertical direction. It is essential to plan the layout beforehand.

There are specific installation steps for diagonal patterns:

• The first step is to centre the tiles and align the corners with a single layout line.
• Build the pyramid around that line.
•  Continue checking the lines with a straightedge.

There you got the stunning pattern for your wall!

• Not Removing Excess Grout

Don’t let the grout surpass the room’s beauty. One of the common signs of the amateur tiling is not removing excess grout or using the wrong grout. Clear and clean grout lines make the room look great and keep it shining for years.

• Not Installing Backer Board

Many people take backer boards as optional. When installing tiles in a shower or other wet area, this is the most critical step. You need a water-proof backer board (4 ft*8 ft and 3 ft*5 ft panels). This is installed on the top layer of the thin-set (adhesive); this process is known as bedding. 

Backer boards keep water from penetrating into tiny cracks because they are stiff.

• Bad Silicon

One of the final steps of tile work is to silicon the internal corners. Apply silicon with a caulk gun in a straight line down the corner and edges of the bath and shower tray.  

It is important to buy the right silicon for the kitchen and bathroom and the right colour. Once you have applied silicon, remove the excess for the tiles’ smooth and clean look. Silicon will prevent mould and mildew from growing. 

• Not Applying Back Butter

If you decide to install large format tiles, be sure to use the back butter method. Make sure the thin set is mixed well. Let it set for 10-15 minutes to allow the dry mixture to absorb all the water. Doing so ensures a strong bond between the tile and the floor and increases the floor’s durability.

End Note

Now you know what are the 11 most common mistakes of bad tiling to avoid as much as possible! Want your home to look beautiful without any tiling mistakes? Be sure to follow the above steps and have all the tools and equipment with you to avoid tiling mistakes. Watch tiling videos or read blogs for useful tips, tricks and inspiration to make your home captivating.