How To Put Tiles On The Bathroom Floor With Your Own Hands: Instructions

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24

• Laying steps
• Foundation preparation
• Waterproofing the floor under the tiles
• Coating method
• Paint layer
• Papered waterproofing option
• Leveling the floor
• DIY tile laying

The most popular bathroom floor covering is tile. And therefore, laying bathroom floors becomes a whole art, which must be taken seriously. Let's still figure out how to properly lay tiles on the bathroom floor, what are the features, and what you need to know.

Laying steps

To begin with, you should determine what stages the flooring in the bathroom involves. There are four of them:

1. The first stage, as in most other works, is surface preparation.
2. Considering the factor that the bathroom is a high humidity room, as well as with frequent exposure to water, it is necessary to provide waterproofing.
3. The next step is to level the floor with a screed.
4. After that, the very laying of the tiles on the floor in the bathroom is carried out, as well as grouting.

Foundation preparation

As already mentioned, the first stage is surface preparation. It is carried out in the following sequence:

1. If there is an old coating, it is dismantled, which is done using a perforator, or a chisel with a hammer.
2. We also note that it is necessary to remove not only the old tile, but also, if necessary, completely remove the screed to a solid foundation.
3. If any gaps or cracks are found during the dismantling process, they must be repaired with tile adhesive.

Note that with sufficient strength of the old coating, it can not be removed and laid on the old tiles. But in most cases this is necessary, not even because of low strength, but other factors, for example:

• The presence of voids in the tiles.
• Damage to the coating.
• When laying a new layer, the floor level will be higher than the threshold level, which is unacceptable.

And these are not all reasons why the old coating is best removed.

Having dealt with the preparation, and having fully cleaned the base, you can proceed to the next step.

Waterproofing the floor under the tiles

An important factor is the waterproofing of the room; without it, laying tiles on the bathroom floor is highly undesirable. Let's not say that it is impossible, since it is possible to carry out the installation without waterproofing, but in the event of the slightest leakage, the water will get to the neighbors.

So, the initial goal in this case is to apply a waterproofing compound to the floor surface.

It is very important to pay attention also to the walls, which often get water, but in addition, in any case, the treatment is carried out 10-20 centimeters up from the floor surface along the wall.

To complete the task, you need to choose a waterproofing material, which has several types. In particular, three types are used in the repair of an apartment and a house:

1. Coating.
2. Painting.
3. Papered.

Well, directly in the bathroom, when the goal is only to protect the flooring from water penetration, the first two methods are most often used. Let's take a closer look at the principle of their application.

Coating method

This material is sold as a dry mix and is applied as follows:

1. First, the mixture is diluted with water. As a result, a completely homogeneous mass should be obtained, which will be applied to the floor using special brushes and rollers.
2. At the joints of the base (slabs, boards, etc.), it is better to use a waterproofing tape.
3. Do not forget to apply the composition to the walls as well.

4. The waterproofing itself is carried out in several layers, each of which dries for 5-7 hours. And after applying the last layer, a day must pass before the start of the next stage of work.

   

Paint layer

The next way is painting. This is a kind of alternative to the previous version, but it is somewhat easier to use (apply). For the implementation of this type of waterproofing, a special rubber emulsion or bitumen is used.

Papered waterproofing option

It is insulation based on bitumen roll materials and coating mastics. This option is the cheapest and is used everywhere in new buildings.

Leveling the floor

The next stage is leveling the floor, in particular, carrying out a high-quality screed. Only this can guarantee an even distribution of the adhesive, and the quality of the final coating, as well as its durability.

Alignment is imperative, since a flat floor is the basis of all repairs.

In particular, it is desirable to use specialized mixtures for this procedure. In this case, we are talking about a filling field.

It is also important to make the flooring at a slight angle so that water does not leak into hard-to-reach places. To do this, lighthouses are exposed with a slight slope.

The fill itself starts from the far end towards the exit from the room. It is important to distribute the solution as evenly as possible over the entire area, in order to avoid any surface defects in the future.

After pouring, the coating should stand for at least 3 days, after which work can be continued. For more details on alignment and screed, see separate articles, as well as the video below.

Video:

DIY tile laying

And the last step is directly laying the tiles on the bathroom floor. And then we will analyze the step-by-step algorithm of actions.

But before we start, let's answer the rather popular question about which tiles to put on the bathroom floor? And the answer is quite simple, the most popular option is ceramic floor tiles. It is strong, durable and comfortable, and comes in a wide range of sizes and colors. The strongest floor covering is considered to be ceramic gratite, but wall tiles quickly deteriorate on the floor and are not intended for these purposes.

But let's move on directly to solving the question of how to put tiles on the bathroom floor. First of all, the answer is that there are a number of leveling and tiling fixtures that make the job very easy.

1. Initially, the surface must be primed. For which a standard inexpensive primer will suffice. This approach will significantly improve the adhesion of materials. Note that such an item is not mandatory, but at the same time, if there is a desire to do the job conscientiously and give the coating maximum durability, then this should not be neglected.

   

2. The next step is the rough tile layout. This will help measure the room, provide for the need for cut pieces of tiles, and also think over the layout. It is also recommended to mark with chalk.
3. We begin to lay the floor tiles in the bathroom from the far corner towards the door.

4. For the work itself, it is recommended to use specialized adhesives. We directly apply the mixture itself to the surface and level it with a special spatula (notched).

   

5. It is important to observe a certain layer of glue, its thickness must necessarily be the same for each section of the floor.
6. When laying tiles, the distance between tiles must be respected, i.e. seams, for which special plastic crosses are used, or devices for leveling the floor.
7. Each laid tile must be checked using a level.
8. First of all, the laying of solid tiles is carried out, after which you can proceed to the installation of the cut sections. If you have not cut the tiles before, then it is worth measuring the necessary distances and doing the work. You can cut the tiles with a grinder or a hacksaw for metal.

9. Upon completion of the tile laying, grouting is carried out. It is performed after 2-3 days. For carrying out a special composition is used.

   

Upon completion of the work and complete drying of the glue and grout, it is necessary to clean the tiles, in particular, wash them with a damp sponge. Find out how much grout is required from an online calculator.

So, we looked at how to lay tiles on the floor of the bath and now you can get to work. As you could understand, the process of laying tiles is not so difficult, and therefore everyone can cope with it. And if you did not find a complete answer to the question of how to lay floor tiles in the bathroom while reading the article, we suggest that you watch several videos that clearly show the entire installation process.