What to consider when tiling any parts of your home

Decide on your tiling project scope

Tiles can enhance the look of any area inside a home

• Kitchen tiling : The kitchen floors and walls are the most usual tiled surfaces in a kitchen. Tiles are often used for kitchen countertops as well, which require a hard wearing surface. You may also be looking for kitchen tiles to prevent backsplash from your sink from penetrating your kitchen walls.
• Bathroom tiling : Most bathrooms now have tiled shower areas, and often bathroom floors are tiled as well. Bathroom tiles are not only a sensible choice, they can add colour and design to a bathroom.
• Conservatory tiles: Fireplace hearth tiles and foyer tiles are not only durable material, but add a touch of elegance to the living space. If used well, conservatory tiling can significantly increase the value of your home.
• Swimming pool tiles : These are typically used at the bottom and the side walls of a swimming pool.
• Roofing tiles : Overlapping tiles or slates are in prevalent use, to provide protection for both pitches and flat roofs from extreme temperature variations and other conditions that often happen in the UK.

As in most home improvement projects, defining scope is an important first step. What areas in your home are you interested in tiling? Laying out the results you are looking for will help you define the scope of your project – improved look and feel of your kitchen, less wear and tear of the kitchen countertop, damp proofing and moisture resistance, improved safety in the bathroom or fireplace are some of the reasons you may want to get your tiling job done. Knowing what you want and proper planning is the key to achieving the results you want.

Whether it is a kitchen splashback and countertop tiling project, or giving your bathroom and shower area a tiling uplift, following a few simple rules will go a long way in ensuring the success of your tiling project.

Decide on your tile design choice

There are many different types of tiles for wall tiling, floor tiling, porch and conservatory tiling and even swimming pool tiling. Whether you are looking for roof tiles in London, or basement tiles in Sheffield, your tiler will help you decide which tiles suit your purposes best. However, a little bit of research will mean you can ask the right questions of your tiler, and knowing what types of tiles work better for your tiling project will do you no harm in your discussions.

In colder climates, ceramic tile is preferred in entrances and foyers, corridors, bathrooms, kitchens and basements. In temperate and mostly in hot climates ceramic tiles may be used in living spaces such as family rooms and bedrooms advantageously, but these are not preferred tiling areas in the UK.

In bathrooms, vitreous and impervious tiles (non-absorbent tiles) are used most often. In other areas of the house where moisture and water absorption may be significant, such as basements, non absorbent tiles work better. Glazed and porcelain tiles are preferred in these circumstances.

Choosing your tile design can be fun, but there are wide variations in quality, size, weight, and of course, tile prices. Tiles have a lot of jargon associated with their classification, so read on below to make up your mind.

Ceramic Tiles

This is the most popular type of tile, and is in wide use in bathroom and kitchen wall tiling. You do have a choice between glazed or unglazed ceramic tile, although most people prefer glazed ceramic tiles within home improvement projects.

Quarry Tiles and Terracota Tiles

Made from earth or clay, these are amongst the most “traditional” tiles having been around for hundreds of years. Both terracotta tiles and quarry tiles are fired, and they work well on conservatories and kitchen areas. These tiles are thick and heavy and tend to be more expensive. In addition, they are porous and need to be fitted very well to avoid seepage, requiring more exacting labour and tooling.

Porcelain Tiles

These work best in wetrooms and bathrooms. Although they tend to be more expensive than basic ceramic tiles, they are quite cost effective as they are durable and very easy to maintain. They absorb less moisture than ceramic tiles and are very popular in home improvement jobs.

Mosaic Tiles

Mosaic looks beautiful, and can enhance the elegance of any living area or bathroom. However, as mosaics are small tiles by comparison, they require a lot of careful labour to get right. In general, the smaller the tile, the more the tiling price - mosaics can be expensive.

Marble tiles

Marble is about luxury – durable and hard-wearing it can resist natural forces such as heat, light, moisture and rough weather with ease. There are several types of marble tiles and they tend to be slightly different from each other, although all of them look classy. The one thing to watch out with marble tiles is their tendency to pick up discolouration from acids, food, oils and dust.

Stone Tiles

Stone tiles can come in a wide range – from granite to limestone to slate, they are all quarried and hardwearing. In general, granite is preferred for bathrooms as it is ultra-durable and impervious to water, although in a rough finish to avoid tripping. Slate tiles are used in roofing, but also for kitchen countertop and backsplash work, or around the fireplace hearthing.

Glass Tiles

Good looking, glass tiles blend well in the modern home. Durable, especially heavy glass tiles, they are easy to maintain and come in scratch proof varieties.

As you can see from above, there are several different tile design options available for you. If possible, always go with detailed advice from a professional tiler, who will be able to tell you what suits your requirements and price best.

Check to see if you need planning permission

Mostly, with internal jobs you will not need planning permission. However, if any of your changes affect boundary areas, walls and fences etc, you may need to consider discussing any changes with your neighbours. You should also check to see whether any of your changes require planning permission. If you are in any doubt, always check as early as you can with your local authority or use the planning portal, www.planningportal.gov.uk to start your research.

Buying your tiles and binding material

There are several different stores that will offer you tiles. You may want to buy the tiles yourself, or you may choose to ask your tiler to do the same. The advantage in asking your professional tiler to buy on your behalf is that you will gain from the quality choices made by a professional, but remember that this may not be at the best possible price that may be available to you.

These are a few stores where you can start your search:

• B&Q, stores and online center with their décor division (www.diy.com)
• Tile giant, ceramic tile merchants (www.tilegiant.co.uk)
• Topps tiles, tile specialists (www.toppstiles.co.uk)
• The tile depot, tile merchants (www.thetiledepot.co.uk)
• Johnson tiles, focused on kitchen and bathroom tiles (www.johnson-tiles.com)
• The Tile Association, if you are looking for specialist tiles (www.tiles.org.uk)

Remember this list is not exhaustive, but you will find them useful in understanding tile prices. Also remember that prices for tiles in London will be different from tiles in Glasgow or Doncaster. Visit both online tile stores and a high street tiler to compare and contrast.

Finding a good tiler in your area

Whether you are looking for a bathroom tiler in Birmingham or a kitchen tiler in London, getting a quality local tiler to do the job efficiently and well is particularly important, as a bad tiler can cause you a lot of damage. For example, you may have to replaster the walls if the wall plastering comes off along with the binding materials if the tile is ill-fitted and moisture seeps in. Or, if the tiles are not chosen or cut carefully, there may be cracks creating seepage and damp under the tiles, leading to slow erosion and damage of the underlying walls. There are three main factors you need to consider while choosing a tiler.

Tiler Qualifications

Tilers in the UK are not required to hold any qualifications to practice. This does not mean there are no professional tiling qualifications – a good tiler may have an NVQ or SVQ qualification or may have taken college courses to qualify in tiling. Often, a tiler would have undertaken apprenticeship, and you should find out how long the tiler has been in the trade. Websites like www.xpertfind.com will tell you very clearly what qualifications are in place, and how long the recommended tiler has been practicing. When engaging your tiler, ask for proof of qualifications they possess.

Tiler Portfolio

Most reputed tilers will have a portfolio of tiling projects they can share with you. With a website like xpertfind.com, you should be able to check prior testimonials and recent feedback that the tiler would have received. In addition, you can ask for references for past work, especially if it is a big tiling or flooring job that you are considering. Ask if the recommended tiler has photos of recent tiling jobs.

Discussions

Nothing beats having a good discussion with your future recommended tiler. Ask him or her questions such as how many tiles do you think they will need, what materials will they use especially for adhesives and grouting, and a detailed breakdown of their quote or estimate. Check and make sure you understand what the tooling costs are, as often tile fitting requires consumable blades which are used for cutting the tiles. Also ask if clearing up after the tiling job is included. In case any guarantees are provided by the professional tiler, ask for it to be provided in writing.

Hopefully that covers most areas which you may want to discuss with your tiler. Please always remember to get three quotes for tiling work as it is important to be able to compare quotes before committing to or accepting a quote.

Deciding on a tiling project price

The customer is expected to pay for all tiles and adhesives, so these are your primary material costs. In addition, there will be costs for consumables such as cutting blades, but these may be included in labour costs. Labour costs can vary widely, and can be anywhere from £40 per square meter to well beyond, depending on the number of tiles per square meter and the amount of preparation work required to the surface on which the tile is to be laid.

As usual, you should ask for a detailed breakdown of preparatory, material, labour, clean up and other costs. And of course, remember to check if VAT is included or not in the quote.

Xpertfind.com

Don’t forget xpertfind.com provides rating and feedback for all their tilers. If you decide to hire a local tiler or flooring specialist, make sure you shop around and obtain quotes from reputable professionals. xpertfind.com can help you get these quotes. xpertfind.com makes it quick and easy for customers to find local tiling specialist for a whole range of jobs and we have national coverage. So whether you are looking for tilers in Birmingham, tilers in Liverpool or tilers in Surrey, you can post your tiling job online and let us do the hard work of finding 3 local quality tilers who can provide you with quotes. Who you go with is your decision.