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Original poster

DIY - Tiling a bathroom

31 replies

suzywong · 15/10/2005 15:20

hello

has anyone done this themselves? Is it best left to a man in a white van with his bum crack on display or do you think a relatively handy lady could do it? And if so do you know any good websites that show a lady how?

and can I defrost lamb mince in the bath ?

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 15/10/2005 15:34

If you are reasonably good at working carefully eg measuring, cutting and simple calculations and a neat and methodical worker you will do it easily and probably better than a tiler working to time

so do it yourself

Original poster
suzywong · 15/10/2005 15:39

have you done it zippity?

I have some outrageous 1960s plastic, yes plastic, grey and maroon tiles on the walls already adn I think the stuff they were fixed on with will need sanding down first, does that sound te right thing to do?

OP posts:
amynnixmum · 15/10/2005 15:43

I'd do it myself. You'll need to get the surface smooth and dustfree before you put the new tiles up so that they stick properly and evenly on the wall.

lamb mince?

zippitippitoes · 15/10/2005 15:47

the better surface you have to work on the better the finished result will be, also needs enough key to fix to..something like unibond can go on first if the surface won't accept adhesive

you need the right kind of tile adhesive depending on the type of tiles you're putting on and the right grout depending on the spaces between the tiles, machine tiles need less space than hand made thick tiles ..work from a centre plumb line but also check where your cuts will be..the wall will probably go out of true if in a corner or an older building etc and you need to check what the final result will be

I've done some but dp has done more neither of us with any prior experience

Original poster
suzywong · 15/10/2005 15:52

oooooooooo

how exciting! thanks for the advice, I'm getting very excited about this, I like a bit of DIY, I am currently stripping the lounge room wallpaper, it's a kind of woven rafia affair with faux wood vinyl underneath.

i will be resurrecting this thread as I get stuck in to the job

I figured out that threads about defrosting meat always get about 40+ answers usually

OP posts:
hunkerpumpkin · 15/10/2005 15:53

Defrost the tiles on a large plate under the loo seat, resting on the pedestal mat.

Or something.

juice · 15/10/2005 16:02

suzy, if you got a topps tiles near you , go in and aask for one of their videos or dvds on how to tile. they are very good. also give their website a go as it may well show you some tips. be sure to get the correct adhesive and grout if it is in a shower area and especially if in a power shower. if you buy your tiles form topps they will also offer a tile cutting service if you have any annoying cuts to do as long as you mark them out first.

kid · 15/10/2005 16:09

tiling is quite easy. I did some of our kitchen tiling but it took me ages. Infact, a year down the line and I still have another 15 or so tiles to do but they need cutting and I hate that part! Our bathroom might even get tiled one day!

We got the DVD from topps tiles but never even watched it. I'm sure you can do it yourself. Just remember to start from the middle and work your way outwards. It gives it an even finish rather than a small tile at one side and a full tile on the other side.

Maybe you can get a MNer to come and tile for you and throw in a free holiday for them!

Roobie · 15/10/2005 16:13

'They' do say that the best surface for laying tiles on is the pre-existing tiled surface - although I guess there would be a limit to how many times you could do this!

Original poster
suzywong · 15/10/2005 16:29

are you offering kid?, the weather is just starting to get warm too.

I don't live near a Topps Tiles, (I'm in Oz), we have "Bunnings"

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 15/10/2005 16:30

What sort of tiles are you having, suzy?

Original poster
suzywong · 15/10/2005 16:32

dunno yet,
not hand made, we are on a pretty tight budget.

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 15/10/2005 16:33

I think plain white is nice for bathrooms, and the cheapest

kid · 15/10/2005 16:35

I'd love to come and visit and tile your bathroom for you, but I hear the spiders there are HUGE! So I'll give it a miss if its okay with you!

Original poster
suzywong · 15/10/2005 16:39

yes there are some big mo fo spiders here that's for sure

Yes I think white too, I wish you could see these plastic marroon ones, and the sind and bath are ...... yellow

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eidsvold · 16/10/2005 01:11

hey suzy at least your sink and bath are not PINK

you can do it - it is all in the preparation... am sure bunnings or one of those would have something to help with tiling.'

What about a tile shop - they might have a video/DVD to help with it.

Gudonya for doing some DIY - Dh and I are slowly getting this house into shape.

Original poster
suzywong · 16/10/2005 02:11

hi eids

I love Bunnings, as you know, they even havea cafe and huge penned off kids playground

Pink....nice. I had Avocado in London. There should definitely be a rule; white ceramics only in bathrooms

OP posts:
eidsvold · 16/10/2005 09:33

our bathroom is the original onep ut in when the house was built in 1969 so I can be forgiven for the colour scheme. Bathroom is our big project - total renovation and white ceramic definitely!!

Original poster
suzywong · 16/10/2005 09:52

I can top trump that.....1958! and you know that is a grade 1 listed antique in these parts.

We are going to do a pergola too, I think we are the only people in Perth without one

OP posts:
eidsvold · 16/10/2005 09:59

we had yellow in our UK house - both in ensuite and main bathroom.

eidsvold · 16/10/2005 10:01

that will be fab - we have a back deck as we have a high set house and we live on it in the summer... have a pergola-ey area out from the downstairs where we hope to put a BBQ.

1958 - would be fab!!

SueW · 16/10/2005 10:02

It might be easier to tile over the existing tiles than to remove them if they are well fixed to the wall. We had to do that with our bathroom in London where all four walls were tiled top to bottom.

Original poster
suzywong · 16/10/2005 10:07

actually SueW, they original plastic tiles are falling off, are not flat either, really it is not a pretty sight. We had top to bottom avocado tiles in our London rental flat, WTF was that fashion all about?

ooooooh you're decked are you, eids, how lovely, we are going to get someone to spray on a new surface for the red and grey patio tiles.

OP posts:
eidsvold · 16/10/2005 10:16

we are going to do a wet room look to our bathroom.... but hopefully will do a sandstone granitey look tile sort of thing!!

Decked we are!! Have just put fence palings around to stop two monkeys trying to climb as our railings go horizontal not vertical.

gingerbear · 16/10/2005 10:17

My SIL did a brilliant DIY job on her kitchen. Think her trick was to use an electric cutter for the tiles, not fannying about with scoring and snapping. Also, you need to start at the bottom in the middle, and work outwards and use a wooden batten as support.