Novice in need of help tiling!

[ConfusedTiler]

Hi
Just found this forum and thought it would be a good place to ask some questions for my first tiling job!
I have my kitchen fitted including floor tiling and after a bad experience with our builders I am left in a position where I need to tile the walls myself.
I have a few questions that need answering before I take on this task...

Firstly the tiles are roughly 20cm tall and 30cm wide (landscape - give or take a few cm) and the gap in which they are going between our worktop and cupboards is just under the height of two tiles on top of each other in a landscape position. However, we have a windowsill in the middle which is about a tile high and a few cm. We also have a slightly unleveled worktop.

We are left wondering whether we start the tiles at the windowsill level and cut a small sliver at bottoms of the tiles in order to keep the middle a straight line... or keep the tiles and the worktop straight (by starting the tiles on the worktop and working upwards) and have the cut tiles underneath the cupboards, leaving a small sliver at the top just before the windowsill...

Also where is the best place to start tiling from? The corners of the room or above the sink/hob ..... ??

Any advice anyone can offer would be a massive help

Thank you,

An extremely confused tiler!

[merlecollins]

Confusedtiler

Firstly - how far out of level is your worktop?
2ndly - are you just doing a splashback above the worktops or are you extending to elswhere in the room?
3rdly - are you using plastic/metal edge trim?
4thly - are you tiling the window sill?

[Tabby Cranks]

5thly are you a tiler?

[merlecollins]

ME????

Only for the last 20 odd years mate

Just read that back and realised you might be directing that question to Confusedtiler......

[wozza]

Firstly your units/tops should not be out if they are newly fitted. If the units are not too bad it is possible to adjust them slightly still if they are on legs.
Just my personal opinion but I would never cut tiles to the work surface it just looks wrong.
You need to work from the centre of your window, with the grout join being on the line or the cntre of a whole tile depending how the cuts all work out to the window, wall corner and sockets if pressent. Same if you have an extractor hood above your hob. Mark a centre line between wall units and work from that. Nothing worse than uneven cuts at such a focal point. Without pictures thats what I would go by.
Good luck.

[ringw]

Firstly your units/tops should not be out if they are newly fitted. If the units are not too bad it is possible to adjust them slightly still if they are on legs.
Just my personal opinion but I would never cut tiles to the work surface it just looks wrong.
You need to work from the centre of your window, with the grout join being on the line or the cntre of a whole tile depending how the cuts all work out to the window, wall corner and sockets if pressent. Same if you have an extractor hood above your hob. Mark a centre line between wall units and work from that. Nothing worse than uneven cuts at such a focal point. Without pictures thats what I would go by.
Good luck.

good advice thats the way to go

[Tabby Cranks]

ME????

Only for the last 20 odd years mate

Just read that back and realised you might be directing that question to Confusedtiler......

It was.
I get a bit precious about people using the term tiler in their title, even when it is prefixed by the word confused.

[ConfusedTiler]

Hi
Thanks very much for all your replies so far.
If i understand you (wozza) correctly it would be best to start a whole tile from the worktop upwards and then start the tiling outwards for the window and hob with either the tile in the centre or the grout line depending on the tiles reaching the corners. The worktop is very slightly out as are the walls by about 1cm along the length of the window sill, this is due to some bad kitchen fitting that im afraid will be hard to rectify due to plumbing, end panels, joints etc now in place.
I have attached 3 pictures which i hope will help, in some of the pictures you can see the tiles lined up against the wall to try and determine the best way they should go.
Would rectangular tiles generally be tiled horizontally or vertically? Ours have patterned lines running along the longer length of the tile.
As you may have guessed im not a tiler and im sorry if i have offended anyone by using this title, i am however very confused...
Thanks again for your help!

[ConfusedTiler]

sorry got caught up adding photos and posted prematurely

To answer Merlecollins
1. about 1cm over the length of the windowsill so a few over the length of the worktop i would imagine but where its easily noticeable is the windowsill.
2. We are planning on tiling from the worktop to the under of the cupboards the full length of the worktop and up to the underside of the extractor fan (see pictures)
3. Hadn't planned on either to be honest
4. Tiling the windowsill was the plan. Unless there is a better way???

Thanks

[Dave]

Nice kitchen..

You could actually build the cill height up a bit to give a larger cut tile...

Centre the cooker area and window area either from a grout joint or tile centre..which ever gives the best size cuts to the sides of the units and reveals also take into account the corners if a silly small cut lands there...it needs to look pleasing to the eye..

We knew you wern't actually a trained tiler ...so don't worry about comments above..from newer members.

We are a tile advice site for DIY and Trade..so all are welcome..

[Richardk]

Its a matter of personal preference but if it were me I'd fix them landscape. You could increase the size of the thin cut under the cill by dot n dabbing some plasterboard onto the cill, levelling it up at the same time. Setting out is an important first step. Take each wall in isolation. As has been said, mark a centre line under the hob and with a grout line on this c/l, see how the cuts will be at each end of the wall, up the sides of the wall units, and at the sockets. If too many awkward cuts, set out from a half tile on the c/l and see if its any better. Do the same for the window wall.

[diamondtiling]

Hi welcome to the forum, that is a big tile that you have chosen for those splashbacks, putting it the way you have in picture 1 will give you a small slither cut under your window which wont look good, there is nothing wrong with cutting tiles to a work surface so long as there is not a major fall to the worktop it self. The tops not being level is not good enough, you should get the fitters back and rectify the problem because its causing you a problem now. I would try and have nearly half a tile on the work top, a full one and then the cut to the cupboards, having said that I would not have had great big tiles like yours. Can you not get the fitter back, it should not have any impact on plumbing or electrics and if it does then thats their problem.

[diamondtiling]

Tiling the cills is fine, as answer above, you can get that level yourself with some plasterboard.
Keep asking questions and you will get all the constructive help you need.

[diamondtiling]

5thly are you a tiler?

There are many people that use the forum for help that are not tilers, if it was just for tilers it would be a less interesting place to be. Joe public does not always know how to set out or what adhesives and grout to use. The forum answers their questions in a constructive and polite manner. We want them to stay here and enjoy the advice that's offered, We don't want to scare them off.

[wozza]

Hi
Thanks very much for all your replies so far.
If i understand you (wozza) correctly it would be best to start a whole tile from the worktop upwards and then start the tiling outwards for the window and hob with either the tile in the centre or the grout line depending on the tiles reaching the corners. The worktop is very slightly out as are the walls by about 1cm along the length of the window sill, this is due to some bad kitchen fitting that im afraid will be hard to rectify due to plumbing, end panels, joints etc now in place.
I have attached 3 pictures which i hope will help, in some of the pictures you can see the tiles lined up against the wall to try and determine the best way they should go.
Would rectangular tiles generally be tiled horizontally or vertically? Ours have patterned lines running along the longer length of the tile.
As you may have guessed im not a tiler and im sorry if i have offended anyone by using this title, i am however very confused...
Thanks again for your help!

Yes you understand correctly about the reference points.
Right!! 10mm out on the run is outragous and the fitters ( term used loosley) have made more work. If you just go off the work top without cutting it will show up out in other areas. Your tile is 20cm in landscape so in this instance I'd mark a datum line round the walls 18cm up from the lowest part off the worktop. Then cut the tiles down from this line, this will lead to cutting 1cm off a tile at the worst point and wont be noticable. Then as said pack the window cill up which now gives you a slightly larger piece to cut there, it will look better.
Hope this makes sence.

[mhtiler]

have you thought about having the tiles the other way,heightways,that will solve your sill problem.although with the size of your tiles i think the way your putting them is a better look.each to their own though,all down to preference choice.although the worktops are out(crap fitting)you need start at the lowest point then trim the rest to suit.a nice clean line of silicone will cover any cut edges,if there are no big chips.

[jay]

[ConfusedTiler]

Thanks so much for all your replies, great idea about raising the windowsill, hadn't thought about that and I think that'll be the way forward! Unfortunately we had builders who turned out to be rather dodgy, which is the reason we are in this position and there is no chance of getting them back to fix the appalling job they have done!!

We had thought about having the tiles upright but then we are left with a small part of the tile under the cupboards, I do agree that the size of the tile isn't ideal, but they look nice

Great ideas though, thank you

A slightly less confused tiler !!

[Daz]

Nice kitchen..

You could actually build the cill height up a bit to give a larger cut tile...

Centre the cooker area and window area either from a grout joint or tile centre..which ever gives the best size cuts to the sides of the units and reveals also take into account the corners if a silly small cut lands there...it needs to look pleasing to the eye..

...there is nothing wrong with cutting tiles to a work surface so long as there is not a major fall to the worktop it self. The tops not being level is not good enough, you should get the fitters back and rectify the problem because its causing you a problem now. I would try and have nearly half a tile on the work top, a full one and then the cut to the cupboards...

Hi & welcome.
Good advice above.

Build the window cill up & cut a tile to the work surface as well as the underside of cupboards.

I would probably suggest using a powdered adhesive that you mix yourself, too, as a ready mixed (dispersion) adhesive will take some time to properly dry with that size of tile.

Good luck and don't forget to post some pics of the finished job

[incetilingltd]

Hi and to the forum it may have been mentioned before but as the tiles are quite big and if i was doing the job i would firstly look at the hieght of the sockets (Hopefully they are all level with each other)

I would maybe look at setting out the top of tile to the top of socket so that it iliminates any horrible cuts through the middle of the tile as you may have to disconnet sockets to fit.

If you run either a laser or pencil level line around the top of the socket box and then use that to check how the cuts work with window and worktop and under the units
centre the window and use chrome trim to the exposed cut edges at the top.

Nice tiles and will look great!!

[Phil Hobson]

Some good advice above, hope you get sorted. If you are unsure about anything, mid-job just ask again. There are a few thousand years of experiance on this forum