Uneven Large Format Tiles - Tile Advice

[Uberbeck]

Hi,

I am new to tiling and would like some advise on how to keep large format tiles flat and even on the wall. I am currently installing large format porcelain tiles to a bathroom wall that bows out in the middle and dips back in one of the corners (makes the tiles bumpy). It is an old house and nothing in it is straight.

I have tried levelling clips but this sometimes pulls the corners of the tiles off the wall.

Does anyone have any advise or tips on how to keep my tiles relatively flat?

 

[GoneGuy]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
If it wae I would have overboarded the wall with a water proof/resistant board to make it flat.

 

[Old Mod]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

New to Tiling, how new?
Large format?
What size are you talking about?

 

[Uberbeck]

Hi,

I am fresh out of the UK pro tiling course and this is my fifth job, the rest have been floors. The tiles are 600x300 and I have a couple more bathrooms to do with the same size tiles.

 

[One Day]

They're very much normal size nowadays! Simple answer to your question is the substrate needs to be flat to begin with.
The only two alternatives are building out with loads of adhesive, or having really uneven tiling.

 

[Uberbeck]

Yeah, have done plenty of building out and used a ton of adhesive, found it quite time consuming.

 

[Uberbeck]

Thanks for the replies, if I overboard should I be using backer board? That applied like plaster board?

 

[GoneGuy]

That’s personal choice as some like to use moisture resistant and tank in wet areas ( around baths and showers ) and others like to use tile backer boards and also tank etc.
It depends on cost as well

 

[Flintstone]

Your quickly learning that building out is a pain, it’s difficult and takes a long time, and it’s not best practice. Get the prep right and the tiling will be much easier. Either over board the wall, or skim out the low areas with rapidset