How to Install Ceramic Tile in the Shower Area
Tile can often change the whole look of a bathroom. Using different colors, textures and arrangements of ceramic tiles can add to the beauty of your bathroom without adding to its cost. Tiling a shower can be done in just three days. And, you can use the same tiles and pattern as the rest of the bathroom or you can create a whole new look for the area. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sponge
- Level
- Sandpaper
- Chalk
- Mortar
- Thinset mortar
- Tile saw
- Grout
- Grout trowel
- Caulk gun
Instructions
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Measure the shower and calculate how much tile and material you will need. Check if your shower wall has a proper foundation for ceramic tile. If your shower wall is a drywall, it should be a waterproof or cement-based backer board.
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Prepare the walls for tiling. The walls should be clean of any debris, dirt or dust. Check if the walls are even. If they are not, use hard sandpaper to smooth the surfaces.
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Plan a layout for your tiles, especially if you have a particular pattern in mind. Sketch a layout grid on the wall with a chalk. The layout will help you when you install the tiles.
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4
Spread mortar across the wall using a thinset mortar. Start from the bottom of the wall and work your way up. Set the tiles on the wall. Place the tiles carefully on the wall. Make sure that they are positioned precisely. Use plastic x-shaped spacers if your tiles are not self-spaced. Cut the tiles with a tile saw if you need to fit smaller tiles to the wall. Continue spreading mortar and hanging tiles until you finish tiling the whole shower wall. Allow the mortar to set and harden and leave everything to dry for at least 12 hours.
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5
Apply grout in the spaces between the wall tiles with a bendable grout trowel. All the spaces should be completely filled with grout. Fill gaps between tiles, but skip the corners of the wall and the corners between the wall and the floor. This will allow all the walls to move, expand or contract over time without cracking along the grout lines. Again, let the whole shower area set and harden overnight.
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Fill the corners of the walls and the wall-floor corner with caulk using a caulk gun. Wait at least 5 days for the shower area to settle and harden before you use it.
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References
- Photo Credit shower image by Dragan Trifunovic from Fotolia.com
