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Tiling from all around the world


3 Essential Tiling Tools For Your DIY Tile Flooring Project

Australians love their DIY projects. Not only can you save a considerable amount of money on the cost of contractors, but you can also experience the feelings of pride and satisfaction which are achieved by beautifying and improving your home yourself. Tiling the bathroom or kitchen floor are jobs that are often undertaken by DIY enthusiasts.

Tiling is fairly simple in comparison with other remodelling jobs and involves no structural, electrical, or plumbing knowledge. A steady hand and a few basic tiling tools are all that is required to create a beautiful and professional-looking tiled floor. Here are the three essentials you'll need to complete your bathroom or kitchen floor.

1. A tiler's trowel

Part of creating a professional finish to your tile floor is ensuring that the tiles are level with each other and parallel with the floor, or in other words, getting the foundation right. This means having a smooth, even layer of adhesive to fix your tiles to the floor.

The simplest way to achieve this is to use a tiler's trowel. This is a simple and inexpensive tool that's very easy to use. It's essentially a flat piece of timber or metal with a handle that allows you to spread the adhesive over the floor using sweeping motions.

2. Tile cutter and nippers

Possibly the trickiest part of laying a tile floor is when you need to cut tiles to fit tight spaces or to lay the edge of the floor where a whole tile won't fit. Many people feel daunted by this, but two simple and inexpensive tools will help you to get it right without sacrificing too many tiles to accidental breakage.

A tile cutter is perfect for cutting straight edges on tiles. Make sure you score the tile first with the cutting blade, which will mean the tile breaks neatly and exactly where it's meant to. The nippers are used for creating a curved shape so that tiles can fit around circular objects such as toilet cisterns. Again, make sure you score the tile with a knife before beginning to snip out the circular shape.

3. A spirit level

As was mentioned earlier, keeping the tiles level is one of the keys to producing a tiled floor that looks professional and aesthetically pleasing. The simplest way to ensure that the tiles stay even as you lay them is to use a spirit level.

There are many high-tech levels available on the market, such as laser levels. These are amazing, yet they also come with a hefty price tag. A simple builder's spirit level will work perfectly well for a one-off tiling job. These are cheap, readily available, and will come in handy for many other DIY jobs in the future.

Tiling your own floor can be a rewarding and money-saving DIY job. With these three essential tools, you can create a professional quality floor with minimum financial outlay.

About Me

Tiling from all around the world

Tiling is used in all sorts of houses and structures around the world. I find it really intriguing to look at the different effects that you can achieve with the same technique, from simple and modern floors to intricate designs that mimic paintings and other designs. I have taken a selection of photos as I've travelled around the world and found tiling that is beautiful and unique. On this blog I show these pictures of different tiling installation as well as a brief description of where I saw them, the materials used and any information I know about the installation techniques used.

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