Achieving a neat, professional-looking finish to your tiling will all come down to the tools and materials you use, as well as the planning and preparation.
If you want to have the best result possible, you will need more than just tiles, adhesive and grout. So, to help guide you, we have created a list of all the essential tools and materials you should have to hand for a perfect installation process.
Tiling Protection
Safety goggles – when cutting your tiles, there may be a chance of a small piece breaking off and this has the potential to hit you in the eye making safety goggles an essential.
Knee pads – tiling isn’t a 5-minute job and your knees will start to hurt after a while!
Protective gloves – the tiles can be sharp after cutting so it’s best to protect your hands.
Tools For Tiling
Tape measure – remember to measure twice and cut once!
Pencil – to mark out where you need to cut.
A rubber mallet – to assist with pushing the tiles flat quickly and easily.
Chalk line – handy for creating lines over larger areas.
Trowel – for delivery of adhesive to the floor/wall.
Notched spreader – to allow for even distribution of adhesive.
Spirit level – for making sure the tiles are nice and level.
Flat bed tile cutter – this is a score and snap style tile cutter.
Electric wet tile cutter – this is a more powerful way to cut your tiles but is usually more expensive.
Tile nippers – use to break off small pieces of tile in a controlled fashion to create curved or straight cuts.
Tile file – use for smoothing out any rough or sharp edges to the tiles.
Grout Float – for the application of grout between your tiles.
Grout finishing tool – a tool for creating neat grout lines and removing excess grout.
Tile adhesive – there is a wide variety of adhesive available including, but not limited to, rapid-set, standard-set, flexible, super-grip, showerproof & mould-proof.
Tile grout – similar to tile adhesive, grout is also available in a wide variety depending on your specifications and colour. We stock a variety of tile grout and other paving products from Nexus.
Drill with mixer attachment (if being used) – you will need this if you are using an adhesive that needs to be mixed before application.
Silicone sealant – if you are installing tiles in a bathroom, you should seal around the edges to the tiles with silicone to prevent moisture from damaging them.
Miscellaneous
Your choice of tiles – arguably the most important part of tiling! Take a look at our porcelain tiles for inspiration.
Floor/Wall plan – having a drawn-out plan can be extremely helpful to refer to when installing tiles.
Bucket of water – very handy for cleaning up after yourself and quickly wiping up any accidents.
Dustpan and brush – you may have some small pieces of tile left behind after cutting which may be very sharp, so we don’t recommend picking up by hand.
Damp cloth – handy for wiping down any adhesion, grout or silicone.
Tile sponge – a big yellow sponge to quickly and easily wipe away any mess!
Tile spacers – to keep all the tiles neat and evenly spaced between each other.
Dry cloth – for wet cleanups.
Masking tape – for quick easy clean up of grout against flooring, baths, countertops etc.