Tile layout in bathroom

United road

I know that vertically along the bath i lay out the tiles in such a way that i try to have a half cut tile or more on the left of the row and the right of the row of tiles. - no small slithers,
But what is the case horizontally?
I am tiling the bathroom and floor at the weekend - 1st time trying this, and want to get it looking perfect and impress people who see it!
I will start tiling above the bath (its level) but as i tile up the wall from the bath what is the look i need, do i have a half tile placed closest to the bath or to the ceiling?

Hope the question makes sense, im sure it will to any tilers out there!

Joey the lips

We need more information.

Whats your tile size.

Are you just putting a tile on the wall or is there a pattern to be followed.

Will you have a border or decour(picture) tile.

btw. I never rec working off the bath I measure one tile up and use a batton on the wall. Working off the bath is very tricky when your using buckets and i am guessing again your using buckets which is something i would not but each to there own.

Btw. I am not a tiler. I just employed tilers and know the work.

United road

Thanks for the info joey, size of tile will be 60 x 30, maybe 60 x 40.
There is no pattern to follow, just simply tiling in a brick style finish on a flat stud wall.
There will be no boarder or picture tiles used at all.
Take your point re the batton off the bath.
So i am clear. You suggest putting tile on bath and batton at top of this tile and start there? I guess i see why and it does make sense.

Forgive me, but you mention buckets and i do not know what you mean?

Joey the lips

United road wrote: »

Thanks for the info joey, size of tile will be 60 x 30, maybe 60 x 40.
There is no pattern to follow, just simply tiling in a brick style finish on a flat stud wall.
There will be no boarder or picture tiles used at all.
Take your point re the batton off the bath.
So i am clear. You suggest putting tile on bath and batton at top of this tile and start there? I guess i see why and it does make sense.

Forgive me, but you mention buckets and i do not know what you mean?

Yes put the tile on the bottom of the bath and make sure the batton starts off just before the start of the next tile.

You will also need to check the tiles are not bowed. This happens with a lot of the cheap porcelain. If this is the case then it is not suitable for brick pattern. Lay one pce on the kitchen table and make sure it is flat from front to back.


Buckets refere to ready made adhesive. These are not rec on 60x30 tiles and most likely you will be using cream porcelain so make sure you get flex white adhesive and flexi grout.

You can buy an adhesive mixer in any tool shop and attach it to the bottom of your drill.

United road

Thanks joey. Going to mix my own and not buy ready mix, seems cheaper this way.
Nervous about doing the job but excited at the same time!
Had a cheapest price of €750 to tile the bathroom. Its so expensive that it makes you keen to try yourself as it would be a huge saving.

paddy147

Mixer tool in Aldi for 3 euro.:D

paddy147

If you put a border in,then it will break up the wall space/bathroom space and make it seem a little bigger too.
You could add in some chrome edgeing trim around the window reveal,to give a bit of contrast too.


Just my 2 cents worth though.

paddy147

Oh and dont forget to make an access panel for the bath,so that you can gain access to the bath taps underneath,if ever you want/need to change the bath taps.

United road

100% with you on chrome trim for window!
Not going with any boarders, well the boss girl aint so i will do what im told.
Nice pics btw, job done well so it looks fantastic.
Had thought of bath panel too and have a plan for that so im feeling good as i head in to this job!
Oh gotta go............ On my way to Aldi now:-)
(im on a budget)

paddy147

United road wrote: »

100% with you on chrome trim for window!
Not going with any boarders, well the boss girl aint so i will do what im told.
Nice pics btw, job done well so it looks fantastic.
Had thought of bath panel too and have a plan for that so im feeling good as i head in to this job!
Oh gotta go............ On my way to Aldi now:-)
(im on a budget)

Well best of luck and hope all goes well for you.:)

Be sure to drop back here and update us.;)

United road

Many thanks paddy and joey, will keep you posted!!

United road

Fantastic!
Picked up all the tools i will need for the tiling job! I was with the wife when she picked the tiles so knew what to get for the job!
Get in from work tonight and tiles are delivered! Not what we agreed on! Turns out she changed her mind! (to be fair the new ones look really slick) No bother here really only that having tested my tile cutter it is now of no use, these tiles are 9mm thick porcelain!!
So i have searched for a wet saw to do the job, nothing fancy needed, but no joy! Anyone recommend one in woodies, b&q so on!!
Thought these were easy to find and circa €40 - €50!! Am i deluded??

Joey the lips

United road wrote: »

Fantastic!
Picked up all the tools i will need for the tiling job! I was with the wife when she picked the tiles so knew what to get for the job!
Get in from work tonight and tiles are delivered! Not what we agreed on! Turns out she changed her mind! (to be fair the new ones look really slick) No bother here really only that having tested my tile cutter it is now of no use, these tiles are 9mm thick porcelain!!
So i have searched for a wet saw to do the job, nothing fancy needed, but no joy! Anyone recommend one in woodies, b&q so on!!
Thought these were easy to find and circa €40 - €50!! Am i deluded??

Firstly before you even consider this lay 2 or 3 tiles on the kitchen table. Check to see of they are touching at one end and not in the middle or check if they are touching in the middle and not at the end.


To be honest and i know i will be shot for this wet saws are great but unless you are use to them they will stray. If it were me i would be using an angle grinder goggles and keep the cuts to the edge where they will be well hid by silicone.

A good wet saw is not cheap.

Gary Busey

I agree with the grinder, i only ever use a 4 inch grinder with goggles. You can make a wood and ply jig to hold the tile and also use a straight edge for cutting.

Not sure if others use this method but it works for me.

Best of luck with your job, oh and remember not to bite off more than you can chew when applying adhesive. Spread enough for 2 tiles at a time and only mix up enough for 2-3 rows at a time.

Also keep the adhesive out of sunlight as it hardens very fast if you do.

Make sure the adhesive is mixed thick enough so it stays put on an upside down trowel.

When grouting, the the mixture is much thinner, make sure you press into joints diagnally and if you want it to go off quickly you can use warm water. This may not be a good idea for a first timer though.

Also Before you do anything, as stated above........check for warps in the tile and also remove loose paint on your wall if any.

If your tiling on paintwork then score the wall with a flat head screwdriver diagnally both ways.

You also may want to use a tanking system around the bath edges, its expensive stuff but it stops leaky baths.

My opinion anyway so again, best of luck;)

United road

Thank you all for the help! This is a great help. Think i will go with the grinder, i have one already, sure if it dont work i can change to wet saw, but thanks for all the advice guys.

paddy147

United road wrote: »

Thank you all for the help! This is a great help. Think i will go with the grinder, i have one already, sure if it dont work i can change to wet saw, but thanks for all the advice guys.

Safety glasses,dust mask and ear plugs.;)

Take your time too,dont rush it.

If you have a spare tile or 2,or even an old tile floating around then have a practice go 1st.

Practice makes perfect...:)