diy tiler needs advice

[tonysoprano]

hi everyone new to this site lookin for advice my mother in law asked me to tile her kitchen cos i done my bathroom i said ok no probs my bathroom was basic nice but basic tiles but she wants mosaics but never done even thought of this b4 but its just a simple round the cooker and what not can anyone give me advice about cuts round plugs i.e do you cut the back of the net to suit.
i would ever be grateful for your pro help and advice
thanks
paul aka tony soprano(my fav program and first name came to ma head)

 

[GazTech]

hi everyone new to this site lookin for advice my mother in law asked me to tile her kitchen cos i done my bathroom i said ok no probs my bathroom was basic nice but basic tiles but she wants mosaics but never done even thought of this b4 but its just a simple round the cooker and what not can anyone give me advice about cuts round plugs i.e do you cut the back of the net to suit.
i would ever be grateful for your pro help and advice
thanks
paul aka tony soprano(my fav program and first name came to ma head)

Yes Paul..cut the mesh for around sockets then pick off pieces and put them on seperately.....welcome to the forums btw....Gaz

 

[scrubmuncher]

Free the sockets and then replace with longer screws. I use my washboy with clingfilm wrapped around to set them, you could use any float you have, keep an eye on the adh, it can cause probs later if not cleaned out properly.

 

[DHTiling]

hello paul and welcome to forums...you will have to separate the sheets around any obstacles.
use your grout float to pat them on and wash any adhesive out of the joints as you go...dont press on to hard or the mosaics will move once the backing softens with the adhesive.....dave...


p.s....Good luck..

 

[brian c]

especially for mosaics as the adhesive seeps through mesh if pushed in too far,the walls should be as flat as possible otherwise you will be giving yourself a headache,trust me!

 

[enduro]

Use a 4mm trowel for putting adhesive on the walls, you will probably have to get some 50mm screws for the power sockets as the ones in it probably not be long enough when u put the tiles behind.

 

[tonysoprano]

thanks guys great advice but where would you normally start from bottom upwards and off a baton to keep it stright??am not bad at tiling but this is a whole new ball game!!

 

[GazTech]

thanks guys great advice but where would you normally start from bottom upwards and off a baton to keep it stright??am not bad at tiling but this is a whole new ball game!!

No need for battens Paul...just use the worktops as your starting point.....and tile upwards....Gaz

 

[tonysoprano]

thanks gaz m8 take it you work 4 topps think thats were she is getting her suff from whats the best ad/grout searchin bal website they designed there on mosiac adhesive is that the best to use

 

[GazTech]

Either Bal white star ready mixed or if mosaic is glass then Bal Mosaic fix powdered adh....Gaz

 

[tonysoprano]

brill guys thanks alot for the advice if theres any handy tips anyone can give me plz plz dont hold back!!website is brill guys thanks again 4 the advice top notch

 

[Fekin]

Just one tip springs to mind with doing mosaics, watch out for badly prepped walls.

If the walls are not even, and have deepish bumps and dents, a mosaic mesh will follow all the contours of the walls, so if you go over a sunken area, the mosaic meshed tile will also follow the depression, so you end up seeing the flow and bumps in the tiling.

Where as if you were using say 20x20 ceramics, you can always overcome some problems like this by adding a bit more adhesive "packing out" to allow for the depression, so the tile lays flat\even on a un-even wall, but doing this with a mosaic mesh is a heck of a lot harder, so more wall preparation could be needed.

 

[tonysoprano]

can i just ask whats the best method of checkin this i know she has just replastered them will i need to prime it and whats the best??sorry 4 being a pain in the *** but really interested in this now think i would like to do it 4 a living maybe do a weeks course or more

 

[Fekin]

I use a 5ft spirit level, just place the level to the walls at various places and you'll see where the spirit level meets the wall, and where the wall is more shallow and isn't touching the level.

Or a long piece of "flat\even\straight" wood... anything that you know for sure is propper straight\even.

If you use a cementous based adhesive then you will need to prime the walls first because the chemical compounds on plaster react to the chemical compounds in cement based adhesives and they don't like to bond to eachother too well.

Any form of acrylic primer will do as far as Im concerned, but other will have their favorites.

 

[IvegotsTILE]

Just make sure you don't miss The Sopranos tonight cause theres only a few episodes left:icon9: .Best TV drama of all time.