Novice in need of help tiling!

[ConfusedTiler]

Hi
Just found this forum and thought it would be a good place to ask some questions for my first tiling job!
I have my kitchen fitted including floor tiling and after a bad experience with our builders I am left in a position where I need to tile the walls myself.
I have a few questions that need answering before I take on this task...

Firstly the tiles are roughly 20cm tall and 30cm wide (landscape - give or take a few cm) and the gap in which they are going between our worktop and cupboards is just under the height of two tiles on top of each other in a landscape position. However, we have a windowsill in the middle which is about a tile high and a few cm. We also have a slightly unleveled worktop.

We are left wondering whether we start the tiles at the windowsill level and cut a small sliver at bottoms of the tiles in order to keep the middle a straight line... or keep the tiles and the worktop straight (by starting the tiles on the worktop and working upwards) and have the cut tiles underneath the cupboards, leaving a small sliver at the top just before the windowsill...

Also where is the best place to start tiling from? The corners of the room or above the sink/hob ..... ??

Any advice anyone can offer would be a massive help 🙂

Thank you,

An extremely confused tiler!

 

[merlecollins]

:welcome:Confusedtiler

Firstly - how far out of level is your worktop?
2ndly - are you just doing a splashback above the worktops or are you extending to elswhere in the room?
3rdly - are you using plastic/metal edge trim?
4thly - are you tiling the window sill?

 

[Tabby Cranks]

5thly are you a tiler?

 

[merlecollins]

ME????:yikes:

Only for the last 20 odd years mate:mad2:

Just read that back and realised you might be directing that question to Confusedtiler......

 

[wozza]

Firstly your units/tops should not be out if they are newly fitted. If the units are not too bad it is possible to adjust them slightly still if they are on legs.
Just my personal opinion but I would never cut tiles to the work surface it just looks wrong.
You need to work from the centre of your window, with the grout join being on the line or the cntre of a whole tile depending how the cuts all work out to the window, wall corner and sockets if pressent. Same if you have an extractor hood above your hob. Mark a centre line between wall units and work from that. Nothing worse than uneven cuts at such a focal point. Without pictures thats what I would go by.
Good luck.

 

[ringw]

Firstly your units/tops should not be out if they are newly fitted. If the units are not too bad it is possible to adjust them slightly still if they are on legs.
Just my personal opinion but I would never cut tiles to the work surface it just looks wrong.
You need to work from the centre of your window, with the grout join being on the line or the cntre of a whole tile depending how the cuts all work out to the window, wall corner and sockets if pressent. Same if you have an extractor hood above your hob. Mark a centre line between wall units and work from that. Nothing worse than uneven cuts at such a focal point. Without pictures thats what I would go by.
Good luck.

good advice thats the way to go

 

[Tabby Cranks]

ME????:yikes:

Only for the last 20 odd years mate:mad2:

Just read that back and realised you might be directing that question to Confusedtiler......

It was.
I get a bit precious about people using the term tiler in their title, even when it is prefixed by the word confused.

 

[ConfusedTiler]

Hi
Thanks very much for all your replies so far.
If i understand you (wozza) correctly it would be best to start a whole tile from the worktop upwards and then start the tiling outwards for the window and hob with either the tile in the centre or the grout line depending on the tiles reaching the corners. The worktop is very slightly out as are the walls by about 1cm along the length of the window sill, this is due to some bad kitchen fitting that im afraid will be hard to rectify due to plumbing, end panels, joints etc now in place.
I have attached 3 pictures which i hope will help, in some of the pictures you can see the tiles lined up against the wall to try and determine the best way they should go.
Would rectangular tiles generally be tiled horizontally or vertically? Ours have patterned lines running along the longer length of the tile.
As you may have guessed im not a tiler and im sorry if i have offended anyone by using this title, i am however very confused...:rolleyes5:
Thanks again for your help!

 

[ConfusedTiler]

sorry got caught up adding photos and posted prematurely 😳

To answer Merlecollins
1. about 1cm over the length of the windowsill so a few over the length of the worktop i would imagine but where its easily noticeable is the windowsill.
2. We are planning on tiling from the worktop to the under of the cupboards the full length of the worktop and up to the underside of the extractor fan (see pictures)
3. Hadn't planned on either to be honest
4. Tiling the windowsill was the plan. Unless there is a better way???

Thanks

 

[DHTiling]

Nice kitchen..

You could actually build the cill height up a bit to give a larger cut tile...

Centre the cooker area and window area either from a grout joint or tile centre..which ever gives the best size cuts to the sides of the units and reveals also take into account the corners if a silly small cut lands there...it needs to look pleasing to the eye..

We knew you wern't actually a trained tiler ...so don't worry about comments above..from newer members.

We are a tile advice site for DIY and Trade..so all are welcome..