Step 2 – Fix a batten
- To create guides for positioning the tiles, nail wooden battens to the wall. This will also support the tiles until the adhesive sets.
- Before nailing them to the wall, check for hidden pipes or cables behind the wall.
- Take a 50x25mm batten and nail it into the wall with the top edge aligned with the horizontal pencil line. Check it’s straight with a spirit level.
- Nail on another batten ensuring it’s aligned with the vertical line.
- Leave the nail heads sticking out slightly so they are easier to take out later.
Step 3 – Laying the tiles
When you’re fitting the tiles ensure you lay them so the faces are level, if any of them aren’t it will spoil the overall effect. Lift any that are too high or low by adding or scraping away the adhesive as you go.
- Begin in the corner formed by the two wall battens. Scoop up some adhesive with a trowel and press it onto the wall. Spread it using horizontal strokes using a notched spreader. Hold the blade at a 45 degree angle. Avoid working on more than one square metre at a time, as the adhesive could start to harden.
- Place the first tile into the corner between the two battens and press the edges against them and the whole tile firmly against the wall. Next, add a tile above it and one next to it, space them by eye to begin with and push them firmly into the adhesive.
- Take some tiles spacers and position them into the angles between the tiles, adjust the tiles as and when needed. You can either push them in firmly and grout over them, or leave one leg of the spacer between two tiles and pull it out once the adhesive has set.
- Add more adhesive and tiles until you reach the point where you need to finish off with cut tiles. Wipe off any splashes of adhesive as you go with a damp cloth.
- Prise the nails out and remove the vertical batten. Remove any hardened adhesive with the edge of a scraper. Continue this process for the rest of the wall and finish the job off with cut tiles.
Step 4 – Tiling internal corners
- You may find the corners between the walls are rarely straight, so instead of cutting all the edge tiles the same size, measure up for each tile separately.
- Mark a tile for cutting by holding it over the last whole tile in the row, and then fit another against the wall – mark where it overlaps the one below with a felt tip pen. You could also take separate measurements at the top and bottom of the space you need to fill.
- Once you’ve cut the tile make sure it fits, any small adjustments can be made with a tile file. If you’re only tiling one wall, leave enough room for a grouted joint at the corner.
- To put adhesive on the back of a cut tile use the narrow end of a notched spreader. Press it into position so it’s level with the next one.
- Once you’ve completed one wall, move onto tile the next.
Step 5 – Let the tiles dry
Finally, let the tiles dry for 48 hours – this ensures the adhesive has bonded to the cement backer board.