How To Hack Your Next Tiling Project

Thinking about tackling a tile project yourself? DIY tiling can be a huge money saver but only if you go in with the right tips and tools. Whether you’re dreaming of a fresh new kitchen backsplash or gearing up for a full bathroom overhaul, I’ve rounded up my go-to advice along with some of the most helpful resources and products I’ve used for my projects. These tips are hard earned (trust me, I’ve made the mistakes so you don’t have to), and they’ll help you start your project with confidence, and maybe you’ll even have a little fun along the way.

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Projects You Might Find Helpful

Bathroom Floor

Full Bathroom Makeover

Kitchen Backsplash

Laundry Room Backsplash

Tools + Materials

Tools

Materials

1. Plan Your Layout

Before you really get started with any tile project it’s a good idea to do a dry run and get a feel for how things will fit. Here are a few ways I prep my layout.

First, when I’m using a tile that has color variation I like to open all of the boxes and color match the different shades. This way I can randomize the coloring as much as possible and if there’s one box that has sort of different coloring it will get mixed in and you won’t get any weird sections that don’t match.

Another thing I like to do is plan the spacing out before I adhere anything to my surface. For my kitchen backsplash I wanted the tiles to be symmetrical around the window frame, so I started the pattern centered behind the faucet rather than from the far right or left. Planning the layout this way can not only keep things looking balanced but it can also help you avoid any weird cuts when you get to the edge of your space or to a feature you need to work around.

With my bathroom floor running a dry fit helped plan for the cuts I needed to make around the drain.

Tile spacers also make aligning the tiles so much simpler. Unless you’re going for crooked lines you definitely want to use tile spacers.

2. Prep Your Surface

As much as I always want to dive right into a project it’s so important to properly prep your space and surfaces before getting tiles placed. For the kitchen backsplash project this entailed covering the counters and priming the walls.

For our bathroom floor it was installing plywood subfloor to create a solid and level surface to build on top of.

Then after a lot of research we decided to use a membrane on top of that subfloor to ensure the bathroom would be waterproof and the tiles would stay in place. Depending on your specific project and situation this may or may not be something you also want to use, but it’s worth doing the research.

You’ll want to apply your adhesive directly to the primed wall or floor with the flat side of your trowel and then switch to the groove side to add the grooves. I also like to back butter my larger tiles just to ensure that I’ve got enough adhesive on the tile before placing it. The last thing anyone wants is for tiles to be falling off the kitchen walls while your cooking.

3. Get the Right Tools

The tile saw was actually one of the first tools my dad taught me to use so it’s a special tool for me. Having it setup on my deck made it super easy to make cuts when I needed to.

I also got a lot of use out of an angle grinder with a diamond cuting disc. These were essential for making the rounded cuts for around the drain.

4. Use a Level

Make sure to check your alignment with a level often. Walls and floors are rarely truly square so use a level to make sure your rows stay straight, even a tiny tilt can become very noticeable over a long run.

5. Take Your Time with Grout

After allowing your tile adhesive to dry for the recommended length of time you’ll want to remove your tile spacers and prep your tiles for grout. Using a tile cleaner will remove any adhesive from the tile surface.

Before starting the grouting process you’ll want to make sure that all of your compound lines are nice and clean with enough room for the grout to sit in between each tile without any compound peeking through.

You can use a grout saw to literally saw away any of the compound that is sticking up too high or sticking to any of the tiles.

Be sure to get the dust cleaned up with a shop vac.

The prep work for the grouting is a lot of the process here. If you want more specifics on grouting be sure to check out my bathroom floor video where I go into all of the details, but in general you want to work in small areas so it doesn’t dry too fast and on the last pass angle your grout float at a 45 degree angle.

Keep a wet sponge nearby to clean up as you go.

After about a day you’ll want to go back in with tile cleaner and clean up that grout haze to give your grout lines a crisp pop.

Whether you’re updating a backsplash or redoing an entire floor, tiling can be a truly rewarding DIY project. With the right preparation and a bit of patience you can really take your space to the next level. I hope these tips help you feel more confident and better equipped to take it on. With a clear plan, the proper tools, and attention to detail, you’ll end up with a beautiful, lasting result you can be proud of. Happy DIYing friends!