1. Consider using a professional
Even if you’re a keen DIYer, there’s no shame in bringing in a professional to tile your kitchen. Remember that you’ll need to live with this kitchen for years to come - wonky tiles and grouting gaps will only drive you up the wall. For a perfect finish, it could be a worthwhile investment to use a skilled, experienced professional.
2. Don’t rush
While there’s a certain pressure to finish before adhesive or grouting starts to set, it’s better to take your time with tiling. Grouting in particular requires a degree of care and attention. And once it’s fully dry, that’s pretty much it – so it pays to get it right first time.
3. Always prepare the wall surface properly
Failing to prepare surfaces is one of the biggest mistakes you can make with kitchen tiling. But uneven surfaces covered in debris, lumpy plaster, protruding screws or nails can ruin the finish of your tiling project. As with all home improvement work, it pays to prepare properly.
4. Use waterproof, mould-resistant adhesive and grout
Kitchens are steamy, moist places, so when choosing adhesive and grout – treat it like a bathroom tiling project. Go for specialist kitchen tiling products and you’ll avoid problems with mould and tile slippage later on.
5. Plan out the pattern before starting
Dreaming of a beautiful herringbone design using metro tiles, or a particular sequence of patterns and colours? Plan it all out on the floor or worktop before you start. You can play with the pattern and get it just right. Plus, you can work out how many of each tile you’ll need.
6. Buy 10% more tiles than you think you need
Tiling projects nearly always have some wastage, usually during cutting. To prepare for this, a good rule of thumb is to buy 5-10% more tiles than you think you’ll need.
7. To tile or not to tile? Remember that tiles are easier to clean than paintwork
While it would be madness to tile floor-to-ceiling (unless you have your heart set on it), tiled areas are usually much more practical than paintwork. If it’s in a key ‘splatter zone’ near the hob, sink or food prep areas, go for tiles. They’re much easier to wipe down and look after.
8. Balance out colourful, patterned tiles with neutrals
You may love complex patterns and bright colours in your tiles, but be careful not to go overboard. To avoid a chaotic look, plan out which areas you’d like to make a feature of. For example, the splashback, or a small-medium section of wall tiles. Then you can keep other areas (including floor tiles) neutral.
9. Use spacers
Think you can tile evenly by eye? It’s actually really difficult to get straight lines and evenly spaced tiles, without using spacers, battens or at least a spirit level. Spacers are super cheap and easy to use, so it makes sense to get some.
Need help with tiling? As part of our professional kitchen fitting service, A&J Kitchens works with expert tilers and tradespeople – so that all parts of your project are completed to the same incredible standard. Get in touch to see how we can help you with picture-perfect kitchen tiling.