One of the most popular options of home improvement is tiling and a lot of people these days are going for it to spruce up their home interiors and exteriors. But tiling projects are not without their challenges. As easy as it seems, there are some hiccups along the way that are more common than you know. So before you take on the task of installing ceramic tiles in the indoor or outdoor parts of your house, take a look at some of the common mistakes in the placement of ceramic tiles that botch up the whole job.
Starting on an Unprepared Surface
This may sound a little too amateurish for some, but often in their excitement, people miss out on the preparation part. When its ceramic tiles you are laying on a surface, the rule of thumb is to start with a clean and prepped up surface. You do not want to start the installation on a surface that is strewn with debris and dust. That can fail the entire endeavor. So before you start, make sure that you have chipped away the existing coating with the right tile installation tools and lay the bed ready for the tiles to go in. Always start with a smooth and clean foundation.
Use of Wrong Adhesive
In humid places like swimming pools and bathrooms, this is all the more relevant. The adhesive you use to lay your tiles makes all the difference in the effectiveness of the installation. The wrong adhesive can allow for water to seep through. This can result in crumbling after a period of time. So, you need to be extra careful when installing tiles in areas that are frequently exposed to moisture. Waterproof adhesives are the best options to make the seams impermeable . This is not waterproofed and does not require another “adhesive” to set tiles along with Laticrete tiling adhesive make the best choice for ceramic tiles.
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Leaving Excess Grout at the Seams
Amateur installers tend forget the clean-up part when installing ceramic tiles. The post-installation cleanup is equally important to the success of the job. Without a proper clean-up you may have grout protruding from the seams. However, luckily this negligence is easily fixable once the grout dries off. Just scraping the residual grout off the surface of the tiles takes care of the excess grout.
Dotting the Corners
Often people find that dotting the corners of the tiles with adhesive somehow results in better installation. It’s believed that this action makes the bond between tiles stronger and therefore help make the installation last. But in truth, this is not the case. In fact adding adhesive at the corners can cause the tiles to crack, given that epoxy resins have a tendency of contracting as they dry. Applying adhesive at the corners will make adhesive thicker in those parts and that can adversely put pressure on the tiles, leading them to crack easily.
Attending to the Mistakes a Tad Late
Last but not the least, getting even a little late to fix the problems can ruin the whole job. Seldom do first-time installations go perfectly. In other words, first time jobs are more likely to have imperfections than not, like an awkward spot here or an excess bit of grout there. But the problem is not these minor imperfections, but getting to them too late. So, what you want to do once the job is done is to get a look at the tiling results inside of 12 hours and fix whatever needs fixing.
