Frequently asked questions

How many tiles do I order?
We would normally recommend ordering around 5-10% extra, this allows for cutting wastage and breakages.

Why do tile prices vary so much when I look around?
Prices vary hugely dependent on what the tiles are made of, their quality and their country of origin. The better factories have their own laboratories to test and create amazing natural effects. They tend to invest heavily in new machinery to produce these effects which of course is reflected in the finished price. Tiles can be hand made or hand painted. Quality control and transportation costs can also be a factor with tiles; for example 20 Sq.Mtrs of some flooring can weigh up to half a ton.

How do I know how many tiles I need?
Don't worry, bring in your measurements in either cm/metres or feet/inches and we will work out what you need.

What happens if I have any tiles left over?
In most cases tiles can not be returned if ordered in for you, however it's always a good idea to keep a few spares should you have any alterations (new plug socket, different shower, new windows fitted etc).

Can you arrange a tiler to fit my tiles?
Yes, we have several experienced tilers whom we can arrange to tile for you, they do not work for us but come highly recommended. See our Need a tiler page for more details.

What about shade variation?
Most tiles do vary in shade and in size in some cases. The process's used to make tiles use large amounts of heat and pressure, this causes variations. This is what gives tiles there beauty and should be looked at as part of what makes them look so wonderful.

What kind of adhesive and grout do I need?
We can advise on this when you come into the shop, we tend to slightly "over specify" adhesives and grouts, that way you know they will be fitted correctly. We can of course only supply the correct materials based on the information you give to us.

What about if I can't find the tiles I am looking for?
Just ask, we can usually source most things given a little time

How long does it take after I order my tiles before I can collect them?
Usually no more than a week unless they are being made or painted for you.

Fixing Guide

Fixing ceramic wall tiles

Most wall tiles are conventionally made and are assumed to be suitable for fixing onto plastered walls or plaster board.

Preparation:
Remove old tiles,loose plaster and any emulsion paint and wall paper. If you have trouble removing emulsion paint then score the area to be tiled with a screwdriver to give a key and break up the painted walls. If the walls are very uneven it might be worth considering having them skimmed with plaster to get a nice finish prior to tiling. Some plaster may require priming first with a universal bonding agent - SBR primer, PVA is not always suitable. If tiling with glass tiles it is always recommended that the plaster is primed first.

Tiling:
Before starting to tile, use 2 tiles to "hand them across the wall" to see where they will fall for cuts and position of window sills and any obstructions. You are looking to make sure for whatever starting point left to right you do not end up with very slim cuts to make.

Ideally tiling wants to be centred around your window with equal cuts either side. Try test starting at different points until you find a good starting point left to right on each wall and mark the wall where you will start. Do the same for height, make sure that if your floor is not level that you start with a large cut. If tiling a bathroom it looks nice to start with a full tile off the bath if possible, also you may want to aim for borders to be about 1.2 metres high so as they pass a tile height above the wash hand basin if possible.

Before you stick any tiles on the wall it is worth spending this time seeing where the tiles will end up when you start and try and start in the best place so as to make the tiling look right. When you know your starting point mark the wall and using a spirit level mark a horizontal line across the wall for you to tile along. Although most wall adhesives grip tiles very well I prefer to nail a wooden batten to the wall and tile up from that. Tile the walls spreading the adhesive on the wall with a notched trowel, spacing the tiles with the appropriate sized spacers. Some modern tiles look better with a tighter joint. Some need to a wide joint especially if you have to accommodate the variation in size some tiles have.

Work cleanly, cleaning off excess adhesive and keeping the joints between tiles free of adhesive as you go. Most wall tiles will cut with a hand operated bar cutter but electric water cooled cutters can be hired at a daily rate. When all walls are tiled and dry mix the grout to a thick consistency (like sand & cement mortar) and grout using a squeegee or grout float, pushing the grout into the joints. When grouted clean off grout from the tiles face before it dries and using a sponge smooth the grout evenly along the joints. Keep cleaning off the grout using plenty of clean water until only a slight powder residue is left on the tile faces. Using a soft cloth polish the face of the tiles clean. In normal room temperatures grout should not be left more than half an hour to an hour before cleaning off otherwise the grout will be difficult to remove. In cold rooms the time may be extended. If fixing tiles that are larger than 25x25cm it is advisable to use a cement based adhesive rather than a ready mixed bucketed adhesive (as cement based adhesives dry by chemical reaction not by relying on air to dry)

Please note this is meant as a guide only, if you are in doubt of your ability please phone for more advice or alternatively get a professional tiler in to do the work for you. We will not be held responsible if anything goes wrong as a result of following this guide, it is meant to give you some help/tips it is not a defacto instruction list.

Fixing "man made tiles" onto concrete floors

Most man made floor tiles are now made of porcelain so for this guide we will assume the tiles are porcelain, if they are ceramic it will not make any difference for the purpose of this guide.

Preparation:
Concrete floors need to be swept clean first and any loose concrete removed. If there are high patches these will need chopping down to the same level as the rest of the floor using a hammer and bolster chisel, any holes or large low points can be filled with the adhesive the day before, providing the holes are not more than 2" deep. If the holes are large or deep, fill them with a mixture of sand and cement. If the floor to be tiled is freshly laid concrete the general rule of thumb is to allow at least a week per inch depth of concrete laid; if your floor is 4" thick then allow 4 weeks for it to dry before tiling.

Existing tiled floors need to be swept clean of loose dust, mopped clean and allowed to dry. It is advisable to prime the floor with a universal bonding agent and allow it to dry or preferably mix a slurry coat of adhesive (part admix part water if using standard rapid set adhesive) and paint this on first and allow to dry. Any loose tiles will need taking up and the hole left behind filled with adhesive the day before fixing.

Tiling:
Before mixing up any adhesive always loose lay a large area of tiles to familiarise yourself with the tiles, the grout joint width and the pattern you are laying them in. Shaded tiles are best mixed as you lay them out to give a good blend across the floor. Make sure that your tiles fit across the room nicely without very tiny cuts at one side and perpendicular to the main walls or walkway into the room. Many tiles vary in size between each other so it is normal to have to use a larger grout joint or "wangle" the joints to make the floor look right. If you find any problems with the tiles contact us straight away before attempting to lay any tiles. Once the tiles are fixed down it is impossible to exchange any that you may be unhappy with. We recommend you check the tiles as soon as you get them home, preferably several days before the day you intend to tile.

Use a good quality polymer modified floor adhesive, sometimes referred to as a single part flexible adhesive, with 2 good clean buckets the relevant notched trowel and a sponge to clean excess adhesive off the tile faces. Mix the adhesive with water as per the manufacturers instructions, spread an area of about a square metre at a time onto the floor with the trowel leaving a "combed bed" of adhesive over the entire area where the tiles are to be fixed. Place the tiles down and apply firm pressure to them to ensure that they are correctly bedded into the adhesive. It is important to strive for 100% coverage of adhesive under the tiles so as to not leave voids where there is no support. Continue to lay the tiles and space them accordingly. Tilers will often do the cuts before mixing the adhesive at the "loose lay" stage so they can continue laying the tiles uninterrupted, some people prefer to cut the tiles as they go along. Clean with fresh water and a sponge the tile surface as you go along, make sure the grout joints do not have adhesive in them near to the surface of the joint otherwise the adhesive can show through the grout once finished. Work as cleanly as you can keeping your tools clean too. Once the tiles have set (usually after around 3 hours) the floor can accept light foot traffic. The next day they will be set firm.

When tiling onto existing tiles the adhesive drying time will be extended, leave the floor for at least 8 hours before any more than light foot traffic. Grout with a cement based floor tile grout. Mix the powdered grout with water to a thick consistency, the grout needs to be mixed slightly thicker than a morta mix that you would use for bricklaying. Using a grout float or squeegee force the grout into the joints taking care to smooth off excess grout. When the joints start to dry (usually after 20mins or so in a room at 20 degrees) clean the tile surface and smooth the tops of the joints with a sponge leaving the grout slightly lower than the tiles surface. Rinse the sponge continuously as you go with fresh water. Once dry buff the surface of the tiles clean of dust with a lint free dry cloth. Grout is very difficult to remove once set hard so take the time to clean well while it is still easy to do, plenty of changes of water is the key. Don't empty the grout down the drain as grout will set even under water.

Please note this is meant as a guide only, if you are in doubt of your ability please phone for more advice or alternatively get a professional tiler in to do the work for you. We will not be held responsible if anything goes wrong as a result of following this guide, it is meant to give you some help not a defacto instruction list. If your floor is not level seek advice about levelling it before tiling.

Fixing "man made tiles" onto timber floors

Most man made floor tiles are now made of porcelain so for this guide we will assume the tiles are porcelain, if they are ceramic it will not make any difference for the purpose of this guide.

Tongue & grooved floorboards or chipboard floor panels/boards

Preparation:
The timber floor needs to be swept clean first and any loose pieces removed. Then you have the option of using one of three types of product to overlay onto the floor prior to tiling. You can not lay straight onto chipboard or tongue & groove successfully. Exterior grade plywood at least 12mm thick (18mm thick is recommended), aquapanel or similar insulation boards or "Ditra matting". For the purpose of this guide we will assume exterior plywood is used. The idea is to make the floor rigid and provide a smooth surface to tile onto that is resistant to water ingress.

Exterior grade (or marine) plywood is used as it is rigid, smooth and water resistant, it is available for around £18 per sheet (8ftx4ft) at timber or builders merchants.  This needs to have the edges primed first and then laid onto the timber floor and screwed down every 6-12" using brass screws. Brass screws are necessary as brass is soft and allows some movement in the boards.

An excellent alternative to exterior plywood is cement based backer boards. These are rigid, waterproof and only 6mm thick which is ideal when you do not want to raise the floor level too much. They are convenient as they come in a more manageable size :- 1200X600 and as mentioned just 6mm thick. These are quickly laid using a polyeurethane glue and just 8 screws per sheet. Once laid these are primed and then tiled using a polymer modified cement based floor tile adhesive and with an additive in with the grout. These are in stock at only £12.50 per sheet including VAT.

Tiling:
Before mixing up any adhesive always loose lay a large area of tiles to familiarise yourself with the tiles, the grout joint width and the pattern you are laying them in. Shaded tiles are best mixed as you lay them out to give a good blend across the floor. Make sure that your tiles fit across the room nicely without very tiny cuts at one side and perpendicular to the main walls or walkway into the room.

Many tiles vary in size between each other so it is normal to have to use a larger grout joint or "wangle" the joints to make the floor look right. If you find any problems with the tiles contact us straight away before attempting to lay any tiles. Once the tiles are fixed down it is impossible to exchange any that you may be unhappy with. We recommend you check the tiles as soon as you get them home, preferably several days before the day you intend to tile.

Use a good quality polymer modified floor adhesive, sometimes referred to as a single part flexible adhesive if the floor is very stiff. A grout admixture will also be required to add a little flexibility to the grout. If there is anything other than very slight flex then a "rubber crumb" adhesive needs to be used. You will need 2 good clean buckets the relevant notched trowel and a sponge to clean excess adhesive off the tile faces. Wear rubber gloves when using a rubber crumb adhesive as it is difficult to clean off your skin. Mix the adhesive as per the manufacturers instructions, spread an area of about a square metre at a time onto the floor with the trowel leaving a "combed bed" of adhesive over the entire area where the tiles are to be fixed. Place the tiles down and apply firm pressure to them to ensure that they are correctly bedded into the adhesive. It is important to strive for 100% coverage of adhesive under the tiles so as to not leave voids where there is no support. Continue to lay the tiles and space them accordingly.

Tilers will often do the cuts before mixing the adhesive at the "loose lay" stage so they can continue laying the tiles uninterrupted, some people prefer to cut the tiles as they go along. Clean with fresh water and a sponge the tile surface as you go along, make sure the grout joints do not have adhesive in them near to the surface of the joint otherwise the adhesive can show through the grout once finished. Work as cleanly as you can keeping your tools clean too. Once the tiles have set (usually after 3-5 hours) the floor can accept light foot traffic.

The next day they will be set firm. Grout with a cement based floor tile grout with a flexible additive added. Mix with water/additive to a thick consistency, the grout needs to be mixed slightly thicker than a morta mix that you would use for bricklaying. Using a grout float or squeegee force the grout into the joints taking care to smooth off excess grout. When the joints start to dry (usually after 20 mins or so) clean the tile surface and smooth the tops of the joints with a sponge leaving the grout slightly lower than the tiles surface. Rinse the sponge continuously as you go with fresh water. Once dry buff the surface of the tiles clean of dust with a lint free dry cloth. Grout is very difficult to remove once set hard so take the time to clean well while it is still easy to do. The grout is harder to clean off when flexible admixture is used.

Please note this is meant as a guide only, if you are in doubt of your ability please phone for more advice or alternatively get a professional tiler in to do the work for you. Wooden floors need to be as rigid as possible before you commence tiling to ensure the tiles are fitted properly and that your grout remains intact. We will not be held responsible if anything goes wrong as a result of following this guide, it is meant to give you some help not a defacto instruction list. If your floor is not level seek advice about levelling it before tiling. If the floor you intend to tile is a floating floor, in other words chipboard laid onto a loose polystyrene base then seek professional advice before attempting to lay tiles. Any shortcuts made in the preparation may result in problems later.