This is a simple and easy to understand guide which explains the process you need to go through to tile your floor or wall. This should give you an idea of the products you will need and the skill level required; if you read this and do not feel confident enough to attempt it, Stoneworks recommend you hire a qualified contractor to do the work for you. This guide has been produced in good faith and to give you a general idea of tiling; it should not be taken as a complete work and we advise you to seek further professional advise before starting any work. A badly tiled area can be very expensive to rectify, and is likely to cause significant delays and stress to you.

Design

Before you purchase any products or begin any work whatsoever, you should be certain of your design. This is important to prevent mistakes and delays, and will help you to buy the right amount of material. Having to buy more tiles because you didn't get enough to start with can be bad as the additional tiles may come from a different batch and the minor difference can still be noticable if not mixed with tiles from the original batch.

The general industry guideline is to calculate exactly how many square metres you require, and then add 15% of this again to allow for the small degree of inevitable wastage for cutting some tiles around the edges of the area and around any other obstacles such as fittings.

Preparation

Walls

Obviously, any current wallpaper or tiles should be removed from the walls, and the surface should be made clean and flat. For tiling on walls, it is important to ensure that the wall can support the weight of natural stone tiles. Solid concrete rendered walls should be fine, but anything with less strength than this should be reinforced by putting 15mm plyboard sheets over the walls.

Floors

Again, current flooring should be removed (lino, tiles, etc) and the floor should be clean and perfectly flat. You can use the timber floor as your base surface (though thin timber should be reinforced with 15mm plywood sheets). The ideal laying surface is a concrete "screed" or a sand and cement one, but you should be aware that a new screed needs to be left for 2-4 weeks (depending on the type) and so your project may be delayed if this is not allowed for.

If you are installing underfloor heating, you should follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation if you are doing it yourself, and you must remember to use the correct type of adhesive and grout (see below).

Cutting

Good planning is key to getting the most effective cutting from your tiles; that is, the least number of necessary cuts and avoiding really small pieces. For floors, you should lay your tiles "dry" (ie. with no adhesive) to get the layout right before anything is fixed into place. A good way to start is by finding the centre point of the wall opposite the door and making this the centre of your first tile, then simply work back towards the door. If you find you are getting lots of small pieces on one side of the floor, simply move your centre point so the tiles are left as whole as possible.

Cutting is where that tile you accidentally smashed in half comes in handy again, so don't throw it away! Keep all your pieces as you may need one or two rather small pieces if it is necessary to tile around an awkward fitting (for example, behind your toilet).

The best tool for cutting natural stone is a saw with a diamond blade. These can be expensive, and so if you only have a few cuts to make you can get away with using an angle grinder. If you are not 100% confident in cutting the tiles, you should get a professional contractor to do this for you as it can be very dangerous for the inexperienced.

The final part of the cutting process is the housekeeping; you must thoroughly clean all of your tiles, cut or not, on both sides. Dust on the back surface will weaken the adhesive's grip and could cause costly breakages, and if there is dust on the front it will be transferred to the back as you handle the tiles.

Fixing

If you are simply laying the tiles straight onto a screed then standard tile adhesive is fine, but if you are laying on a wooden surface (like the plywood reinforcement suggested above) or if you are using underfloor heating then you must use a flexible tile adhesive.

You should start with the side opposite the doorway so as to avoid any contact with tiles which have just been laid - why not use the centre point you decided on before? Put your adhesive over about a square metre at a time in a layer about 10mm thick (Stoneworks tiles are very consistent in thickness, but it is prudent to allow for a small margin of error). Add a little adhesive to the back of the tile to ensure a strong bond and to fill in any legions which could cause air pockets. Then, place the tile onto the adhesive and press down while turning; pushing the tile straight down can leave air bubbles under the surface. Use a spirit level to make sure the tile is perfectly flat, and simply repeat this procedure for the whole area, working backwards towards the door. You should leave only about 2-3mm grouting gap between each tile, and using spacers helps to keep the gaps consistent and neat.

Grouting

Before you can grout natural stone tiles, you must apply a coat of primary sealant as natural stone is porous and liable to staining if not treated properly. This will take about a day to dry completely, but check the manufacturer's instructions. Sealants do give off fumes, so make sure the windows are open and there is good general air ventilation in the room - we don't want you falling and damaging the tiles now, do we?

Rather than filling the whole pointing gaps with solid grout, you can save time and money by filling most of the gaps with a more watery slurry mix. (This mix can be used to fill holes in travertine tiles as well if you did not buy pre-filled tiles.) Then, with the proper grout mix, work on one square metre at a time again, filling the gaps and then wiping away thoroughly any excess mix using a wet grouting sponge; it can still stain sealed tiles, so do this properly.

Sealing

The tiles are now ready for their final seal, a process which helps to protect the stone against wear and tear and staining and also helps to bring out the vibrant colours of the tiles.

Different sealants are available, giving you the option of a matt or gloss finish among other features such as sealants designed specifically to stop staining. There is no right or wrong here; whatever matches your design.

The best way to apply sealant is using a paint tray and a roller. Simply run the roller over the tiles - in the direction of the joins looks neater - and remove any excess pools which build up before it dries. You should note that one coat of secondary sealant is usually not enough; remember, the stone is porous and so several coats may be needed, just like painting on wood.

Hopefully, you now have a fantastic natural stone tiled surface. Remember though, this is only a rough guide and if you are unsure of any aspect then you should consult a contractor to make sure the job is done well. Check the "Guide to Maintenance" for some advice on how to keep your natural stone tiles looking as good as the day they were laid.