Updating and renovating your bathroom will refresh your home and add that special touch you’ve been searching for.

While plumbing and electrical work should be carried out by licenced and insured professionals, tiling your floors is something you can do yourself.

While it might not be for everyone, tiling your bathroom can be fairly straight forward if you follow our simple guide.

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Make a plan ahead of your tiling project

Most of us would like to jump in and start the project, but the first port of call is to do a little planning for your bathroom makeover. Start thinking about things like your colour scheme, layout and lighting work for your project.

Start doing your research and have a look around for your tile to make sure it matches the bathroom and factor in ongoing maintenance. For instance, a bright white tile might look amazing but you should ask yourself if it is practical for your needs.

You will also need to accurately measure your floor area so you can calculate the amount of tile, grout, and materials you will need for the project. If you are a little confused regarding how to do this, it is a good idea to ask a friend in the know or visit your local hardware store to get some expert guidance.

Tiling bathroom floor preparation

A step in the bathroom tiling process that people often forget about, is waterproofing and preparation.

If you are renovating, you will need to remove any old tiles off the floor and walls before you do the waterproofing. On the other hand, if your bathroom tiling project is for a new build, you will need to start the waterproofing process before you do any tiling.

Step 1 – Paint on the waterproofing membrane

The waterproofing membrane is a thick product that will ensure no water infiltrates your walls and flooring. Take your time applying the waterproofing and follow the instructions outlined on your specific product. It is important to coat the floor, wall joints, and any joins with a thick film of waterproofing to ensure you are protected.

Once you have completed the waterproofing, you also need to set in the corner bands that will ensure your bathroom area remains safe and sealed.

Step 2 – Seal the joins with waterproof banding

Once you have applied the waterproofing membrane, the final piece in the waterproofing process is to seal the area with lengths of waterproof strips.

How to tile a bathroom floor

Once you have waterproofed, it is time to start tiling the floor.

To get started you’re going to need a few tools including a measuring tape, circular saw, tile adhesive, jigsaw and some tile spacers.

Step 1 – Prepare the floor and add some sub-flooring if the floor is not level. You will need to cut panels of cement board to fit your bathroom floor and ensure you work around existing fixtures such as bathroom sinks, showers and toilets.

Step 2 – Work out how you want to lay your tiles, so you have a configuration planned ahead of using any tile adhesive. It is best to work out a design that will help you avoid making a lot of difficult tile cuts.

Step 3 – Cut tiles to fit the bathroom space. Not all bathrooms are perfectly shaped to suit the size of your tile, so cutting the tiles will be necessary with a circular saw. Once you’ve cut the tiles to suit the floor space, the next step is adding some mortar or tile adhesive to set the tile to the floor.

Step 4 – Apply the tile adhesive to the bathroom floor to set the tiles. Once you’re confident all of your tiles and the layout is suitable for the bathroom, it is time to start placing the tiles on the floor using tile cement.

You will need to use a tiling trowel for the process, the trowel has a specially created notch, to help the tile fix to the floor. After you place a tile into the tile cement, add tile spacers to ensure the tiles are perfectly spaced.

Step 5 – Once the tiles are dry, you can apply the grout to the lines in between the tiles you have laid. Usually, it is best to leave the tiles for around 24 hours before the grouting process commences. The grout works to fill in any spaces between the tiles and to create a polished look. Grout is available in a wide range of colours to suit your decor and to complement the tile. Once the grout is dry, you will need to wipe away any excess and wipe away any cloudy surface residue.

Find it all a little much? Get in a local expert to tile your floor and get a quality solution

If all these steps sound like a little bit like hard work, you can always engage a professional to do your bathroom tiling job for you instead.

There are plenty of licenced and insured local tiling professionals ready to assist with your tiling project.

If you’re looking for someone to create the perfect bathroom tiling look, explore the wide range of quality tilers in your local area and get your bathroom freshened up and looking like a million dollars.