When laying tiles in the bathroom, it is very important to comply with all the technology requirements for this type of work, since mistakes can lead to dire consequences. Properly laid tiles on the bathroom floor will not only decorate the interior of the room, but will also protect the lower floors from flooding in the event of sudden damage to communications or breakdown of equipment installed in the bathroom. To obtain a beautiful, durable and safe flooring It is necessary to choose high-quality tiles designed specifically for laying on the floor.

Floor tiles differ from wall tiles in size, structure, and anti-slip surface. The right choice glue also plays an important role in the success of the entire event. Another important step that affects the final result is the preparation of the base base, which must be smooth, clean, waterproofed and primed. If you follow all the rules when laying floor tiles building codes and rules, then there is no doubt about the quality of the repairs carried out.

It is impossible to lay tiles on an unprepared base due to the significant overuse of glue, which will have to be used to achieve a smooth coating surface. Since the glue “floats”, it will not be possible to avoid the presence of irregularities, protruding corners and sunken tiles, which spoil the appearance of the tiled floor and interfere with walking on it. Therefore, experienced tilers level the base base using:

• sand-concrete screed;
• self-leveling mixtures (self-leveling floors).

If there is an old tile covering, dismantle it using a hammer drill with a chisel or a hand chisel. The latter option is used if it is necessary to remove the entire tile for secondary installation. A hammer drill allows you to carry out dismantling work most quickly, while also removing old screed.

After completion of dismantling onto the concrete base and bottom part A layer of waterproofing is applied to the walls.

Waterproofing mastics, applied to the surface of the bathroom floor and extending onto the walls of the room, can reliably protect the base from moisture penetration

After this, beacons are placed on the floor, along which the poured sand-cement screed is leveled using a rule.

Further work is carried out after the applied coating has completely dried. concrete mortar, which usually takes about three days.

Floors with a large difference in height are leveled by applying a sand-cement screed, which is laid out along pre-set beacons

Self-leveling mixtures do not require setting beacons and dry much faster. Therefore, these materials are increasingly being used to level the floor. Remember that to apply them you need special tool– a needle roller that helps distribute the mixture over the floor and “expel” air bubbles from it.

If the base floor in the bathroom is flat, then the work of preparing the base for laying tiles consists only of cleaning it from dust and debris. These operations are carried out using a regular broom or brush (one of the types of paint brush).

Choosing a method for laying tiles

There are three commonly used methods for installing bathroom tiles, each with its own benefits. The main difference between these methods lies in the choice of where to start the cladding.

Option #1: from the farthest visible corner

This option is considered traditional. In this case, the first tile is laid in the corner of the room opposite the door. It is this place that is the most viewed, as it immediately falls into the field of view of a person entering the room. If you plan to use this area to install a shower or bathtub, then it is more advisable to choose another tile installation option.

Laying floor tiles from the corner begins with gluing the trim elements, after which a solid element is placed between them

Option #2: from the threshold

This method of placing floor tiles is the most common in practice, since in small bathrooms this part of the floor remains visible, and the remaining areas are occupied with plumbing. From the name it is clear that the first tile is laid in the corner closest to the interior door.

Option #3: from the center mark

This option is designed for spacious bathrooms, which are characterized by an open central zone. In most living spaces, bathrooms have small area, therefore in them this method used very rarely.

Specialized furniture and plumbing installed around the perimeter of the bathroom will cover the cut elements that will be located near the walls. The center of the bathroom is determined using markings, during which:

• the midpoints of the walls are determined and marks are placed;
• A marking cord, previously rubbed with chalk, is stretched between the marks, so that lines remain on the screed;
• the point of intersection of these lines will be the center of the room.

The point of intersection of the chalk lines marks the junction of four tiles, with the laying of which the process of tiling the floor begins. At diagonal laying draw another line dividing the right angle in half.

Preparing a tile layout project to scale

Tiles are an expensive material, so it is necessary to eliminate the possibility of errors when laying them. To do this, before starting work, you should carefully consider the layout plan, drawing various options on paper on a smaller scale. In this case you can:

• visualize the appearance of a floor tiled in different ways;
• calculate the exact amount of material and cut fragments;
• outline the location of decorative elements;
• make adjustments if such a need arises;
• use the developed scheme when carrying out work, which will reduce the time for completing it.

When drawing up a project, it is necessary to take into account not only the actual dimensions of the room, but also the exact dimensions of the floor tiles that you are going to lay.

Making markings on the work surface

Before you start laying tiles on the leveled floor in the bathroom, use a regular marker to mark the work surface in strict accordance with the previously developed project. The lines are drawn evenly along the ruler to avoid distortions during the installation process. You can use more modern equipment, such as laser level. Even experienced craftsmen lay out the tiles before starting work, thereby once again checking the correctness of the developed laying scheme.

Beginner tilers should definitely not skip this stage, since after gluing the tiles, they will no longer be able to correct anything. Depending on the characteristics of the adhesive composition, the time to correct defects varies between 15-30 minutes.

A comb, otherwise called a notched trowel, is used to level the layer of tile adhesive applied to the floor under the next batch of tiles.

What tile adhesive should I use?

Manufacturers produce specialized adhesive for tiles in the form of:

• ready-made mixtures based on polyurethane;
• dry mixtures that require dilution with water in the proportion specified in the instructions.

Ready-made mixtures must be used immediately after opening the container, but dry materials can be used gradually. For the bathroom, it is better to purchase water-repellent glue, which has unique hydrophobic properties. This type glue is an expensive material, but in the future there will be no problems when operating a room with a high level of humidity.

Special adhesives are also produced for laying floor tiles, which are more flexible than similar materials used for wall cladding. When purchasing such glue, pay attention to the possibility of using it in bathrooms.

Sequence of installation work

First of all, you need to prepare the tool with which you will work. A set of spatulas is one of the main types of tools needed for laying tiles on a bathroom floor. In addition to flat, comb and rubber spatulas, you will also need a tile cutter and a building level, which will be used to determine the horizontal laying of individual elements. A mallet (rubber hammer) may also come in handy, although experienced craftsmen make do with their fists. To quickly and evenly mix the glue, you will need a mixer.

To lay floor tiles, you will need a notched trowel (6 mm), a level, a grinder for cutting tiles, a mallet, cross-spacers, an electric drill with attachments

Now let's talk about the actual process of laying tiles. To begin, apply an impregnating primer to the cement-sand screed, spreading the product over a wide surface of the floor. paint brush(Maklovitsa). You should not skimp on the primer solution, as it improves the adhesion of the surfaces to be bonded.

It is advisable to choose primers with antibacterial additives against mold. After all, in damp and warm rooms there are all the conditions for its rapid reproduction. Allow the product applied to the floor to dry. To do this, just wait one hour.

Next, using a small flat spatula, spread the tile adhesive onto the section of floor that will be covered with tiles. Then take a notched or comb spatula and smooth out the layer of glue, keeping one direction. Collect the remaining adhesive solution on a spatula and throw it back into the container with glue.

Then pick up the tile and look at it carefully front part. If you notice chipped glaze around the edges, leave this defective tile for trimming. Moisten the underside of a high-quality tile with water, and then apply tile adhesive, also spreading it over the surface with a notched trowel.

At the same time, make sure that the adhesive ridges on the floor and on the tiles are located at right angles to each other. This application of glue promotes better adhesion of the screed to the tile.

An adhesive solution is also applied to the tile itself. thin layer, which is divided into even grooves using a notched trowel

After this, lay the tile, aligning its position according to the previously outlined markings, strictly observing right angles. A slight deviation will lead to visible distortions in the future, which will be very difficult to correct. Lightly tap the tile with your fist or mallet. Collect the remaining tile adhesive that has squeezed out along the edges with a spatula and throw it into a container.

Now apply tile adhesive to a large area, thereby immediately preparing a working base for laying several elements. Don't overestimate your capabilities, as the glue dries relatively quickly. Lay subsequent tiles using the same algorithm. Insert crosses or spacers with a diameter of 2-2.5 mm between adjacent elements. These auxiliary elements will ensure a perfectly even width of the tile joints. Using the corner of a spatula, remove the glue from the joints between the tiles, as this space will then be filled with decorative grout.

While working, do not let go of the level, constantly checking that the tiles are laid evenly on the floor! Although experienced craftsmen can determine the horizontality of the cladding with the help of their hands, running them several times over the laid coating. But such professional instinct comes only with experience and beginners should not rely on it. It is better to trust precise measuring instruments.

After completing the facing work, it is necessary to wait a day, thereby allowing the glue to harden thoroughly. After a day, start grouting the tile joints using a special rubber spatula. With this small tool you can quickly fill the space between the tiles and remove excess grout from their surface. After waiting half an hour, take a regular foam sponge and wet it warm water, rinse off the grout mixture, pressing slightly on the grouted seams. If necessary, you can add grout to those places where there is not enough of it, slightly leveling the applied mixture with a damp sponge.

As a final step, rinse the tiled floor with a damp sponge several times and then wipe with a dry cloth until a new shine appears.

In this video you can see a master class on laying floor tiles, as well as get advice on leveling the floor and grouting joints.

As you can see, tiling the bathroom floor with tiles can be done with your own hands. In this case, you just need to comply with the requirements of the technology finishing works without disrupting the sequence of operations and without saving on purchased materials. Experienced craftsmen, who have laid tiles more than once, advise when purchasing tiles to carefully study the information on each box. This will allow you to buy material from the same series, which does not differ in size, color, or structure. If you feel that you cannot cope with this work, then do not spoil expensive material with poor-quality installation. Invite a professional who will tidy up the bathroom floor quickly and beautifully.

• Plastic mixing bowl - 1
• Grater with sponge - 2;
• Graters made of metal - 3.4;
• To lay tiles with dimensions of 300 mm or more, you will need a spatula with teeth of 10 mm - 5;
• When installing a floor made of small tiles, a trowel with 4-5 mm teeth is suitable - 6;
• Thanks to the rubber grater, excess solution can be easily removed if necessary - 7;
• Brush - 8.

Also, for reliable installation of tiles in the bathroom you will need:

• Mallet - a rubber hammer. This tool is designed to remove air voids between the tiles and concrete base. The desired effect is achieved by tapping the surface of the finishing material;
• Shovel-trowel;
• Cutter knife that can be used to cut ceramic tiles (6 mm). If the tile thickness is greater, use a construction cutter to adjust the shape.
• Wedges or crosses made of plastic, with the help of which the distance for seams between tile elements is set;
• Bulgarian;
• Square for correcting even laying;
• Plumb;
• Construction level;
• Reiki;
• Pliers.

2. Preparing the base of the bathroom floor

The floor surface for tiling must be flat, regardless of the base material ( concrete slab, reinforced concrete or wooden floor).

Correction of the concrete surface can be done using a smooth screed based on cement and sand. Components for leveling mixture:

• Sand;
• Cement powder;
• Water. The amount of water is determined during mixing mortar, the consistency of the mixture should resemble sour cream;
• The optimal thickness for screed is about 3-5 mm.

The proportion of the cement component to sand is 1:3 (for rooms with high wear resistance requirements). If laying tiles is planned for a cottage or apartment, a ratio of 1:4 is sufficient.

Instructions for preparing a concrete floor after leveling:

• It is necessary to clean the base from debris and dust with a brush, while the floor surface must remain dry;
• With the help cement-sand mortar all gaps should be filled, then the surface is sanded;
• The cement layer must dry thoroughly, after which the surface can be impregnated with a primer. Aqueous solution with the addition of a primer, it promotes more reliable adhesion to concrete;
• Instructions for preparing the primer solution are on each package;
• Carefully distribute the composition using a spatula over the entire base.

If the masonry is planned in a room with a high level of humidity, the load-bearing base should be protected by installing a waterproofing layer.

Thanks to proper waterproofing, the base of the floor is protected from the destructive effects of moisture. As a rule, special mastics are used as a protective layer. Coating with mastics occurs after applying the primer solution to the base. After waterproofing is installed, a metal mesh is placed on the concrete floor.
Creating markings before laying tiles

Before you start laying tiles with your own hands, you need to make detailed markings as follows:

• Take measurements of the dimensions of the bathroom;
• It is better to designate those corners that will be the beginning of the masonry separately, and also think over the sequence of actions and direction;
• If the tile has been cut, it is better to place it in a less noticeable place, for example in the corner of the room;
• When several types of different tiles are assembled, it is convenient to use special dividers - metal thresholds.

Thanks to high-quality markings, you can optimize all finishing work, avoid defects during the installation process, as well as the appearance of unevenness on the surface. Please pay close attention to this point.

How to markup correctly?

• Start laying tiles from the far corner of the outer wall, or from the middle of the room, moving towards the door. The first method allows you to use the tiles in their original size, without trimming; the second method is characterized by maximum adherence to the shape of the room;
• It is better to orient the tile row parallel external wall rooms. Thus, the space will look neat;
• During the marking process, you should take into account the shape of a particular tile, determine the size of the seam between the tiles and maintain this distance over the entire floor area;
• In order to fix the desired position of the elements, use plastic crosses, which can be purchased at hardware stores. The width of such wedges is about 1.5-2 mm;
• The concrete surface itself should be marked. This approach facilitates the preparation to be carried out correctly;
• The installation gap between the tiles hides the error of individual tiles, which is allowed by manufacturers. The distance established on the eve of work hides such an error.
• Also, the presence of a gap ensures the safety of the cladding material. When temperature changes occur, the tiles will not crack;
• Transverse and longitudinal marking guidelines are not enough. After laying the first row, it will be difficult to continue working correctly;

• It is better to place tiles with decor in advance and think about the placement on a real scale. Thus, you can understand whether the planned image fits completely, or whether it needs to be adjusted in size. Preliminary actions will allow you to obtain a spectacular floor covering with beautiful decor;
• Provided that the decor is small, try to choose a place for its arrangement that will be viewed to the maximum and will not be crowded with furniture in the future;
• In the case of a large-scale drawing, evaluate which part can be closed without significantly losing the idea.

3. Main stages

• Using a special spatula with teeth on inside the tiles spread the adhesive prepared the day before installation;
• It is recommended to point the spatula at a certain angle to the surface, about 40 degrees. This way the composition will remain on the material;
• It is necessary to act quickly, since the glue dries quite quickly;
• You should not put strong pressure on the tiles when laying them, as the surface may become distorted - become uneven, and the decorative properties of the material will be impaired;
• Constantly check the evenness of the installation special device- level or corner;
• Tapping with a mallet promotes better adhesion of the tiles to the base;
• The wedges for forming gaps are removed approximately an hour after laying the ceramic tiles. After 24 hours, the seams can be treated with a sealed compound;
• The final stage is cleaning up any remaining glue and stains.

The seams should not be rubbed within 24 hours after laying. At this moment, the glue shrinks. If you rush and rub the gaps right away, cracks will appear in the material quite quickly.

4. Grout

There are several rules for applying grout after laying tiles:

• The consistency of the grout should resemble thick sour cream;
• Using a rubber spatula, seal the gaps between the tiles with the resulting composition;
• Pressing the spatula against the seams, guide it in a herringbone pattern along the joint;
• With the final movement of the tool, remove excess grout.
• A joint filled with grout can be impacted with a small piece of cable round section, leveling the thickness of the filling.

Remaining joint sealing material can be removed after one hour. Use a rag or sponge soaked in water for this. Subject to regular wiping (every 3 hours), the substance will gain maximum stability properties. The recommended number of such impacts is two or three times.

As a rule, four to five days are enough for the composition to dry completely.

5. Cutting facing material

Most often, this action is applied to the outer rows located near the walls. Trimming the tiles is done using a grinder, tongs, and a glass cutter.

To make a neat and precise cut you should use special machine, designed for cutting tiles. This device allows you to achieve an accuracy of up to 1 mm.

6. Prices for laying tiles in Moscow

• Laying ceramic tiles on the bathroom floor without screed: about 600 rubles/sq.m;
• Grouting joints between elements: about 100 rub./sq. m;
• Leveling screed for laying tiles: from 200 rub./sq. m and above.

7. Video

Before laying in the bathroom, you need to check how much smooth walls and floor. Very often this room has very limited dimensions and you naturally want to preserve its volume as much as possible. Attach the plumb line to the ceiling near one of the walls.

The distance from the wall is 3-5 cm. A plumb weight (1-2 cm short of the floor) will stretch the cord and show how smooth this wall is. Use chalk or pencil to mark the adjacent wall. Do this procedure with each wall.

In order to find out how level the floor is, you need to use a laser or water level. With its help, a horizontal line is struck (drawn) on the walls around the perimeter of the bathroom. This can be done at a height of 1-1.5 m to make it convenient to make marks.

Measure the distance from the horizontal line to the existing floor at two to three points on each wall. This data will show you whether the floor has a slope or not. If there is a slope, it must be leveled, otherwise the bathtub or shower will stand crooked. Preparing walls for installation in the bathroom begins with leveling.

Important to remember! Leveling the walls and floor is a mandatory procedure that should not be neglected. If you don't do this, you risk losing money due to overuse of tile adhesive.

Even if there is no floor slope, but there are holes and depressions, they should also be eliminated by making a cement-sand screed. Once the curvature of the surfaces has been determined, leveling can begin.

The process begins with leveling the floor. If the old screed is not strong, it has deep cracks and other defects, it is recommended to remove it. Before laying a new screed, a layer of waterproofing is laid on the floor, which will protect against water leaks in case of accidental spills.

The simplest option is to lay strips of roofing felt with an overlap of 10-15 cm on the walls and on adjacent strips. You can use one-component or two-component self-leveling waterproofing. It is produced using cement mortar with the addition of polymers.

Beacons (slats) are placed on the waterproofing layer according to the level of the future floor and poured cement mortar. It is pulled together by the rule according to the beacons. After the floor is leveled, you can begin to work on the walls. There are two correct methods.

Important to remember! Mandatory rules laying tiles in the bathroom involves coating waterproofing future “wet” sections of walls (adjacent walls to the bathtub, shower and washbasin).

The first method is plastering with cement mortar or ready-made plaster mixtures. It is more labor intensive. The second, faster method is to use moisture-resistant drywall. GKL sheets are glued to the walls with tile adhesive, after which they are secured with self-tapping screws and dowels.

After leveling the floor and walls, all surfaces are primed with a primer deep penetration. After it has dried, you can begin laying the tiles.

Laying

The sequence and technique of laying tiles in the bathroom on the floor and walls is the same, but the floor tiles are different from wall tiles. It is larger, thicker and has a rough (anti-slip) surface. The order of laying tiles in the bathroom is different, but it is better to start with the walls, so you will have more work to do. Finish laying the floor, after which you will have to wait 2 days for the glue to dry.

Pay attention! Laying the tiles should begin from the wall opposite the entrance door.

The scheme for laying tiles on the walls in the bathroom is as follows. Lay the tiles along the wall and if you don't need to trim the last tile, that's great. If trimming is unavoidable, then it must look symmetrical on the wall (located in the corners). To do this, divide the wall in half and begin laying the first row from the center line.

Having reached the corners, the tiles are cut with a tile cutter and the entire trim is laid out on both sides of the wall up to the ceiling level. To hide the cut edges of the tiles, you can put plastic corners for tiles. Plastic crosses are inserted between adjacent tiles, making it easier to maintain the seam between the tiles.

After this, the entire wall is filled with tiles, and they move on to laying on another wall. The process is repeated the same way on all walls. When the walls are ready, you can lay the tiles on the floor. It is worth noting that there are different options for laying tiles in the bathroom, but it is worth highlighting two main ones:

•  Diagonal method
•  Rectangular or traditional

The adhesive is applied to the screed using a notched tile trowel. This will ensure maximum adhesion of the materials. Crosses are also inserted between the tiles.

When the tiles on the floor have dried, the crosses are removed, the joints between the tiles are cleaned of glue residues and grout is applied to them with a rubber spatula. Excess grout is removed with a damp sponge. You can watch a video of laying tiles in a bathroom on this page.

Currently the most practical look The floor in the bathroom is ceramic tiles. This flooring is easy to care for and continues to look very good for a long time. After proper preparation, ceramic tiles can be laid on almost any substrate. And today, continuing the series of articles on our website, we will talk about how to lay tiles on the floor.

All operations will be done in the following sequence:

1. We prepare the surface.
2. We decide on the floor design and choose ceramic tiles.
3. We are planning to lay tiles on the floor.
4. We do installation.
5. We rub the seams.

Preparing the surface

Since we are doing renovations in the bathroom ourselves, it is initially assumed that we already have some kind of floor. We need to bring this floor into proper shape.

AND the first stage When preparing the surface, it will be necessary to determine how well this floor is laid. In my case it was classic version for bathrooms of the Soviet period, the floor is laid with “brown boar” - the most common floor finish of those times. Basically, since the tiles were laid on cement mortar, they hold up very poorly and are laid very crookedly.

We arm ourselves with a chisel, hammer, sledgehammer and safety glasses - remove all the old tiles. This is not a very difficult matter, the main difficulty is to knock down the cement baseboard around the perimeter of the bathroom and make the surface flat.

Second stage It is necessary to determine how horizontal the surface is.

To do this, place a horizontal mark on the wall at a convenient height. (Since I was completely tiling the bathroom, I combined this procedure with marking the horizontal rows of tiles on the walls). Using a hydraulic level, we transfer the height of this mark to all 4 walls of the room so as to draw a continuous horizon line on the wall along the entire perimeter of the room. We measure the distance to our floor from this line. Ideally, the distances on all 4 walls should be equal, which means the floor is horizontal and nothing needs to be done.

In my case, when checking the floor for horizontality, a height difference across the floor level of 1.5-2 cm was discovered, although the size of the bathroom is very small - 1.45 m. in width and 2.2 m in length. For such small room, I think this is a big difference. Moreover, the highest level was in the opposite corner diagonally relative to the lowest. All this needed to be fixed:

At the highest point, we retreat from the floor a distance equal to the thickness of the floor tiles plus the thickness of the seam. This totals approximately 1 cm;

We put a horizontal mark on the wall;

We measure the distance from our mark to the horizon line that we drew earlier;

We transfer this distance from the horizon level along the entire perimeter of the room;

Let's draw our new floor horizon, this will be the final height of our new floor.

If in your case the height difference is significant (more than 2 cm without taking into account the thickness of the tiles), you will need to first level the surface. This is done using a special floor leveler - or, if the difference is very large, using a cement screed with beacons positioned.

In my case, the difference was not very large, and I decided to remove it by changing the thickness of the adhesive layer under the tile.

Third stage We finally prepare the surface. It must be well cleaned, any loose elements, grease and oil stains must be removed, and the dust must be vacuumed up. It is advisable to prime porous surfaces.

Deciding on the floor design and choosing ceramic tiles for the bathroom

There are a huge variety of ways to lay tiles on the floor. It all depends on your room, its size, lighting, furniture arrangement, plumbing fixtures and much more. You can lay tiles in the classic way“seam to seam” with clear rows in the longitudinal and transverse directions parallel to the walls.

They use the method of laying tiles staggered; for example, only the longitudinal seams match, and the transverse seams are offset.

You can use the diagonal laying method, i.e. the seams in the longitudinal and transverse directions will be parallel to the diagonals of the room.

Having a large room, it would be advisable to lay out some kind of design on the floor. This will decorate the floor very well and add a certain unique flair.

At this stage, you need to think about what size tiles you want to see. If the bathroom is not very large, it would be advisable to choose small tiles.

A product catalog from a trusted online store will help you with your choice, for example: http://nashaplitka.com.ua/catalog/plitka/

If you want to save on the cost of materials, then you need to correlate the size of the tiles and the size of the room. For example, if the room is 3 meters wide and 3 meters long, it would be more advisable to choose tiles measuring 30 cm * 30 cm. When laying it, there will be no waste at all, all the tiles will be intact, and accordingly the floor will look very impressive. And vice versa, if you choose a 33 cm * 33 cm tile, then there will be a lot of trimming, and accordingly there will be a lot of waste.

We are planning to lay tiles

We bought the tiles, now we begin the installation process itself. Most of the tiles produced have square section, or at least are rectangles with angles of 90˚. Most rooms, however, are far from square. Most walls have deviations, both from the straightness of the walls and from verticality, internal corners very rarely they are 90˚. And there can be many such construction flaws. This doesn't mean your home was built terribly, it's quite normal.

It is necessary to mark the laying of tiles so that:

In the most visible place (for example, at the entrance to a room or a place where the eye immediately falls), the tile lay parallel to the wall and was not cut;

Regardless of the position of the walls (walls can also form an irregular rhombus), the laid tiles formed a regular square (or rectangle);

The tiles were cut in the most inconspicuous place (for example, under the bathroom);

After laying the main surface at the junction of the floor and the walls, narrow strips for insertion were not obtained, because cutting a very narrow strip from a tile is problematic. It’s better to move the entire picture a little towards another wall.

Based on these principles, in my bathroom I first laid out one row along and one row across the room. I oriented the rows into the correct rectangle relative to the wall with the entrance. The goal was: at the entrance, place a whole tile at the floor level of the entire room of the apartment, make trimming to the right of the entrance (under the bathroom) and place whole (uncut) tiles to the left of the entrance.

For the correct orientation of the rows in the longitudinal direction, we measure the distance from the wall to our row at the beginning of the row and at the end. The distances must be equal. If necessary, slightly adjust the row by shifting it. We achieve parallelism of the row to the wall.

We draw out the position of the longitudinal and transverse rows and remove the tiles.

On this preparatory stage ends. We decided on the rows, the arrangement of tiles, and the height of the floor. In my bathroom, I started laying with a whole tile of a whole (not cut) outermost row, which is located opposite the entrance - to accurately match the floor level in the bathroom with the floor level of the entire apartment.

We carry out installation

To lay tiles, we need the following tools: a hammer with a rubber striking part, 2 levels (long and short), a tool for cutting tiles, a marking pencil, a ruler, a notched trowel, an ordinary trowel, a container for preparing glue, crosshairs for seams.

The tiles can be laid using ready-made glue (sold in buckets, already diluted and ready for use) or you can prepare the adhesive solution yourself by purchasing it in dry form. I used dry powder.

It is easy to dilute according to the instructions written on the package. While you don’t have the skills to work, don’t dilute a large amount; it’s better to add a little later.

We lay the first tiles according to our markings, checking their horizontalness in the longitudinal and transverse directions.

To accurately match the floor level in the bathroom and the floor level in the entire apartment, I laid the next tile adjacent to the entrance. We check the floor level according to our drawn marks for the height of the finished floor on the wall and, if necessary, slightly adjust our three tiles in height.

Setting up the first guide tiles is the most difficult and time-consuming step. After its completion, we lay the tiles in a row up to the wall in one direction.

And up to the wall in the other direction. We orient the horizontality of the row according to our three exposed tiles and the finished floor height marks on the wall.

We lay the first outermost, but always whole, tile of the next row.

We align it along our existing row, applying a level in the longitudinal and transverse directions. We achieve a uniform floor plane and insert a seam cross to maintain the identity of the seams. We leave all the tiles that will be trimmed for the end.

We lay out the entire second row, and lay out the last whole tile of the third row, similar to the previous procedure.

The procedure for laying tiles in a row is as follows:

We lay the tiles close to the two already laid. Align the tile relative to these two tiles in the horizontal plane.

We apply a level in the transverse direction of the row and achieve a plane, similarly in the longitudinal direction of the row. We check the horizontalness diagonally so that the free corner of the tile does not lift up. We insert seam crosses and set the straightness of the seams.

We check that the junction of the four tiles is at the same level and that no corner is sticking out.

After these operations, it is advisable to see how the laid tiles look in the general background and whether the seams are straight. In this way we lay out all the intact (that are not trimmed) floor tiles.

And the last step will be laying the outer tiles that join the walls. We will all be trimming them in a certain way, so it would be advisable to first cut them all and number them, and then put them in place. When marking, it is necessary to take into account the width of the seam between the tiles.

It is convenient to do this entire procedure after the bulk laid tiles will finally stand up and the glue underneath will harden. This will make it possible to walk freely on the floor and mark all the tiles to be cut. and I wrote in detail in the following articles. This is not a very complicated matter, but it is impossible to do without it.

We rub the seams

The last step in laying tiles on the floor will be grouting the joints. For your bathroom, it is imperative to choose a moisture-resistant grout that can withstand repeated wetness. How to choose it, what colors to choose and how to fill the seams correctly is a separate and very multifaceted topic. I plan to cover it in the next article.

Having laid all the tiles around the perimeter of the room and filled the seams, we get this picture of the finished floor.

Laying tiles on the floor is a difficult task, but with proper planning and good preparation, it is much easier and will no longer seem impossible. By working carefully, slowly and enjoying the work, you are guaranteed a great result.

When approaching such serious types of work as laying tiles, I always tell myself: “I don’t need to follow the plan and lay twenty in one day. square meters. I do not receive a salary from production here. I get the satisfaction of doing the work with my own hands here.”

Approach complex repairs in the same way, and everything will work out and move forward very, very quickly.

In the article, I tried to describe in as much detail as possible the process of how to lay tiles on the floor in my small bathroom. You may have some of your own nuances and features. Don't be afraid, approach difficulties creatively, apply creative solutions.

Good luck with the renovation work.

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The operation of a bathroom has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account when arranging this room with your own hands. In the bathroom high humidity air, surfaces come into contact with water and steam, there is a danger of flooding if there is a leak. In addition, the bathroom is subject to increased sanitary and hygienic requirements.

Based on this, the arrangement and finishing of this room must be done technologically competently. The most intensively used surface in the bathroom is the floor. Let's consider one of the technologies that allows you to make your own bathroom floor that meets all the requirements.

Let's break up the complex necessary work for individual types:

1. Dismantling the old coating.
2. Waterproofing the floor.
3. Heat and sound insulation of the floor.
4. Reinforcement with leveling screed.
5. Laying floor tiles with grouting.

To complete this work you will need the following materials:

• silicone;
• extruded polystyrene foam;
• technical polyethylene;
• painting mesh;
• PVA glue;
• latex "DVHB-70";
• fittings;
• cement;
• sand;
• tile;
• tile adhesive;
• marking crosses for seams;
• grout for seams.

Dismantling the old coating

Let's consider the most common situation when a bathroom renovation is carried out in full. In such a situation, the tiles are first laid on the floor, and then on the walls, since it is precisely this pairing of surfaces that provides additional waterproofing of the bathroom floor. But before tiling the walls, you need to install the bathtub in place, so you first need to lay tiles on the floor area for the bathtub, then install the bathtub and tidy the walls, except for the bottom row, protecting the bathtub with a tarpaulin. After finishing the walls, you need to finish laying the tiles on the floor and lay the bottom row of tiles on the walls.

Thus, first of all, you need to dismantle the old floor along with the adhesive solution, cement screed and old waterproofing underneath, to the surface of the floor slab. To save time and effort, dismantling the old floor with your own hands should be done with a hammer drill. Important! When working with a hammer drill, you need to use safety glasses, gloves and shoes, as sharp tile fragments are dangerous.

After finishing the work, you need to analyze the situation with the lowering of the floor level after dismantling, taking measurements. If the level has dropped significantly, it means that it is necessary to backfill with fine expanded clay, followed by compacting it and installing a securing screed. If the decrease in level is insignificant, then it is necessary to clean the surface from bulges using a chisel and hammer, and then grout with cement-sand mortar.

Floor waterproofing

To prevent moisture from entering adjacent rooms and the lower floor, the bathroom floor needs to be waterproofed. The most economical solution would be to lay two layers of dense technical cellophane, available for sale in rolls and by the meter. Sheets of cellophane should be placed with an overlap of 5 cm on each other and 10 cm on the walls. The internal surfaces of the overlaps must be coated with silicone using an installation syringe from a tube.

Rolled bitulin can also be used to waterproof the floor, but the surface under which it is laid needs to be prepared more carefully. After leveling with grout, the floor must be primed. Bitulin is laid on a dry surface in one layer end-to-end, but with an overlap of 10-15 cm on the walls, using blowtorch, which is used to heat its adhesive inner surface before gluing. The bitulin joints must be covered with heated bitumen on top.

Insulation and soundproofing of the floor

On top of the layers of technical polyethylene you need to put a layer of extruded polystyrene foam 3 cm thick. Extruded polystyrene foam differs from ordinary foam in its homogeneous (without forming balls), denser structure, has greater strength, and therefore it can be placed on horizontal surfaces under load.

Laying expanded polystyrene will provide heat and sound insulation for the bathroom floor and make the use of this room more comfortable. Expanded polystyrene sheets must be laid end-to-end, applying a layer of silicone to the joints.

The silicone should be allowed to dry overnight. Then you need to apply a layer of PVA glue to the polystyrene foam and lay an overlapping paint mesh, smoothing it with a spatula so that there are no bubbles. The overlap of the mesh on itself and on the wall should be 5 cm. The PVA glue should also dry for a day, after which a solution of “DVHB-70” latex is applied on top of the glued mesh in a ratio of 1:3, which also needs to be allowed to dry for a day.

Reinforcement and leveling screed

After the latex has dried, you need to begin installing a preparatory screed that will protect the polystyrene foam and define the profile of the final floor covering. To ensure the strength of the screed, it is necessary to reinforce the surface being constructed with reinforcing mesh.

The correct solution would be to reinforce with a mesh of fiberglass reinforcement with a diameter of 6-8 mm, which is knitted using plastic clamps followed by trimming the excess length of their ends or ordinary knitting wire. The mesh cell size should be 8-10 cm. The mesh should be laid on the floor on small flat stones, which, when installing the screed, will ensure that there is a 5-10 mm layer of concrete under the mesh.

The screed is made from cement-sand mortar in a ratio of 1:3, prepared with your own hands. To prepare the screed solution, it is better to use coarse sand. The solution is placed on reinforcing mesh and is distributed in an even layer 5 cm thick. It is important that under the mesh there are no voids left unfilled with the solution, so during the installation process you need to slightly vibrate the solution with a trowel.

When installing a screed, you need to give the surface the necessary slope, which will further simplify the process of laying tiles. The slope of the screed surface should be 1% in the direction opposite to the door to the bathroom. Door frame V doorway the bathroom should have a threshold 3-5 cm high, which, in the event of an emergency leak and the absence of a drain, will delay the spread of water into neighboring rooms for some time.

Starting from the second day, the screed must be moistened with water, avoiding puddles on the surface. After each wetting, the screed is covered with cellophane to slow down the evaporation of water. After the fifth day, stop wetting and wait for the screed to dry. After drying, the screed becomes light gray in color. Then the screed is primed with a solution of latex “DVHB-70” in a ratio of 1:5. A day after priming, the screed is ready for laying tiles.

Laying tiles and grouting

When the floor profile is pre-marked with a screed, the process of laying tiles with your own hands is easier. However, it is necessary to choose the right tile adhesive and grout for the joints. Glue and grout for tiles of various types are offered by manufacturers Ceresit, Yunis, Litokol. To give the surface additional waterproofing qualities, the tiles must be laid on a moisture-resistant adhesive.

Examples of moisture-resistant adhesives include Unis-plus, Unis-basin, Litokol X-11, and Ceresit SM-119 adhesives. Methods for preparing these solutions are presented in an accessible form on the packages. You need to apply a layer of glue no thicker than the thickness of the tile, and you need to use a flat spatula rather than a comb spatula so that there are no voids left under the tile.

The final stage of laying tiles is grouting and sealing the joints

Laying the tiles begins from the location of the future location of the bath. In order to increase the waterproofing properties of the floor, the width of the joints between the tiles should not exceed 2 mm, which is easy to maintain when using plastic cross-clamps of the appropriate size. When the area under the bathtub is tiled, the mortar under the tiles is given a day to harden, and then the tile joints are rubbed with your own hands.

Polymer-cement tiles are ideal for grouting tile joints on bathroom floors. grout mixtures, which give the composition moisture resistance and strength. In such grouts, defects, such as cracks, are less likely to form. Manufacturers Yunis, Ceresit and Litokol, in addition to tile adhesives, also produce high-quality grout mixtures.

After finishing grouting the tile joints, the area of ​​the floor under the bath should stand without load for a week, after which you need to install the bath and tile the walls, except for the last bottom row. Then the installation of tiles on the bathroom floor continues. The outer rows of tiles on the floor must be laid against the wall so that the bottom row of wall cladding rests on the floor tiles during installation, but at the same time there is a gap of 5 mm between the floor tiles and the wall, which will compensate for temperature deformations.

The last operation will be laying the bottom row of tiles on the walls and grouting its seams.