If you are up for a bit of DIY at home, embarking on a bit of tiling is a great project. However, as with most DIY tasks, you’ll need several tiling tools to get your tiling off to the best start. Apart from a tile cutter, the majority of the tools are relatively cheap and can be bought online or from most DIY stores.
Assuming that you already have the tiles, adhesive and grout, below are some of the tiling tools required.
What Tools Are Needed For Tiling?
Tape Measure
Possibly one of the most important parts of any tiling project is accurate measurements. Whether you need to calculate how many tiles are required, any cuts that are needed or how to lay the tiles, a measuring tape is an essential tool.
Marking Pencil or Pen
Once you have measured up the tiles, guide lines or holes for pipes, you’ll then need to mark the area. Whether you use a whiteboard pen or pencil, the choice is completely up to you. If you choose to use a pen, ensure that it isn’t a permanent marker because it can be near enough impossible to remove on certain tiles. If you want to use a pencil, we recommend investing in chinagraph pencils as they are great for marking on a wide array of tiles.
Tile Cutter
Unless you are extremely lucky to have equal walls or floors for your tiles, you are more than likely going to have to make a few cuts. To do this, you are going to need a tile cutter, which is available as a manual or electric cutter. Some of the latest and best-rated tile cutters allow you to effortlessly cut a range of tiles with ease but you will want to ensure that the cutter you use is suitable for the thickness and tile material that needs to be cut.
Angle Grinder
Although not necessarily needed for all tiling projects, an angle grinder with a diamond blade allows you to make specific cuts. An example cut may be cutting in the middle of a tile to install a flush plate.
Diamond Drill Bits
Another tiling tool that may not be required for all projects is a diamond drill bit, which is used to drill through tiles. This may be a requirement for pipes, tap connections or even a toilet brush or roll holder. A diamond drill bit is required because attempting to drill into a tile with a normal drill bit may produce too much heat and crack the tile.
If you are also in the market for masonry drill bits, many can also be used for tiles such as the Bosch CYL-9 MultiConstruction drill bit. We recommend this drill bit because we’ve had plenty of experience successfully drilling into tiles using it.
Electric Mixer and Rubber Buckets
Once all of the tiles have been measured up and cut accordingly, you are then ready to begin laying down the tiles. This will require a suitable adhesive to be mixed up with water inside of a rubber bucket.
Depending upon your budget, you may wish to invest in a paddle mixer, which is available in a wide range of specifications. Alternatively, if you own a cordless screwdriver, you can get an attachment that allows you to mix up the adhesive (as shown in the image below).
Tile Trowels
Once the adhesive has been mixed up, you will want to use a tile trowel to spread it on the floors or walls. If you are spreading adhesive upon the floor, we would recommend a square notched trowel as it will provide a thicker bed for the tiles. If you are tiling walls, curved notches are the best type of tile trowel to use.
Spirit Level/Tile Levelling System
To avoid any uneven tiles and improve the finished results, it’s crucial that you ensure the tiles are levelled out before the adhesive sets. You can either use a spirit level or a tile levelling system that can be adjusted to suit the thickness of your tiles.
Rubber Grout Floats
Once the tiles have been laid and the adhesive is completely set, you can begin to grout the tiles. The grout needs to fill the spaces between the tiles and lock them together to avoid any movement. The best way to grout the tiles is to use a rubber grout float, which allows you to spread the grout and achieve a great finish with ease.
Tile Spacers
To create consistent spacing between all of your tiles, you will require tile spacers, which are available in a range of sizes to best suit your requirements.
Tile Sponge
Once you have successfully laid the tiles and applied the grout, you will want to begin cleaning up. The best way of doing so is to use a dedicated tile sponge, which is more heavy-duty than a standard alternative. This specific type of sponge makes clearing up the grout residue far easier.
Optional Tools
All the above tools are pretty much essential for perfecting any tiling project but there are plenty of additional tools too. For example, if you are tiling a bathroom, you may want to use some silicone sealant on any of the edges. Other optional tools include knee pads, tile nippers, a rubber mallet, a scraper and much more. You may even wish to paint the tiles once they have been cut to size and this will require a dedicated paint.
Conclusion
Taking on your first tiling project may seem daunting at first but with all the correct tools for the job, it’s actually quite easy. If you require any further information regarding tiling tools or tiling in general, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
