Bathroom tiling.?

Question

I need tips on how to install tiles around bathroom walls. I have the walls up and taped. Now what???
I leveled and drew a line under the window cell horizontal and vertical.
1) Do I start tiling from the tub up?
2) How do I seal - or do I have to seal the tiles (Ceramic tiles 4x4)?
3) What type of sealer should I use? Please give me a name that I can easily find @HD or loews.

Answer 1

Do NOT begin at a wall. Find the center of the East Wall, then the center of the West wall. Strike a line from these points with a chalk line. Find the center of the North Wall and the center of the South wall, strike a line from those two points. N S E W are only direction examples, could be horizontal, perpendicular.
Where these two lines cross is the center of the area to be tiled.
Now from that center point, draw a square indicating where a tile would set, the center point of the lines would be the center of a tile. Then, lay loosely, one row of tiles from that center tile, with proper grout spacing, to a wall in each direction, east and west.
When you reach a wall with a full tile as closely as you can get, there will be a "fill space" from the tile to the wall. Check the width of that space and compare it to the space on the opposite wall. Do this both directions. You may likely see that along one wall that space may be very narrow and the opposite larger. Determine the difference of the two "fill spaces", split that difference, then move the center tile in the direction of the most narrow fill space. Do this in both directions if needed. Then adjust the loose tiles in each row, again allow grout spaces. You should then see that the fill spaces on each wall should be equal or fairly equal to the space on opposite walls. This avoids a fill that may be 1 inch or less, and the fills along the walls will be more equal to each other, much more pleasing to the eye, as well as avoiding too narrow tile cuts, difficult to work with.

When satisfied on the layout, adhere the center tile to the floor.
From that center tile, spread the adhesive at a limited distance around the center, not too far. You want to be able to reach that distance. Do not spread the entire area. You can then set tiles in all directions, in stair step pattern until you reach the perimeter of the adhesive. Then spread more adhesive and continiue. BE SURE YOU PLACE THE GROUT SPACERS EQUALLY. Allow to dry proper amount of time, then you can cut tiles to fit fills along walls.
Wait 24 hours before grouting.
NOTE: Walls are not square, reason for beginning at center. The fill cuts will not be exactly the same for each fill cut. Measur each cut before cutting. DO NOT cut all the same size, each individually as measured. Out of square wall affect this.

Answer 2

You should start from the tub up. so you have a nice finished edge where it meets the tub. You start from the center of the long wall so that the cuts on each end are the same. On the short walls you start from the outside so that once agin you have a clean factory edge.

Normally you don't have to seal bathroom tiles they have a gloss finish, right? You do have to grout them however, the tiling department at Home Depot will have a few choices, in many colours. Pick one that matches your tiling job, and the paint colour. Read the grouting instructions a couple of times. Be careful when mixing grout, a little water at a time!

Answer 3

My very strong opinion on this matter is to go to Lowe's or HD during a weekday morning, when they're not too busy. Get a handy-dandy little book so you have it with you as you go. Ask the cute lil helper at the store to help you with all you will need. Yes, you will need to seal the grout - they can find the best sealer, the best grout, the whole nine yards. Good luck on your project