Trim for internal corners

[girlygirl]

Hi,

I am attempting my very first tiling job in our laundry and I am about half way through. I have used large tiles 600mm x 300mm on the walls. So far it is going OK. My question is when you get to the internal corners it seems as though I need to either cut some VERY narrow tile strips or cover the internal corner with some kind of colour matched trim. I think cutting the narrow tiles would be very challenging for me as I am only using a hand held tile cutter. Is there a product available that would be suitable to finish off these corners (I am in Australia).

Also, one final question. does anyone have any tips for how to support large tiles to keep them in place while they are drying? I had to screw a batten to the wall beneath the bottom row of tiles to support them while they dried (otherwise they rapidly slid down the wall!!) and I was wondering if there was a quicker/easier method?

Thanks for your help.

Sonia

 

[Burnerman]

You could probably get some sort of quarter round edging tiles but if I were you I'd get hold of a diamond blade tile cutting machine (cheap over here) and cut those thin slips.....other stick on trims look a bit naff to me.
Using a batten on the wall is exactly the thing to do.
G'day!
John

 

[girlygirl]

Thanks for your help John, I will see if I can get hold of a diamond blade tile cutter.

Sonia

 

[Burnerman]

If you pop over, you can borrow mine for the day
Well done with your project - it sounds like you're well pleased with it!
That'll be bonza then?
John

 

[Richard C]

I have used large tiles 600mm x 300mm on the walls.

Not familiar with building techniques in NSW but what substrate are you sticking these tiles onto. Do you know the weight? Some materials particularly plaster have a very low weight limit.

My question is when you get to the internal corners it seems as though I need to either cut some VERY narrow tile strips or cover the internal corner with some kind of colour matched trim. I think cutting the narrow tiles would be very challenging for me as I am only using a hand held tile cutter. Is there a product available that would be suitable to finish off these corners (I am in Australia).

It’s usual to adjust the tile layout so you don’t get thin tile slivers in the corners. It’s not usual to use trim on internal corners, it will look very naff! What material are your tiles made of, it would be usual to use a diamond wet wheel cutter for tiles that size.

Also, one final question. does anyone have any tips for how to support large tiles to keep them in place while they are drying? I had to screw a batten to the wall beneath the bottom row of tiles to support them while they dried (otherwise they rapidly slid down the wall!!) and I was wondering if there was a quicker/easier method?

Again not sure what is available in NSW but what type of adhesive are you using? Tub ready mix is no good on that size tile, you will have trouble with initial grab & hold &, as it’s water base evaporative cure, it may never set properly in the center of the tile; the tiles may even fall off the wall.

 

[foxhole]

For novice tiling it can help to baton every row, working from top down leaving just the bottom row to be trimmed to size and accomodate out of level floors etc.That way every row is level with variation in tile size not causing problems with keeping things level.You also don't have tile cement falling over the tiles below keeping job clean.

 

[girlygirl]

Thanks everyone for your assistance.

Richard the substrate is rendered brick. The tiles are ceramic wall tiles. If I were to do it again I would do my best not to end the row with slivers of tiles, however, that is what I have ended up with this time. Luckily it is in the least obvious corner of the room.

Richard I did use pre mixed adhesive. After I ran out I bought another tub of a different pre mixed adhesive which did give better hold but I still needed to support the tiles in the correct position for a day. What would you advise in place of pre mixed adhesive - there didn't seem to be anything much else available?

Foxholeyou are right I think it would have been good to baton every row and I will do that for the remainder of my tiling project.

Any tips for tiling the floor before I get started on that in a week or so? Drainage isn't a huge problem as the laundry is external to the house and opens onto a deck. There is a toilet in there and it is a very small space - about 1.2 metres by 2 metres. I have bought small ceramic floor tiles - they are about 150mmx150mm in a dark grey colour.

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Sonia

 

[Richard C]

Richard the substrate is rendered brick. The tiles are ceramic wall tiles. If I were to do it again I would do my best not to end the row with slivers of tiles, however, that is what I have ended up with this time. Luckily it is in the least obvious corner of the room.

At least render will support the weight up to 40 kg/sqm depending on condition. Conventional gypsum plaster will only support half that & that includes up to 4 kg/sqm for the adhesive & grout. Planning the layout is essential; you generally start with a line down the centre of the room & work outwards but if this gives narrow slivers adjust the centre tile so that it centrally straddles the line instead of starting from it, this will give you a width of ½ tile + the thin sliver you had previously in the corner. Of course every room is different & there are often windows, doors & aspects to be considered, its needs to look right where your eyes focus when you first walk into the room.

Richard I did use pre mixed adhesive. After I ran out I bought another tub of a different pre mixed adhesive which did give better hold but I still needed to support the tiles in the correct position for a day. What would you advise in place of pre mixed adhesive - there didn't seem to be anything much else available?

With tile sizes around 250mm you should really be using a powder cement based adhesive, certainly once they hit 300mm. The problem is that tub ready mix is evaporative cure & the only way out for the moisture is through the gaps between the tiles. With large tiles this can take days, weeks & in some cases never sets resulting in the tiles moving around & even falling off. Such cases usually result in the tiles being taken down & re-laid using cement based adhesive which is chemical cure & so doesn’t rely on loosing moisture to set. A quality Rapidset adhesive (40 minutes) is essential on large/heavy tiles as it will grab & hold the tile almost instantly & will set allowing grouting within two hours. This is essential for pros, otherwise we’d be back & forth to finish a job for days or even weeks.

Product quality also varies enormously which is probably why the second tub was better than the first. It’s also essential you use only quality trade products of the correct type for your tiles & tile base &, in the UK at least, own brand & DIY products are mostly crap; you generally get what you pay for with this stuff.

Any tips for tiling the floor before I get started on that in a week or so? Drainage isn't a huge problem as the laundry is external to the house and opens onto a deck. There is a toilet in there and it is a very small space - about 1.2 metres by 2 metres. I have bought small ceramic floor tiles - they are about 150mmx150mm in a dark grey colour.

What sort of floor is this, solid floor or suspended timber? You must only ever use powder cement based adhesive on floors (flexible on suspended timber or over backer boards) regardless of the tile size. I’m sure such products must be available in NSW if you know where to look but obviously I don’t know; your best bet I to find your local trade outlet rather than rely on DIY stores.

Tiling isn’t rocket science but there are many things that can catch you out & suspended timber floors need special consideration, if there is any discernable flexing, the tiles will fail. Again planning the tile layout is your starting point but I would advise you do some more research before starting work or buying materials. Start off by reading the Tiling Sticky & Forum Archive posts on this forum; it could prevent you making disastrous & potentially expensive mistakes. You can post more info on here for step-by-step advice once you have a better understanding of what’s involved.