Tiling advice 

For newly plastered walls allow at least 1 month for the plaster to dry out before tiling.  Correctly applied plaster need not be sealed prior to tiling.

Setting Out

Taking into account windows and doorways, use the tile you are fixing as a gauge. Set out the horizontal position of the tiles so that even cuts are made on either side of windows and small cuts are avoided in the corners of the room.
Always work from a level base using a piece of wood nailed against the wall to a line marked with a spirit level.

First mark a vertical line from floor to ceiling near a window.  Using your tile as a gauge again set out the tiles vertically to keep the maximum amount of tile under the windows. This should be consistent with at least half a tile showing at the ceiling line and skirting.

Except for windows, always start from external corners with a full tile and cut tiles into internal corners.  Avoid cuts of less than 1/4 of the tile’s width. When tiling use plastic spacers or pegs to achieve a consistent and even spacing throughout the tiled area.  A variety of sizes of spacers and pegs are available for your tiling requirements.

Some tiles have a glazed edge and some are mitred. Most tiles however, have an unfinished edge.  Plastic or metal trim is available to create an improved finish for most situations where the tile edges are visible, for example on external corners.
It is very important that you do not fix tiles tight into any internal corner. Always allow a gap equivalent to at least the thickness of the tile.  This gap will be compensated for and will not show when the adjoining wall is tiled.
Where there is likely to be movement, e.g. internal vertical corners and where tiled surfaces meet another surface at an angle, avoid grouting the inside of the intersection or internal corner. Examples of such intersections are, where the tiles meet the bath and where the tiled wall meets the floor. Always use a silicone sealant such as BAL Microseal Silicone Sealant instead, as it is much more flexible and will not usually be affected by the movement. Try to pick a sealant with a colour close to the colour of the grout you are using.

Fixing

Dry Areas

Use a ready-mixed adhesive, such as Bal Blue Star and apply with a round notched trowel. You may have to use a different type of adhesive e.g. a floor tile adhesive such as BAL Rapidset Flexible White, if your tiles are larger than 300 x 300 mm. Always ask for advice before purchasing or read the instructions carefully.

Wet Areas

Tileflair strongly recommends the use of a water-resistant adhesive such as BAL White Star in any wet areas. Apply using the solid-bed method with an appropriate notched trowel that will acheive full coverage at the back of the tile.

Worktops

Some wall tiles, glazed floor tiles and some mosaics are suitable for this purpose.  The base must be at least 25 mm hard density chipboard or plywood. We recommend using BAL White Star adhesive for fixing

Advice on Tiling Floors

Preparation

Concrete/Cement-Sand Screeds

Ensure that the floor is free from any surface contamination such as oil, grease and dust. A dusty cement floor may be sealed by using a suitable sealer e.g. BAL Bond SBR. Otherwise, degrease and clean the floor thoroughly to enable full contact between the floor and the tile adhesive you will be using.

Existing Unglazed Ceramic Tiles, Quarry Tiles and Natural Stone

All existing tiles should be firmly bonded to the floor and in sound and clean condition. Test the tiles for solidity and bonding. Any hollow sounding or defective areas should be cut out and the section made good with BAL pourable thick bed or BAL PTB flexible, applied over a slurry bonding coat (2:1 - adhesive to BAL bond SBR).

Wooden Floors

Ensure that the existing floor is rigid and firmly fixed. There must also be sufficient ventilation, which is particularly important at ground level.
You may tile over floorboards. If doing so, please check that they are strong and solid without any movement. The boards should be free from varnish and other contaminants. Screw them down along the joists at minimum 300mm centres to ensure more solidity. Prime with BAL Prime APD and fix tiles using BAL Fastflex. 
BAL Fastflex can be used to fix tiles to both soft wood tongue & groove floorboards and flooring grade chipboard sheets. Alternatively, overlay the boards with minimum 18mm thickness exterior grade plywood or waterproofed plywood. This should be fixed down at 300mm centres, in both directions, using screws or ring shank nails. Seal with BAL Bond SBR. Tiling can then be done with an adhesive such as BAL Rapidset Flexible or BAL Single Part Flexible. 

Mastic Asphalt

Must be in sound condition and have adequate cohesive strength. It should also be of a suitable grade e.g. flooring. The surface should be sufficiently regular. Remove any surface contaminants.

Fixing

Before starting to fix the tiles arrange the tiles in such a way that small cuts are avoided. Then spread adhesive on to the floor with a solid bed trowel. (Note: Always do small sections at a time and try to work quickly, especially if the adhesive is fast setting. If left for too long, the adhesive will start to dry and the tiles will not adhere.) If necessary, ‘butter’ the backs of the tiles with adhesive, especially the corners. There should be no air trapped behind the tiles. Make sure they are solidly bedded.
Leave at least 3mm spacing between the tiles. Leave more if quarry or hand-made tiles are being used. It is recommended that tile spacers are used to acheive even and uniform spacing.
If you use a rapid-setting adhesive, it will set in 2 to 3 hours.
When fixing porcelain tiles a rapid-setting adhesive will set in 24 to 48 hours at 20 c.

Grouting

Use a suitable grout such as BAL Superflex Wide Joint Grout or BAL Microcolour Wide Joint Grout. These are available in a range of colours.
On wooden floors where tiles are fixed to a single layer of tiles it is recommended that BAL Admix GT1 is diluted 1:1 with water and that the solution is used to mix the grout. This makes the grout more flexible. Dilute 2:1 with water where tiles are fixed to a plywood overlaid floor.
Please note that some coloured grouts can stain certain tiles. Check using a spare tile or a usually hidden section of the floor. If necessary use BAL Protective Sealer to protect the tiles from staining.

Fully Vitrified Glazed Porcelain Tiles

Use an adhesive that is suitable for porcelain such as BAL Rapidset, BAL Gold Star, BAL Single Part Flexible or BAL Rapidset Flexible. If large format tiles (400 x 400 mm or larger) are being fixed then use BAL Pourable Thick Bed, or BAL PTB Flexible.
Grout with highly polymer modified grouts such as, BAL Superflex Wide Joint Grout if the tiles are fully vitrified. Alternatively use a 2:1 or 1:1 water:BAL GT1 mix with a wide joint grout.

Slate

When fixing slate tiles onto concrete use BAL PTB Flexible and grout with BAL Wide Joint Grout.
When fixing onto timber floors, the floors must be stable and rigid. The extra load of the natural stone must be taken into account. Laying 18mm WBP or marine grade plywood will strengthen the floor. This must be screwed down to the existing timber floor at max 300mm centres.
When fixing tiles onto timber floors, always use a flexible adhesive and grout such as BAL Fastflex adhesive and BAL Superflex Wide Joint Grout. Grout joints between slate tiles can be 6-10mm. Apply BAL Impregnating Tile Sealer ideally before fixing but at least prior to grouting. Be sure to follow the instructions.
After grouting, clean the floor using clean water and a suitable sponge. Allow enough time for the grout to dry thoroughly, minimum 24 hours. Seal with BAL Floor Tile Polish making sure to follow the instructions.
When cleaning the floor during normal use, use BAL Floor Tile Clean and Wax.

Limestone

For the best results, ensure that there are no unintended colour or shade variations. To do this, lay out the tiles, then mix and adjust them until you have an acceptable colour blend and all the colours are distributed randomly. When fixing the tiles to a concrete screeded floor BAL Single Part Flexible White, BAL Rapidset Flexible White or BAL CTF3 should be used.

Seal the tiles with BAL Impregnating Tile Sealer either before fixing or grouting. This will reduce the porosity which will help protect against staining. It will also enhance the natural appearance and act as the foundation for the surface finish. It is always recommended to carry out a trial on a spare tile. Seal it and then try some grout on it. Check that grout is not absorbed into the tile. Add a further coat of sealer if necessary.The tiles can then be grouted with BAL Superflex Wide Joint Grout or BAL Wide Joint Grout. BAL Floor Tile Polish may then be applied to provide a hardwearing, satin finish to protect the tiles against stubborn dirt and stains