wrote in message
ups.com...

*Be realistic about how level the wall needs to be - the wall does
not need
to be
flat but you do need to avoid big peaks of old dry adhesive as the
new
tiles will
pivot on these and not grab properly to the wall.


Thanks, Tim.
Aah..I see. Slapping on the tile adhesive evens out wall/plaster
imperfections.

Anyway, I'm going to have a go at this. I can esae into it by popping
out a few old tiles and slotting in new ones as direct replacements.

Question: Are wall tiles made in standard sizes? I can't recall the
size of my kitchen tiles right now, but they are fairly small, 1970s
vintage AFAIK. I'm hoping I can buy exact sized replacements to make my
job as easy as possible...

Bruce


Bruce...

STOP keeping me from swotting up before a job interview tomoz!!!

just kidding

Exactly, the adhesiv is pretty forgiving of all but irregular highs.

The tip to use an SDS drill is also a good one - will prb save time and I
think you can get them for £50 from the usual places

Tiles unfortunately fall ito the category of almost standard sizes... For
example there are lots that approximate 150mm or 6 inches. For that reason
I really would not reccomend doing it a bit at a time - sorry. Apart from
anything else you will be constantly cleaning up after yourself AND risking
damaging the new tiles. and it is very difficult to apply adhesive at a
constant thickness if you work bit by bit like this - imagine trying to
plaster a wall patch at a time

General tile tips

*Clear the whole wall(s)
*screw on a batten and check with a level at the right height **
*put on the adhesive as per instructions in sufficient area that you get
consistent thickness but it doesnt go dry before you have time to put tiles
up
*Consider using the small plastic tile spacers IMO worth their weight
*Once the first row is set then carry on
*Clean out any excess adhesive in grout space if necessary while let -
otherwise it will be harder to grout later

** Spend a few minutes before you start laying working out how many tiles
you need height and width wise for the wall (allow for spacers if
applicable). THis should let you determine where to put the batten. There
is nothing worse than making twice as much cutting for yourself or having to
cut teeny slivers of tile because you didnt plan ahead . Ideally you
would start with a whole tile butted to one edge (wall worktop etc. - but
only if these are level and square with eachother, take nothing for granted
in houses) and only cut on the opposite edge but it can sometimes look
better/make cutting easier depending on the situation - just think it
through!