What I Learned from Tiling my Master Bathroom

I think tiling is one of those things that seems like a hard project but it really isn’t. It is time consuming and there are many ways you can mess up BUT the skill to do it is not hard. So, here’s what I learned when tiling my bathroom.

1. Map out your tile first

This seems obvious but I am going to add to it because #oldhouseproblems.

So a lot of the videos I watched to prepare myself for tiling having you start from the bottom up. You make sure the bottom is level and continue as you go up. Well, what happens if you KNOW your floor is not level and it never will be level? That’s an old house problem that I decided, well, I’d rather the top be level than the bottom.

I really wanted the tile to end under the window which meant that the tile touching the floor would be skinnier but also have to accommodate for the unliveliness of the floor. This was something that I personally was ok with to get what I wanted but you might be different! This is why laying out your tile beforehand is important.

2. Set yourself up for multi-day tiling

There was a lot of area to cover with tile for my bathroom and at this point I was VERY pregnant so I could not get to the low stuff. I would tile what I could and rely on help on the weekends for the floor and such.

My mistake? I didn’t quite clean the the thinset where the tile ended. we had to chip away dry thinset so that the tile would lay at the same level as the tiled previously put on earlier. It was annoying and definitely a learning curve. You don’t often see that talked about in how-to videos because tiling is usually done in one sitting.

3. Use handmade/imperfect tile

So the tile I chose for this project was handmade terracotta tiles. I chose it because that was the look that I wanted – to me it felt classic like subway tile but more cozy because they were handmade.

Well let me tell you what a blessing that was! Like I said before, this bathroom was not level and the walls uneven because of how the studs were laid out. I was never going to get perfect lines to begin with. The handmade and imperfect nature of the tile hides this so well! If I had used subway tile, every imperfection would be so glaringly obvious.

If you are new to tiling, get a handmade/imperfect tile, it will help hide any mistakes along the way.

4. Take your time with grouting

By the time it was time to grout, I’ll be honest, I was over tiling. It was the last step before I could pretty much see my completed bathroom and so…I rushed as fast as I could.

I didn’t bother taking chunky thinset out between the tiles – so now some of that shows through.

I didn’t want to change my water over and over again (It was a hassle since you can’t pour grout down the drain) so I left my sponge dirty when cleaning off the grout – now I have major grey drips on my tile that are a pain to clean off now that they are dry.

I didn’t thoroughly inspect my grout job as I was doing it – now when I take showers I’ll notice little imperfections or holes in the grout that I’m like “ugh I wish I just took my time.”

5. Get Premade Grout

This one I did do, and I’d do it again for two main reasons:

one, so much easier! No mixing? Hell yeah!

two, color of grout can change depending on your water ratio. If you are unsure you can finish in one sitting with the amount of grout that you’ve made, chances are you will not be able to mix the same exact color again. Just get the premade one, they come in so many great colors!

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