Tile Laying Mistakes to Avoid

Keep some of these pitfalls in mind for your next bathroom tiling project:

• Don't Get Caught Short: Buy at least 10% more tile than you can expect (in most cases, unopened boxes can be returned to the store for a full refund).
• Putting on the Grout Too Soon: Your mortared tiles need a day or two to fully "set" before you throw on the grout. Grouting can easily move your carefully-aligned tiles out of place.
• Too Much Mortar: In their zeal to make the tiles "stick," newbie tilers often slather down mortar like cake batter. When you begin putting the tiles down, there is the danger of mortar squeezing up between the seams.
• Not Making a Dry Run: You don't have to lay down every single tile...but you will want to experiment with at least a course or two to see how you expect things to turn out.
• Going for Boring "White Against White": Live it up. Experiment with different tile colors. If wild tile color is too much for you, you can always spice things up with colored grout.