Kelly-Anne Kidston
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When tiling a wall or floor, it is important that the surface is even to allow you to create a completely straight finish with no warps or lippage 😉 However, it’s quite common for walls and floors to be uneven, meaning that tiles can appear to be distorted or laid at an angle, or some tiles stick out from the wall more than others 😎 In the case of uneven surfaces, they will need to be prepared prior to fitting the tiles in order to create a perfectly even tiled floor or wall. But how do you do this? Here at Tile and Floor Superstore we’ve created a quick guide on preparing an uneven surface for tiling to help you achieve the perfect wall or floor.
A Concrete Backer board can cover up an uneven wall with ease. At Walls and Floors, we recommend HardieBacker Boards as they are mould and moisture resistant, easy to work with yet remain sturdy in their lifespan. The Backer provides a flat even surface that can be screwed into the wall and cover over any uneven problem areas.It is wise to attach them to strong support areas as the concrete boards and tiles weigh a lot and you run the risk of them adding stress to the walls. But they are easy to install and create an instant flat surface for use on walls and floors. (last emended 93 days ago by Phaedra Hanks from Jincheng, China)
Many walls are somewhat uneven. They may have settled or bowed over time, or the plaster may be rough and uneven. If you’re tiling over an uneven section of wall, the corners of the tiles may stick out slightly from the rest of the tiles; this is known as “lippage,” and it can diminish the most professional of tile jobs. Lippage can be eliminated on most walls by hanging new drywall or backerboard before tiling. If you’re tiling directly onto the wall, however, leveling clips and wedges will force the edges of the tiles together and create a smooth, even wall tile installation, no matter how uneven the wall is.
According to Vincent Groves at homeguides.sfgate.com, fill in the unbowed areas of the wall to bring them in line with the bow by floating extra thinset, made extra sticky with the addition of an additive such as latex. This technique works best for small bows, less than ½ inch deep. Scratch the thinset so that it provides a good bond, feathering the edges closest to the bow so that the wall becomes perfectly straight and smooth. If necessary, for larger bows, build up thinset in layers, starting with a layer using the notched edge of the trowel, making the second layer smooth with the flat edge, and so on as needed. Use your straightedge or level to check that the thinset layer is perfectly straight, let dry for 24 hours, then install the tile as usual. (we say thank you to Olympia Long for highlighting this).
Daryl Rodrigues from home-building.wonderhowto.com provide further insight. Tiling always looks so easy when you see it done on a straight wall! But how do you do it with a crooked wall? Use a Measureright Pro to get the angle right. So if you’ve tiled from a straight right angle and you’re just reaching the ‘odd’ shaped spaces between your last row of tiles and your crooked wall, you can use the tool to mark your final row of tiles so that when you cut them, they will fit right into the irregular shaped spaces between your final row of tiles and the slanting wall. The video shows you exactly how to do it and makes it look quite simple. (last edited 64 days ago by Brieanna Carbajal from Shimkent, Kazakhstan)
As per the analysts at homesteady.com, a chalk line is a piece of string that is rolled inside of a metal or plastic case and filled with powdered chalk. When the line is pulled out of the casing, it is covered in chalk. To snap a chalk line: Pull the string taut, grasp the string in the middle, pull it up and let it go. This action will result in a chalk line on the floor. The chalk line serves as your guide. To make crooked walls less noticeable, lay floor tiles on a diagonal rather than a straight line. Using un-patterned floor tiles will also make crooked walls less apparent. Do not create decorative tile borders because crooked walls will be highlighted.
