Tiling is a really important task that you might need to pull off from time to time. While decorating your home, tiling is always a must. And these days tiles are being used in the exteriors too. Tiles are used at almost every part of the house including bathrooms and kitchens. Due to different reasons, you might have to go for tiling work from time to time in different parts of your home. And you won’t always have the luxury to take as much time as you need for finishing the tiling job, you should know how you can finish a tile job fast.
More importantly, you can’t always hire a professional to complete the tiling task for you, instead, you might have to do it yourself at times. And when you are about to get into a tiling job in the midst of a busy day while you have other things to take care of, and the place you are tiling at needs to be functional again quickly, then you will have to make sure that you are finishing the tile job as fast as possible. So, here are a few tips that you can follow in order to finish your tiling job fast-
Using A Tile Cutter or Tile Wet Saw
For cutting all types of tiles, including porcelain, ceramic, glass, etc. tile wet saws are the best tools. A wet saw is a blade that has no teeth, rather has a carbide or diamond grit, and gets flooded with water during the cut so that the blade and the tile can be kept from overheating. You can use a tile snap cutter as a manual alternative to a wet saw. You can use it to score the tile and snap it along the scored line. It works best with porcelain, ceramic, and glass tile.
Using Grout Float
Grout floats look like masonry or concrete trowels but they have a rubber base. You can use it to apply the grout to the joints quickly between installed tiles. It is used to force the grout into the joint spaces, and to scrape the grout flush properly with the tile surfaces. This tool is indispensable, as no other tool does this work better.
Using Grout Sponge
It is a big, dense sponge with rounded corners and edges. You can use a grout sponge for smoothing over grout joints after you have applied them with a grout float and cleaning excess grout from the tiles. You need to use real grout sponges instead of ordinary small ones.
Using Notched Trowel
A notched trowel is used for spreading tile adhesive onto the wall or floor. Trowels that have square notches are used for thin-set mortar, and V-notched trowels are used for wall tile mastic. Trowels come in many different sizes of notches, so make sure to use the size recommended by the mastic or thin-set manufacturer.
Using Tile Nippers
Tile nippers will help you make irregular cuts like semi-circles, that a wet saw or snap cutter cannot. They have pliers-like handles, and biting jaws that nibble away the tile. Yes, it is possible to finish the tiling job without tile nippers, but it's a very handy tool to make all sorts of cuts, and help you do your job quickly.
Using Chalk Line
Tiling is about doing the work in straight lines. And there is one old-school method of laying down a straight line that still works today: a chalk line. You’ll need to fill the tool with chalk powder, and then shake it up and unreel the string to your desired length. Snap the string with a bow and arrow, and you get a legible but hazy blue line on your wall or floor. A chalk line is used to define the basic tiling area before the tiling job begins.
Using Bubble Level
A bubble level is also called a carpenter's level, or spirit level. It is used for marking horizontal, vertical, or diagonal layout lines on the wall, or for checking a tile line to make sure it is level or vertical. It also makes a handy straightedge for checking tile alignment on a wall or floor.
Using Rubber Mullet
You’ll need to use a rubber mallet for gently tapping the tiles into their place. Wrapping a normal hammer in something soft will not work, you’ll need to have a rubber one that will save you from having cracked tiles.
Using Plastic Buckets
You’ll need buckets for mixing grout and mortar, also for rinsing out a grout sponge. You don't need any special bucket for tile work; just a good size that's easy for you to carry around but is big enough for reaching in with a grout float, sponge, and trowel.
Final Words
If you use these special tools to complete your tiling job, the job will not only be good and proper, it will be done in a fast manner too. You can easily and quickly finish the job if you use these above-mentioned tools.
