1. DECORATING TIPS : TILING DO-IT-YOURSELF

Decorating is the most common of all do-it-yourself tasks which includes tiling. This report will filled with practical tips and techniques for tilling for doing-your-self, whether you're experienced decorator or a begginer.
From the initial preparations to the final touches with all the techniques covered.

Tiling Materials
Ceramic tiles provide the most durable of all finishes in the home, whether for walls, floors or worktops and there has never been a bigger choice of colours, designs, shapes and sizes. Vinyl, lino and cork floor tiles offer an alternatives floor finish to ceramics, and offer the advantages of ease of laying combined with a surface finish that is warmer to the touch and also less noisy underfoot than ceramic tiles. For a hard-wearing and attractive floor, there are also quarry tiles, ideal for areas that receive a lot of foot traffic.
Most tiling jobs will need tools for measuring, spacing and cutting the tiles, and adhesive and grout for attaching the tiles.

Type of Tiling

Floor tiles
In general, floor tiles are thicker and harder-fired than wall tiles. They are sold in a wide range of plain colours, simple textures and more elaborate designs is available. Common size are 150 x 200mm squares and 200 x 100mm rectangles.
Quarry tiles are unglazed ceramic floor tiles with a brown, buff or reddish colour and a popular choice for hallways, conservatories and country style kitchen. Common sizes are 100 x 150mm square. Special shaped tiles are also available for forming upstands at floor edges.
Terracota tiles similar with quarry tiles, but are larger and are fired at lower temperatures so they are more porous. They are sealed in the same way as quarry tiles. Squares, ranging in size between 200 and 400mm, and rectangles and octagonal are the most popular shapes.
Cork tiles particularly useful in bathroom, kitchens, halls and children bedroom. Normally these are coming in a small range of colours and textures. Their surface feels warms and relatively soft underfoot and also give some worthwhile heat and spund insulation.
Vinyl tiles come in a very wide range of pattern and plain types, and generally resist wear so they can be used on floors subject to fairly heavy wear.
Modern lino tiles. They are made from natural materials rather than the plastic resins used in vinyl tiles, offer far better performance than traditional linoleum. They come in a range of bright and subtle colours and interesting patterns, often with pre-cut borders. Generally has the size in 300mm squares although there are some larger squares and rectangels as well.

Wall Tiles
These tiles are generally fairly thin, measuring from 4 to 6mm tgick although some imported tiles may be rather thicker. The common type is the square, measuring 108mm or 150mm across. Nowadays rectanguar tiles (measuring 200 x 100mm and 200 x 150mm) are becoming popular.

Mosaics
These are just tiny tiles, usually plain in colour or sometimes with a pattern. Square mosaics are the most common, nut roundels, hexagons and other interlocking shapes are also popular. Sheets are usually square and 300mm across, and are often sold in packs of five or ten.