Proper installation is the key to functional and aesthetic bathroom flooring, whether you choose ceramic, vinyl, or stone tiles. Before installing, you can check our blog for ideas on all types of bathroom floor tiles and which ones to use in a bathroom space. Once that is done, you are fully ready to start the installation process. This guide explores the right techniques and steps for bathroom flooring installation, from preparation to grouting and sealing. With expert tips, you can transform your bathroom into a stylish, water-resistant space.

Bathroom Flooring Preparation

To tile the bathroom floor, it is important to consider going to the hardware shop and getting all the tools needed to make the job easier:

Bathroom Tiling Tools:

• Knee pads: Since you will be doing a lot of work on your knees, it is essential to get padding to protect them. As a professional renovator, this can prevent health issues in the long term.

• Vacuum cleaner.

• Tape measure.

• Tile cutter (manual/water)

• Grinder with a tile-cutting disc: to cut tricky shapes on the tile.

• Spirit level: to check if the floors and the tiles are leveled.

• Pencil or marker: to mark the floors.

• Tile marker. 

• Tile adhesive: the type depends on the underfloor of your bathroom, ask for recommendations at your local store for your application.

• Buckets: one for adhesive, one for grout, and another for clean water.

• Bucket trowel: for the adhesive.

• Big and small scrapers: are used to check under the tiles.

• Notch trowels.

• Paddle mixer: buy the cheap option that attaches to the end of a drill.

• Rubber mallet: especially needed for large format tiles without causing damage.

• Tile spacers: maintain space between tiles.

• Clean sponges and cloths.

• Protective gear: goggles, gloves, and noise-cancelling earmuffs.

• Stanley knife.

• Still water.

• Grout: choose a waterproof option with a color that goes well with the tiles you chose.

• Grouting float: a tool to spread the grout into the joints.

• Silicone sealant: you can use the same color as the grout, choose a waterproof option.

Prepping the Subfloor (Substrate):

Before installing your bathroom flooring, you need to check what type of subfloor to work on. The most common substrates are concrete subfloor, existing tiles, cement backer board, or plywood subfloor.  Although a concrete subfloor is the most common in bathrooms, plywood often requires you to add a cement backer wood to make it stable and waterproof. On the other hand, to install on existing tiles, verify that the tiles underneath are sanded and properly cleaned, and use a tile-on-tile adhesive. 

In this blog, we will cover the tile installation process on a concrete subfloor or cement backer board. Since cement is stable, moisture-resistant, and has better adhesive bonding, it is the perfect substrate for your project. The first and most important step is to check if the surface you are tiling on is leveled. Not having a leveled subfloor will cause issues during the tiling process. If your bathroom floor is not leveled, a self-leveling compound is easy and fast to get it up to a standard, leveled substrate.

How to Tile a Bathroom: The Process

After ensuring the substrate is leveled, you can apply a suitable primer if the cement is porous to enhance the adhesive bonding. If not you can get to tiling!

Clean Your Bathroom Flooring and Decide:

• Firstly vacuum all the surfaces of your subfloor.

• Do not lay your first tile until you know where the last one will go: you need to start dry laying your tiles on the bathroom floor. You can choose the grid, diagonal, Chevron, Herringbone, Basketweave, Pinwheel, Hexagon, Modular, or brick pattern.

• First, get the plan correct by laying floor tiles at the doorway. The doorway is a high-traffic area; that is to say, it will be the first thing you see in the bathroom. By laying full tiles at the beginning, you avoid ugly-cut tiles in that area. Then, lay the rest of the tiles until the end of the room. This way, you can visualize and adjust the tiles to what is visually appealing.

• Mark with the pencil or caulk marker where the tiles will end and interlock.

• Take the tape measure and measure the width of the room. Then, half that measurement to find the middle, and mark it.

•  Mark the center line in the middle of the bathroom so the gap between each end of the tile is the same from all sides. If the gap is too small, it would not be visually appealing. You can straddle the center with a tile and then move the tiles over half a tile’s length. This will give you bigger pieces of tile on each end.

Bathroom Tile Installation

• Use a paddle mixer to blend the tile adhesive and water in a bucket until it reaches a smooth, creamy consistency (read the manufacturer’s guide). Start with smaller batches to prevent hardening.

• Next, use the bucket trowel to get the adhesive on a small area in the center of the room. With a 45-degree angle, spread it out with a notched trowel to finish up with straight notches.

• In the next step, back-butter the tile: if the tiles are in large format, flip it and cover the back with the flat edge of the trowel.

• Press the tiles firmly on the adhesive.

• Afterward, place the corner of the bucket trowel under the tile and lift it to check for complete coverage. Then place the tile back again (you only need to check with the first tile).

• Use tile spacers between the tiles to ensure the spacing between tiles is consistent.

• Use a spirit level on each tile to check for evenness. Use a rubber mallet on the sides to balance them.

• Measure odd areas like edges, fitters, and door frames and cut the tiles accordingly. Use the tile cutter/wet saw/grinder on clean or intricate cuts.

• Eventually, after laying all your tiles allow them to rest for at least 24 hours (check the adhesive’s guidelines).

•  After setting, remove all the spacers, if some grout lines appear between the tile, use a Stanley knife to cut it out.

• Clean any grout, dirt, and dust on the tiles with a damp cloth.

Grouting:

• In a new bucket, use a clean paddle and mix grout and still water until smooth

• Secondly, grab a small amount of grout on the edge of the grouting float and fill the gaps diagonally.

• Take a clean water bucket and rinse out a clean sponge or cloth, then clean the remaining grout haze on the tiles.

• After the grout sets, use a damp microfiber towel to clean the tiles, be patient as you can clean multiple times to remove all the haze.

• You can apply a grout sealer for more protection against water. 

• Finally, use a waterproof silicone sealant to fill around the walls. You can check the sealing tutorial on this blog.

 Bathroom Flooring Professional Installation

Proper bathroom flooring installation is essential, no matter what type of tiles you choose. Although DIY is cost-effective, it can lead to expensive mistakes, uneven tiles, accidents, and water damage. With professional fitters, you benefit from precise workmanship, time efficiency, and a reliable warranty. You also get advice on the perfect waterproofing option for your bathroom. At AV Modern Bathrooms, our professional fitters cater to your needs, budget, and time. We provide full bathroom renovations to ensure your vision comes to life. Our team of skilled fitters delivers flawless installations that stand the test of time. Call us at +44 1942 365989, or email us at info@avmodernbathrooms.com. Visit our 69-71 Higher Parr Street, St. Helens, WA9 1AD, UK showroom. You can also contact us to get a free quote! Our full bathroom renovations only start at £3,600, offering unbeatable value for a high-quality transformation.