Finishing the surface with tiles is a laborious and painstaking process that requires patience and certain skills. More attractive and original is the facing of the tiles diagonally. Designers resort to this method of styling if necessary to hide an unsuccessful layout or to visually expand the space.
Traditional horizontal or vertical laying is certainly simpler and more economical, but also less original. In addition, an experienced craftsman, knowing how to lay the tiles diagonally, can minimize the additional consumption of material.
Diagonal layout - advantages and disadvantages
You can glue diagonally on the tile both square and rectangular. It all depends on the experience of the stacker. Diagonal layout has some advantages:
- The rotary arrangement of tiles on the surface of the floor or wall visually distances the planes from each other, visually expanding the area of the room.
- The combination of different colors and shades with a diagonal layout provides more opportunities to create an interesting and unique design of the room.
- If you glue the tiles diagonally, you can easily hide the irregularities of the perimeter. In the traditional layout, the extreme elements with different widths are more visible.
- Having enough experience in finishing work, you can save at least 5% on the material.
The disadvantages of diagonal gluing include:
- The complexity and complexity of the installation process. Marking, cutting and diagonal installation require the experience of the master. A beginner tiler for such painstaking work will require maximum patience and concentration.
- For diagonal laying, cut pieces are used. Precise marking and accurate cutting require additional time and the correct calculation of the number of tiles. With insufficient experience, errors may occur during cutting and material damage, increasing consumption.
Surface preparation
Smooth, pre-prepared surface facilitates and accelerates the process of tiling.
With uneven floors of 1-2 cm, an experienced master does not require preliminary alignment. If roughness is about 2-3 cm, it is best to level the surface with a self-leveling self-leveling floor. The cement mixture diluted with water is evenly distributed over the entire area using a needle roller. For differences from 3 to 10 cm, it is recommended to make a cement screed with sand and with the addition of expanded clay, if the curvature of the floor is higher than 10 cm. After complete hardening, you can continue finishing work.
Alignment of vertical surfaces requires special attention, since with a diagonal pattern, the tubercles and curvature of the walls are especially noticeable. Insignificant wall defects are repaired by puttying, in case of complex distortions the perimeter of the room is recommended to sheathe with drywall.
The surface of the ceiling must be cleaned of loose plaster and whitewash, wash off greasy stains and glossy oil paint. Seams between plates, cracks and irregularities should be puttied.
The adhesion of the tile to the surface to be glued is much higher when using special primers. Additionally, after the primer has dried, a thin layer of liquid tile adhesive can be applied to the surface to be glued.
Tools and materials
A sufficient number of tiles and the necessary equipment will ensure a trouble-free and high-quality finishing process. Since diagonal laying involves the use of a large number of cut parts, it is necessary to correctly calculate the amount of material and prepare the tools.
When laying tiles, spatulas and rubber spatulas are used, two levels: bubble and laser, a container for diluting the mortar and tape measure, glue and grout, a level and a mallet, for marking a cord and crayons or a pencil, crosses and spacers. How to cut the tile: tile cutter, glass cutter or grinder, each master decides for himself.
Laying methods: from the corner and from the center
Laying patterns diagonally on the floor and ceiling are identical. The method from the center is used more often, since there is usually more free space in the center of the room. The center of the room is determined by two cords, stretched from diagonally opposite angles. On the ceiling, the reference point can be both the geometric center of the room, and the place of attachment of the chandelier. In a square room, marking for the diagonal layout is done on outstretched cords. In a rectangular room or in a room of complex configuration, first a square is determined from the center, then the rest of the space is marked.
The method of pasting from the corner is often used for bathrooms or small hallways, since the free space is shifted here. With this method, the finish is more painstaking, since it starts by gluing the cut half of the tile to the starting corner and for each new row a new measurement and cutting of the tiles is required.
Surface marking
Before laying the tile diagonally, each master marks the room in a convenient way for himself. Of course, it is better to have experience in carrying out such work.
To lay the floor or ceiling tiles diagonally, colored cords are used. Stretching them from opposite angles or from the centers of the walls, they make a “beating”. The resulting axes must be exactly perpendicular. Additional landmarks are drawn relative to the received lines.
Sometimes with a complex pattern using tiles of different colors or sizes, the pattern is laid out without an adhesive layer, marks are made with chalk or pencil on the surface, and the tiles are numbered and assembled from the wrong side.
Laying the tile diagonally on the wall, both on the floor and the ceiling, can be done from the center. But it's easier to make markup on the principle of an isosceles triangle. To do this, along the adjacent wall and ceiling or floor from the selected angle, segments equal to the diagonal of the laid tile are laid off. The connected ends form a guideline for laying the first solid tile.
Diagonal tile calculation
There are two ways to calculate the required amount of tile material:
- The area to be glued is divided by the area of one tile.
- To place a complex configuration or an intricate drawing on paper, a layout diagram is drawn up on a scale and the number of whole tiles is calculated.
Since there are possible errors during the calculation and accidental damage to the material when trimming, it is recommended to purchase 10-15% more. Additional costs may occur when fitting tiles with a pattern or ornament.
Laying tiles diagonally
With any installation method, the most difficult moment is laying the first tile. A clear construction of the whole drawing depends on its correct location.
Installation work according to the “from the center” method, which allows maintaining symmetry and proportions, is best carried out by sectors. There are two options for this method:
- Strictly in the center is laid the first tile, through the corners of which rays pass to the middle of the walls. The next 2 tiles lie to its sidewalls, then a row of three parts, and thus laying is carried out along a triangular area to the wall. Then the opposite triangle is pasted and so on.
- In the second option, 4 tiles are mounted with corners in the center of the surface. From each tile, the diagonal according to the markup is laid out. Then pasted the space in the triangular sectors between the rays.
With the installation method “from the corner”, it is recommended to start from the most viewed corner of the room. The first is glued half of the tile, sawn diagonally. Each next row begins with the laying of the cut part.
After marking the surface according to the triangle principle, the first will be mounted a series of solid tiles, which is actually the second.
With the diagonal placement of the tile there is a risk of displacement of each next row. To avoid this, experienced installers are advised to definitely use cross-shaped clamps to maintain gaps between the rows. Every 2-3 rows of horizontal and vertical check level.
The adhesive mixture corresponding to the type of surface and tile is applied with a notched trowel. To avoid deviations from the diagonal, the second row of solid tiles is mounted immediately. The ends of each next row should coincide with the ends of the previous one.
Finish grout
Fixing crosses should be removed until the glue is completely dry, and the seams should be cleaned of excess glue mixture.
It is recommended to grout the joints after 5-8 days, that is, after the adhesive mixture has completely dried. In order not to spoil all the work, grouting must be performed in full accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Tips from experienced tilers
When the adhesive mixture is distributed on the surface with a layer of different thicknesses, uneven tension of an individual tile is formed, and with time it can break or fall off.
Stepping on freshly laid floor tiles is not recommended.
To avoid slipping the picture, before laying the tile diagonally on the wall, an even wooden or metal profile is fixed, on which the first row of solid tiles rests.
On a vertical surface, diagonal laying is carried out in 2-3 rows. Subsequent rows are laid after grasping the previous ones. The rows of trimmed parts adjacent to the corners, floor and ceiling are mounted after the completion of laying all rows of solid tiles. The first row from the floor is pasted last.
Before cutting the tile, it is recommended to attach it to the intended place or carefully measure the size with a tape measure.