Tips On How To Lay Herringbone Wall Tiles

Recently, designers and homeowners have fallen in love with herringbone tiles. What makes this pattern so famous?  This eternal design is a popular choice for both wall and floor designs.

However, the laying of herringbone tiles on the wall has been a severe issue for beginners and professional tilers because of its uniqueness and application style. Let me be a bit more specific. The way of laying other herringbone tiles is quite different from the way other tiling patterns are applied. 

Herringbone tiles patterns are already laid on a mesh backing, ensuring that you can easily place and keep your design intact.  You may be wondering if you can lay out herringbone tiles pattern on your own. .Yes, you can!  All you need to do is to pursue closely and get ready to follow the steps below:

Before I jump to the details on how to lay herringbone wall tiles, let us consider the needed tools and materials. Learn more property facts by clicking here.

Tools

  • A tile cutter
  • Square
  • Water
  • A sponge
  • Safety glasses
  • Dust mask
  • Earmuffs
  • Markers
  • Angle grinder
  • Spirit level

Materials

  • Tiles 
  • Spacers
  • Tile mastic 

STEPS TO FOLLOW IN LAYING OUT HERRINGBONE WALL TILES

Step 1

Measure and mark the center point:  the first step in laying a herringbone tiles pattern on your walls is to search and find the wall’s center point. How can you do this? You can do this by measuring the length of the wall and mark the intermediate end.

Step 2

Dry lay the tiles: the next step is to dry lay the tiles. You need to apply your tiles on the ground before gluing them on the wall. You can achieve this by spreading a piece of heavy-duty cardboard onto the benchtop and use the spirit level to mark the middle point from the wall onto the cardboard. To make it simple to work out the herringbone tile pattern, you need to dry lay your tiles.

Step 3

Work out the 45 degrees angle for the first time: this is the step you use of your square. Proceed by setting your square to a 45-degree angle and then lay it to the wall at a close range to the halfway mark. Then, you place the first tile along the tiles to ensure that its corner is lined up with the halfway mark.

Step 4

Lay the following tiles: the next step is to lay the next tiles. But this one is quite different from the previous step. You have to have the next tile at a 90-degree angle to the first tile. Here, you need to place your spacers in between the tiles and then, you keep installing the tiles in this design until you need to cut your first tiles.

Step 5

Mark the tiles that need cutting: the next step is to mark the edge of the tiles where they need to be cut. Don’t forget to put the following tile and spacer in place. You can use a square or a ruler to draw lines in the tiles where they need cutting. Write on the tile to indicate what waste is. This is one of the crucial steps in laying herringbone tiles.

Step 6

Cut the tiles: now, you can make use of your tile cutter. Utilize the tile cutter to cut the tiles to the correct length. Then it would be best if you sandpapered the edges where they’ve been cut.

Step 7

Number the tiles: use your marker to number the tiles. Numbering is essential. Put the cut tiles in place on a wood-based material. Number them so that you’re going to lay them accordingly. This will help you to remember the order when you stick them on the wall.

Step 8

Mix the mastic: the next step in laying out herringbone tiles is to mix up the tile mastic in a bucket with water. Please note that you don’t make too much mastic to start.

Step 9

Apply the mastic on the wall: after mixing the mastic with water, you apply the mastic on the wall. Here, you make use of your trowel to scoop up some mastic. Don’t forget that you need to hold the trowel at a 45-degree angle and then apply it to the wall. The essence of having the trowel at an angle makes it spread the mastic more evenly. And don’t forget to clean up any extra gum from the benchtop.

Step 10

Glue the first tiles to the wall: the next step is to line up the corner of the first tile with the middle mark and stick the tile to the wall. Then you proceed by putting the second tile in place. You will use spacers’ in-between the tiles. Lay the third tile in place, with spacers between the other tiles. It would help if you gave those tiles a push and a slight wiggle to help the mastic stick. 

Step 11

Cutting tiles with an angle grinder: make use of your angle grinder if you need a small cut to a tile. Put on your safety tools and place the tile on a sawhorse. Make sure you hold it firmly and trim the tile. Also, you will use sandpaper to smoothen the edge of the tile.

Step 12

Cutting tile to fit along with the benchtop: make sure you measure from the corner of the tile to the benchtop and subtract 1.5mm off that for the grout line and spacers. Spot the distance on the tile. Set the square to 45 degrees and mark the line on the tile.

Step 13

Cut and glue the tile: use your tile cutter to cut the tile and then sandpaper the edge of the tile to make it smooth. Apply glue on the back of the tile and place it on the wall with spacers between it and the other tiles. You are getting the herringbone tiles pattern.

Step 14

Tiling around PowerPoint: measure the wall to one edge of the PowerPoint and the wall to the other edge of the PowerPoint. Then, measure from the benchtop to the bottom edge of the PowerPoint and then the top edge of the PowerPoint. Make sure you write down those measurements.

Step 15

Mark the tile: the next step is to mark the tile. You can achieve this by placing a full tile over the PowerPoint without glue on it. Put a mark on the four measurements onto the tile, take the tile off the wall, then use the square to mark where the tile needs cutting. 

Step 16

Cut the tile: make use of your tile cutter to cut the two edges of the tile.

Finally, laying out herringbone tiles’ patterns on your walls is easy if you follow the steps appropriately provided.