DIY Network

Five-Way Wall Tile Mix tile styles for a sophisticated look. From "Bathroom Renovations" episode DBTR-511

If you can't choose between tile options, why not try them all? That's what Maria did – working with a professional designer. She and Amy Matthews tile a bathroom wall with five different styles of tile for a one-of-a-kind effect.

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Maria worked with a pro to develop this ambitious design.

Materials:

pencil, pebble, limestone, slate and chair rail tile
6-foot level
tile spacers
wet saw
safety glasses
knee pads
mastic
V-notched trowel
utility knife

Five-Way Wall Tile

Note: Andy and Maria's wall looked fabulous after tiling with five different types of wall tile – but that great look took a lot of careful design work. Maria consulted with a designer to come up with her tiling plan; anyone wanting to mix tiles in this way should get a good idea of the final effect before starting installation.

• Before getting started, check to make sure the floor is level. Since the floor was level in Andy and Maria's basement, Maria and Amy were able to simply set spacers along the floor to define the gap between the concrete and the first row of tile. If the floor isn't level, draw a level line to serve as the baseline for the tiling job.

• Dry-fit the first row of tiles to get the best layout. Amy suggested they install a whole tile at the far end of the wall, since that's the part of the room that is seen first from the door. They used limestone tile for the bottom row in this elaborate tiling plan.

• Use a wet saw to cut tiles as needed to fit the tile layout.

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses and use caution when using a wet saw or any power saw. Safety glasses also are required when cutting tile with tile nippers or other hand tools.
  

  	Figure A
  	Figure B
  	Figure C

• Back-butter the first tile by spreading mastic on the back of the tile with a V-notched trowel. Hold the trowel at a 45-degree angle to the tile, and use the notched edge to leave ridges in the mastic. These ridges create a suction effect to hold the tile to the wall, and also allow the mastic to dry more easily.

• Set the first tile into position on top of the spacers or baseline, wiggling it slightly and pressing it to the wall. Continue to back-butter and place the tiles, using tile spacers in between for a consistent grout line (figure A).

• The next row of tile consisted of pencil tiles. Since these were the same width as the limestone first row, Amy and Maria started them at the same point so the grout lines would line up. Back-butter and place the pencil tiles in the same manner as the limestone tiles.

• To set the pebble tile – the next tile above the pencil tile – use the trowel to spread mastic directly on the wall. Hold the trowel at a 45-degree angle to the wall and leave the same ridges in the mastic.

• Press sheets of pebble tile to the wall, wiggling the sheets slightly to help them adhere to the mastic (figure B). Butt the sheets as close together as possible. At the end of a row, remove excess tiles from the sheet to fit the space and cut away the excess mesh backing with a utility knife.

• Back-butter and install another row of pencil tile above the pebble tile.

• Go back over the pebble tile to fill in any gaps with loose pebbles (figure C). Simply back-butter these pieces and press them into place.

• To set the slate subway tile, spread enough mastic to install a few rows at a time. Start with a full tile at one end, then install a half-tile on the row above to stagger the grout lines. Maintain this pattern – called a running bond – up the wall. Amy and Marie topped this field of tiles with another row of pencil tile, then a chair-rail tile.

• Let all of the mastic cure completely according to the package instructions before grouting.

RESOURCES :
Tile
The Tiile Shop
Website: www.thetileshop.com