Laying tiles in the kitchen: do-it-yourself apron

We have to lay the tiles on the kitchen apron - we begin to grow wiser. So always with beginners. His first experience as a tiler needs to be organized as simply as possible, abandoning the intricate mosaic, diagonal “harlequin” and other delights. It turns out to lay out two rows of 40 x 20 cm without flaws - and the beginner is almost a pro! In this article, we will talk about the rules for laying an apron from a tile in the kitchen with your own hands.

Features of kitchen tile apron

The adhesive under the ceramics should lie evenly, without air cavities. Beautiful, but very fragile material has to be washed repeatedly, sometimes with effort. It is unlikely that it will fall out, but it will crack - for sure.

And the strip above the work surface should adorn, delight. The cooking process is laborious, something has to invigorate. Choosing beautiful tiles is half the battle. They harmonize the top, bottom of the headset, are a significant part of the interior. Make no mistake with the design!

Pottery - three thousand years or more. Designers insist on paying attention to the following points:

• Without seams, it is impossible to lay, 2 mm, 1 mm, but it should be;
• It is necessary to bring part of the tile down, under the table level;
• We start the edge of the upper row under the upper lockers;
• Above the hob, put higher, if the exhaust sleeve without facade overlays - put under the most exhaust hatch;
• In the corners of the turns, on the turns of the apron, small cuts cannot be laid;
• From the corner left / right - there should be identical pieces of tiles;
• 2/3 of the tile length - good cut, half the tile - tolerable, smaller sizes are better to exclude;
• The main, the most difficult thing is to combine the pattern of the apron with the system of kitchen furniture.

Determine the size of the apron, the calculation of the material

Let's say the furniture system is adjacent to two walls - long and short. One of the ends of the headset has a turn near the front door. That is, the layout of the letter "G".

Difficulties:

• start with a single tile on the left and right;
• do not grind with small cuts inside the corner;
• precisely determine the bottom edge of the calculation.

2 mm seam selected. So, the calculations should operate with a module of 202 mm, and not at all tiled 200 mm. An adjacent layer will “pick up” 18 mm from the corner edge (where 1 cm is the thickness of the adhesive layer, and 0.8 cm is the thickness of the tile itself). But from the total length of the masonry, it claims to be its end-molding. He is 15 mm.

We draw a strip for tiling on the plastered wall, considering:

The distance from the floor to the edge of the bottom row of tiles	The distance from the surface of the countertop to the middle seam	The distance from the bottom edge of the cabinets to the middle seam
850 — 60 = 800	850 + 20 + 330 = 1200	70 + 330 = 400
where 850 is the height of the bottom of the headset	330 - the visible part of the height of the tile, without leaving under the cabinet 50 (mm)
20 - the width of the table covering the apron and the apron molding	70 - leaving for lockers
330 - half h of tile

This shows that the curbstone, together with the tabletop and corner molding, will be covered not with 5 cm of the lower row of tiles, but with 7. We shift (increment) 2 cm to mark the horizontal axis. The upper row of tiles with its lower edge will lie at the level of (850 + 20) + 1.5 + 330 = 1201.5 (mm). Band 661.5 is the visible part of the apron, neatly divided by one horizontal seam.

It’s easy to calculate the number of tiles purchased - you need to add as much to the total area S2 as you need to trim. Cut tiles are used only once, so you do not need to be smart. On the economical use of pieces: dimming the shine, the mismatch of the corners, the secondary use of the mean will give out.

It should be noted: The simplest example is given, but for the most optimal apron height - about 660 mm, as well as for the standard height of kitchen tables - 850 mm.

For beginners, we do not offer patterned, striped, panels, relief decors. But if you load this on yourself the first time, you should draw all your ideas with charcoal, adjusting the vertical lines behind the horizontal seams.

Preparation for work and the necessary tools to lay out an apron in the kitchen

Tiles were purchased, the required volume of dry tile adhesive was purchased. What tool will you still need?

Here is the list:

• spatula 15 cm - for kneading and cleaning around,
• notched trowel - remove ridges,
• metal grater
• sponge grater
• paint roller
• drip level,
• drill + mixer nozzle,
• hacksaw for metal + diamond string,
• drill “ballerina”, diamond drill,
• two buckets
• pieces of foam (drywall),
• laser level,
• crosses 1.5,
• joiner's pencil, felt-tip pen.

At paragraph twelfth of household chores, the master will exclaim: "Is such an expensive thing to buy?" We parry the exclamation: the instruction is not intended for the master who knows how to attach the bottom row support from the rule, profile, attaching it with dowels, or even propping it with a stick. The pros are inventive. The novice master with a laser will display the corners in the entire apartment, correct the wallpaper, the skirting board. It turns out the necessary thing to the au pair.

Installation instructions

Once again we check whether the angle is right, the adjacent slopes of the doorways, windows. Fit to the verticals should be perfect. Refrigerator, buffet - right behind the tiled apron? Then you can’t lay tiles there: there will be an ugly gap without a snug fit to the wall. Find the exact boundaries.

Wall surface preparation

• The old wallpaper riddled with cuts from a knife, moistened profusely, scraped off with a spatula.
• The oil paint was chopped, primed. The dried surface was plastered again. Sanded.
• Concrete of new buildings was checked by a measure for rubble from a strict vertical. We eliminate the identified errors with duralumin beacons, each putting on plaster "blots", pushing a vertically calibrated measure to the wall. We clean off excess gypsum on the sides. Plastering anew. We draw attention to the possible swelling of the surface. We’ll go around the “tummy” with beacons, as it is already pushed forward. There will be less plaster on it.

An even, dry surface is primed at least two times.

Markup

The bottom row is defining. For the initially selected type of tile 400 x 200 mm, only one line is needed: level 820 from the floor. This is if the floor is laid. And if not? The situation when the apron is laid before working with the flooring is largely true. Why stain the finish floor? In this case, the level of 830 must be raised from the concrete screed. The tiled floor has h = 20 mm (laminate flooring is less than 15 mm). Add 20 - all 850 work.

We put a laser level on a tripod, highlight one single line - the edge of the bottom row.

Glue solution preparation

Pour a little water into the bucket (so that dry powder does not become sediment). We put on a respirator, open the bag, fall asleep. For a length of L 3 m, h 0.8 m, 5 kg of glue is needed, that is, 1/5 of a 25 kg bag.

Gradually add water from a plastic bottle until a thick slurry forms. Powder spraying along the sides of the bucket is scraped off with a spatula, return to the total mass. The resulting slurry is kept for 5 minutes, mix with the mixer again. The glue is ready.

Tile Laying Technology

Now detect 10 minutes. Exactly so much is needed for laying a small two-row apron. Slightly hesitate - the glue will begin to lose plasticity, so it will be difficult to tighten, it will be difficult to tighten it. Take care of your hands! Textile gloves for this.

We put all the glue on the wall section under the apron, you can grab 2-3 cm wider. The left hand holds a metal grater, the right - a notched trowel. They formed 80 cm of ridges from top to bottom, the excess was picked up, so throughout the site.

Guided by the laser outlined level, we put only whole tiles, skipping the places of sockets, angular and extreme cuts. In the pocket there are distance crosses, we put them in without leaving.

We go around the laid-out, cleaning the contours from excess glue. With a wooden stick or just a spatula, we check that the seams are not clogged. We clean off excess with a dry (!) Rag. We finish the corners, based on the laid out. We bring kafelin to the site, apply it, we precisely mark the inset from the real one, without inventing anything.

Next, a tile cutter (a hacksaw + diamond thread - as an option), a drill with a ballerina work. We work on pieces of drywall (not on crooked concrete - otherwise it will crack).

Tip: it is better to mark on glued pieces of paint brushes - both under circles and under a hacksaw. Felt-tip pen is much more difficult.

Grout

After checking the level of the tile, tapping doubtful places for balance, you can begin to grout the rhinestone. Puffer is also poured onto water, mixed with a clean mixer. When they get out of the bucket, they close the seams with a spatula, smooth them.

We remove the excess: a roller is placed on the bucket with water so that it rotates over the bucket, getting wet (the bucket is full to the top). With a sponge grater moistened on a rotating roller, they take away the extra fugue, wash it, wetting it, washing it until the excess fugue is completely removed. Each time, the grater is moistened, but wrung out.

Conclusion of wires and sockets

We drill holes. The nests of the rosettes are strobed free to maneuver the opportunity. The cups are placed after laying the apron (not before!). We attach the tile with the paint brush, mark the top / bottom of the circle vertically, also horizontally. We put it on drywall (thick foam is suitable), drill a ballerina (you can use a “crown” - diamond spraying). It’s good when someone pours water from a bottle while drilling. Then the air is clean. Otherwise, wear a respirator. Try on, glue, level the level. Only after that we fix the cup of the undergrowth with the remnants of glue, taking the edges of the cup flush (flush).

Similarly, drill holes for hooks, roof rails, freely exiting wires. A diamond drill is the best helper. Take into account the need for strict horizontality of each of the pairs.

Video

Preparation may take a week. But putting ceramics will be easy. The main thing is not to go astray, to go clearly according to plan, from the main - to the little things. Spreading every tile like a sandwich, adjusting the trim without laying the main front means getting stuck, and for a long time. Learning to do it right!