Where To Start Tiling Bathroom Floor?[Ultimate Guide]

There are a few things to know before tiling a bathroom. One of them is where to start your journey. Many of us don’t know where to start tiling the bathroom floor. If you don’t know it, you cannot do it properly. Visible area tiles will not be aligned according to plan if you can’t start properly.

Bathroom floor tiling should start from the center of the floor. First, lay a line tile marking the center of the floor width with a pencil. Then spread a line tile from the center to the length of the floor. Now follow the lines and lay the tiles up to the wall.

Lay all the tiles on the floor before using the adhesive. Below I have shared some helpful guides that help with tiling the bathroom floor. If you are a beginner, read this article. Here, a few things are significant to know for tiling.

5 Useful Guide To Start Tiling Bathroom Floors For Beginners

You need to know several things if you are tiling a bathroom floor for the first time. Here I will confer a few valuable guides that will make your tiling much more manageable and smarter. 

1. Choose The Most Durable Tile: 

You need to choose the most durable tiles for the bathroom floor. If you are a beginner, choose ceramic or porcelain tiles. It is effortless to install. Moreover, you can cut these tiles with the help of a manual tile cutter.

These tiles absorb less water than other ceramics, so they are a great bathroom option. These are water-resistant and offered in different colors and patterns. They are also cheap and more durable than other surfaces. 

2. Prepare The Subfloor:

Before laying the floor tiles in the bathroom, you must prepare the subfloor for tiling. If the floor is concrete, you can lay tiles directly on it. However, in the case of other floors, you need to create a sub-floor.

For a wooden floor, lower the staples and any screws on top. It is crucial to install a cement backer board to set a foundation for tiling. This prevents tile movement-related cracking. Screw this board to the wood subfloor using screws. 

3. Start Tiling From Center:

Measure the center starting from the width and mark there. Many people think that tiling should be done from any corner of the floor, but this is the wrong method. Lay a line of tiles in the center of the full width. 

Then lay a line tile along the floor length from the center point. Now place the tiles from those lines on the bathroom walls. Lay the floor tiles first, and then use glue. Lightly twist tiles to lock with the subfloor. Moreover, leave some space between each tile to apply grout.

4. Cut the Remaining Tiles To The According Size:

Since each tile size is identical, you need to cut some tiles. However, you need to cut most tiles to align the tiles according to the pattern. Measure the space before laying the tiles in the last row. If it is smaller than the tile, it should be cut accordingly. 

First, mark the tile according to the correct measurements with a pencil. Then scribe a few times and score it on the marked line. Place a pencil or hard bar on the scored line and press on both sides of the tile. Once the tile is cut, smooth the edge with sandpaper.

5. Grout The Tiles Spacer:

Dry the glue before applying grout to the tile floor. Grout should only be mixed when applied to the floor. Once the grout mixture is formed correctly, use the grout float to spread on the floor. Make sure the spacer in each tile is well filled.

Once the tile grout starts to dry, wipe the extra grout with a moist loofah. Then smooth them out with the finishing tool. When the floor is arid, wipe well and spray the grout protector. Finally, apply silicone sealant using masking tape to fill in the gaps in the middle of the wall.

7 Things You Should Know About Start Tiling Bathroom Floor

Tiling is difficult for many, but it will be easier if you know its details. Here I will converse some essential things that are helpful for a tiling project. Even a beginner can install like professionals by following these. 

1. Type Of Tile: 

Most durable tiles should be used to create a bathroom floor. Various people think it is better to use cheap tiles in the bathroom. However, I recommend using durable tile for the bathroom floor.

A bathroom floor is an area where soapy water is used frequently. So, a tile should be installed which will not be easily damaged. The less expensive tiles are all ruined. 

2. Tile Color:

Light color tiles should be used for the bathroom floor. Since the bathroom is small, the area will look bigger if you use light-colored tiles. White-colored tiles have always been at the top of popularity for bathroom floors. 

Even if natural light does not come into your bathroom, it will not look dark. So, choose a color in White, Gray, Blue, or Pink for bathroom tiling. Tiles of these colors will give your bathroom a bright look. 

3. Subfloor Condition:

A subfloor is a floor structure that needs to be at least 1 inch thick. Since it holds the tile on the floor, it should be durable and flat. Concrete is usually used to create subfloors. 

If the subfloor bursts, the tile may break. Also, if water does not penetrate the concrete subfloor, its bond with the tile will not be substantial. So when making the subfloor, make sure it is not uneven and smooth.

4. Tile Floor Spacer: 

You need to know many things if you are new to the tile project. When you lay the tiles, you need to have a 5mm spacer between each tile. Tile can never hold concrete. So, make a spacer between each tile.

These gaps have to be filled with glue. However, all the tiles have to be appropriately spread before applying the glue. Then, the grout mixture should be given to each space with a grout float.

5. Rule of Three:

This rule is unknown to many. This rule applies to bathroom floor tiling. The rule is that you can install tiles of a maximum of three colors or designs in a bathroom. You can add more colors, but it doesn’t look good.

Three different patterned tiles will give your bathroom floor a unique look. If you add more pattern tiles, the foundation will look more glamorous. They are also challenging to install.

6. Think Maintenance:

Bathroom floors require a lot of maintenance. If you do not clean it repeatedly, it will be a slippery bathroom floor. Also, if more dirt accumulates on the floor, the color of the tile becomes pale. However, many people can’t clean the bathroom floor every day.

So, choose a title for the bathroom that does not need much upkeep. For example, if you install porcelain or ceramic tiles on the bathroom floor, maintenance will be easier. On the other hand, if you install tiles made of natural stone, then they need more care.

7. Slip Factor:

Many people install glass tiles to make the bathroom floor more attractive. It’s great to look at, but it gets very slippery when wet. However, if you install ceramic tile, it will not be easily misleading. You can also install slip-resistant tiles to keep the bathroom floor non-slip. 

Slip-resistant tiles can protect your floor from slipping. However, if your budget is low, you can add traction to the area rug, foam flooring, or anti-slip adhesive tread to the floor. These are cheap and easy to install. However, these options can change the look of your floor.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can You Start To Install Tiles From The Middle Of The Room?

When tiling the floor, you need to start laying from the center. Many people think that starting from the back corner is the wrong approach. If you start from the corner, you cannot align the tiles as planned in the most visible areas. 

Hence, tiling should always start from the middle of the floor. However, you should lay one line tile of width and length at the center of the floor first. Then you can slowly spread the tiles all over the bottom.

Where Is The Best Place To Start Tiling?

When you are tiling a bathroom floor, start from the middle. This will allow you to arrange the tiles in the visible areas according to your plan. However, half tiles may need to be placed on either side of the floor.

It is not enforced to start from the center for bathroom tiling. However, it will permit you to ensure that your tile outline is symmetrical. As a result, any half-tiles will go to the last row of the floor and meet the wall. 

What Happens If You Start Tiling From The Center Of The Bathroom Floor?

Most tiles may need to be cut if you start tiling from the center of the bathroom floor. Because when you start laying tiles in a straight line, it becomes difficult to move the pattern evenly. However, if you start from the center, you can arrange the design in the visible area.

Since the bathroom floor is small, we need to cut the tiles to cover part of the floor wall. As a result, half tiles are used on almost all sides of the floor. Even if the tile pattern is correct, many tile parts are left out.

Do You Start Tiling In A Corner?

The bathroom is small, and you can start tiling from the back corner. In this process, the pattern of the tiles cannot be arranged according to the plan. However, the tile will not be depreciated if you start this way. You can begin by laying two rows of tiles of length and width in the center of the floor if you want.

However, it can come in half tiles on almost all ends of your floor. Sometimes some parts of the tile are entirely left out. So, I think small tiling areas should start from the back corner. Only half a tile will come in one row of the bathroom door site.

When Tiling A Bathroom, Do You Start With Walls Or Floor?

If you want to tile the bathroom wall and floor simultaneously, start with the wall. It can be damaged during wall tiling when you start from the bottom. So always get the wall tiling done first.

Many people recommend tiling the floor before the floor. In that case, you need to be extra careful while tiling the wall. If even one tile on the floor is cracked, it is difficult to reinstall only one tile.

Final verdict: 

Hopefully, now you know where to start tiling the bathroom floor. Since the bathroom is a small space, you can start from anywhere. If you want to keep the tile pattern right, you have to start from the center of the floor. However, it may be necessary to use half a tile at each end of the floor. But if you start from the back row, you have to cut the tiles on either side.