How to tile a border

You can extend your tiled areas with a border to protect your walls further or to add a decorative flourish. Read this guide to understand the steps involved...

Level of difficulty

Level 2: Intermediate

What you need

• Safety goggles
• Gloves
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Tiles
• Tile adhesive
• Caulking gun
• Grout
• Rounded stick
• Damp cloth
• Trowel
• Spirit level
• Tile spacers

The steps to follow

1. You might want to re-plaster the wall for a smooth finish before you start tiling. If you plan to tile over a drywall, make sure that the drywall is not damaged and that it can hold the weight of the tiles.
2. Plan how far up the wall you want to extend the border. A border usually extends at least 4" up from a kitchen countertop or bathroom sink.
3. Mark the length and width of the border you plan to tile on the area.
4. Turn off the main power to the electrical outlets where you'll be working.
5. Clean the surface with a damp cloth and allow it to dry.
6. Start by tiling from the centre of the border.
7. With a trowel, spread a thin layer of tile adhesive at a 45 degree angle. To prevent the adhesive from drying out too quickly, spread it evenly in small sections.
8. Position the tiles on the adhesive and place a tile spacer on all four corners of the tile. Lay about 5 tiles before you check with the spirit level to see if the row is straight or not.
9. Finish laying the first row of tiles and move on to the next row.
10. When you’re finished tiling, wipe off any excess adhesive from the tiles.
11. Let the adhesive set and remove the tile spacers.
12. Fill a caulking gun with grout and fill in the spaces between the tiles.
13. Wipe off any excess grout after grouting.
14. Shape the grout joints  with a rounded stick.
15. Clean the tile surface with a damp cloth and let the grout dry.

Related articles

• How to plaster a wall
• How to tile a wall
• How to cut tiles

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