How to Tile

Welcome to the world of DIY tiling. We are here to guide you with step-by-step instructions and tips to get your next tile project to come out as a resounding success. Whatever you need to know about tiling floors, walls, ceilings, bathrooms, and backsplashes, you can find here in our projects, discussion boards, and video tutorials.

What do you want to tile?

Top DIY Tiling Projects

Prepare to be impressed by the top DIY tile projects on Hometalk.

Dollar Store Backsplash

If you’re a regular Dollar Store shopper (and aren’t most DIYers?), you know about those little “gems” in the floral aisle. They’re purpose is to hold your flower stems straight in a vase but there’s so much more you can do with them.

Alicia W

DIY Renter Friendly Tiled Wall

Because I live in a PMQ, i.e a rented home, I’ve created renter friendly tiled wall for our small upstairs bathroom.A while back I fell in love with Aspect Tiles’ peel & stick glass subway tiles. As a renter, I loved the idea of something I could quite literally peel and stick. However, as a renter, I did not love the idea of having to put fresh drywall in after removing them for our march-out. So what did I do then? Read on to find out.

Ariel

Remodelling The Old Nasty Carpeted Bathroom Floor

Some easy steps to remove old nasty bathroom carpet and remodel the bathroom floor with great looking tiles. These steps are as follows:

Keren Milman

Arabesque Blue Tile Backsplash Using an Adhesive Mat

My husband and I tiled our kitchen backsplash recently -- our first tiling job ever! We used Mussel Bound Adhesive Tile Mat instead of thin set. With the mat, you grout within 24 hours instead of waiting 24-72 hours as you would with thin set.Originally posted in 2015. In 2017 I've added more photos and information since I've taken down the blog that I referred you to for more information in 2015.

Sue P.

Caulking Made Easy

Here are some tips to make caulking easier. Also some good lessons I learned along the way doing our bath. Such as, I tried using a small squeeze tube on this job and can tell you not to waste your money on a tube! It popped the side seam and I ended up with all of the caulk in my hand. That is why there are no pictures of me actually applying the caulk with the tube...Lesson learned. Thankfully, our hands and fingers are wonderful tools. Main tools needed for this job are simple. Hair dryer, putty knife, caulking gun, painter's tape, Alcohol, rags, and a utility knife. Both a mask and safety glasses, you really don't want that stuff in your eyes. I also used vinegar to clean in between steps. Choose the right caulk for the job, I used one formulated for the kitchen and bath.

Carlitakragland

Simple Fix for Problem Ceiling

Our house was built in 1970 and was a fixer upper when we bought it 22 years ago. Raising 5 young children, however, was our priority. When it came time to finally start fixing it up, we were met with some challenges, one of which were our ceilings. Old popcorn ceilings that needed updating BAD! This is the solution I came up with and absolutely love it!Both ceilings I have done had holes from the previous owners moving light fixtures. The bedroom ceiling had a popcorn ceiling covering up the holes, which I found out after scraping all the popcorn off. UGH! The Dinning Room had 2 holes, one from the light fixture being moved, and the other from a wood burning stove pipe that had been removed. Both were a real mess and patching, sanding, and texturing to match the rest of the ceiling just wasn't my idea of fun. So ... I searched high and low for something simple to cover it with, yet still look nice.I found an online store called Talissa Decor. They specialize in all sorts of ceiling tiles, wall panels, and wall murals Using different kinds of materials. We chose the 20" 20" Polystyrene ceiling Tiles which can be applied over popcorn ceilings as well as over other materials.

Pam Burley

Changing Nasty Carpeted Stairs to Mosaic Garden Path Magic!

This is an edited edition of a previous post to give you more information and instructions as requested. I wanted to use our bonus room over the garage as a projects room, and wanted to be inspired as I walked up to work every day. Since I was going to have the bonus room redone to install tile in place of the carpeting, I figured to go all out and redo the awful carpeted stairs (old carpet and hard to vacuum) so that the entire stairway would be a teaser for creativity. I don't know about you, but when I see interesting and creative ANYTHING, it gets my brain in gear. I knew I wanted to use mosaic tile on the stair risers. I LOVE mosaic and have done everything from flower pots to fireplace screens and whole floors. I figured that I could tackle stairs. I looked online and found several blogs and images of incredible mosaic stair projects for inspiration, and enlisted my sister to help me. For time's sake, I decided that while I did want a pattern, I did not want a detailed and exact replica of anything, so using my outside garden as an inspiration, a plan for the stairs took shape. Why not have a garden path traveling up the stairs with masses of flowers on either side? Here’s how the transformation happened:

Gayle

Bottle Cap Floor Tile

We hated the musky carpet in the office / craft room, So, rather than buy a normal floor covering, I decided to challenge myself. I began collecting beer / soda bottle caps from friends and family across country as well as circulating a picture of my project to local pubs. It took over a year to complete because I waited for people to drink the right colors. I think it turned out amazing!

Coraline Jones

Mosaic Cookie Sheet Serving Tray

I have to be honest and say that mosaic is not my forte, nor is it my favorite type of art to play around with. However, I’m all about continuing to try using mediums that maybe weren’t super fun my first go around (I made a mosaic window a few years ago that actually sold for a nice chunk of change!), and this project was fairly simple. It didn’t turn out exactly how I envisioned, but it serves a purpose and I plan to use it the next time we have company over.

Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

How to Tile a Backsplash

A backsplash used to be put into kitchens to catch your flying food and to easily clean up. No longer are backsplashes used to protect the walls, now it's all about making a statement.From the standard subway to glass, wood, metal, stone, brick…the choices are endless. And then once you have your material chosen you have the different sizes and patterns to choose from. So many fun options it’s hard to choose just one. That’s why we love working in the field, haha, because we get to choose and install them all for our amazing clients. Lucky us!

Construction2style

Dollar Store Backsplash

Alicia W

DIY Renter Friendly Tiled Wall

Ariel

Remodelling The Old Nasty Carpeted Bathroom Floor

Some easy steps to remove old nasty bathroom carpet and remodel the bathroom floor with great looking tiles. These steps are as follows:

Keren Milman

Arabesque Blue Tile Backsplash Using an Adhesive Mat

Sue P.

Caulking Made Easy

Carlitakragland

Simple Fix for Problem Ceiling

Pam Burley

Changing Nasty Carpeted Stairs to Mosaic Garden Path Magic!

Gayle

Bottle Cap Floor Tile

Coraline Jones

Mosaic Cookie Sheet Serving Tray

Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

How to Tile a Backsplash

Construction2style

Tiling Videos

We've got DIY tile video tutorials that have step-by-step instructions.

Easy Stick N Peel Tile

This is almost too easy to be true! If you are looking for a quick and easy way to add some tile to a space I seriously suggest this stuff! I added this small backsplash behind my brother-in-law's kitchen sink with a simple peel and stick method and it worked like magic! All you have to do is put the peel and stick backing and then line up your tiles, stick them to the backing and grout them in place!We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Amanda C, Hometalk Team

Dollar Store Gem Back Splash - Part 2

Several months ago, I created a back splash in my bathroom using gems from the Dollar Store. After a lot of people requested that I continue the mosaic on the rest of the wall. While I didn't want the entire wall covered with the gems, this is what I did.

Alicia W

PVC Mosaic Planters

I needed some tall planters, so I went to Lowe's. News flash! Tall planters are very expensive!! But as I was walking through the plumbing aisle, I had an idea...

Alicia W

Old Coffee Table Makeover Transformation With Mosaic Glass Tiles

I just love the design of these little Vintage Mid Century coffee tables with their sleek dansette legs and so when I see them in junk shops or jumble sales I just have to rescue them!It's great fun to up cycle to give a more up to date look using pretty little glass mosaic tiles. MMmm so many designs and gorgeous coloured tiles to choose from.

Susan Goode

Hometalkers' Favorite DIY Tiling Projects

Come visit our best DIY tile projects and find the inspiration you need.

Mosaic Fish

Empty wine bottles, shards of a mirror and glass nuggets turned into a fish decoration for my backyard

Da.herrmann

How To Tile Onto A Wood Shelf!

Epoxy mortar and grout, ya'll!! There have been huge advancements in mortar and grout and ready-to-use epoxy ones are readily available!

Bryan's Workshop

Mosaic Catio (Cat Patio) Project

The bricked-in area outside of our master bath will be a great place to design a patio for our cats...otherwise known as a catio. We started with a brainstorming session on ways to improve and transform the area and decided on a mosaic pattern for the concrete floor. (Our next project will be whitewashing the brick walls as you can tell they're very moldy and dirty). Update: We're using pool shock in water mixture for bleaching brick walls and it's working...still in progress, and they aren't yet perfect, but you can see pics if you scroll down.

Gail bixler

DIY Hearth Pad for Wood Stove

The hubby decided he wants a wood stove in our house, and we looked around first for pre-made hearth pads and they just seem... old looking and costs about $300-$600 which was just too much for us to spend... so we set out to make our own 4x4 hearth pad!

Dessya Palit

Tables Are Tops Challenge

For my tabletop challenge, I decided to try my hand at a mosaic. After researching multiple options I chose to use flat back gems. Because this was my first mosaic project, I decided to go with basic colors and design. I began with a small bedside table that could be used for family photos, a small plant, or just as a focal piece. I began by outlining my design. I must admit that I made several changes before I found the right design.

Tallahassee Girl

Glass Kitchen Back Splash

We have a large kitchen with a Butler pantry & drop zone, that all needed a little color to finish the counters and room.

Jodi

Mosaic Fish

Empty wine bottles, shards of a mirror and glass nuggets turned into a fish decoration for my backyard

Da.herrmann

How To Tile Onto A Wood Shelf!

Epoxy mortar and grout, ya'll!! There have been huge advancements in mortar and grout and ready-to-use epoxy ones are readily available!

Bryan's Workshop

Mosaic Catio (Cat Patio) Project

Gail bixler

DIY Hearth Pad for Wood Stove

Dessya Palit

Tables Are Tops Challenge

Tallahassee Girl

Glass Kitchen Back Splash

We have a large kitchen with a Butler pantry & drop zone, that all needed a little color to finish the counters and room.

Jodi

Popular Tiling Discussions

Check out our popular discussions on how to tile yourself. See what's trending now.

Can you tile and grout mirrors?

/> Lisa

Can you tile mirrors in a shower/bathroom?

View discussion

Can u put tile directly over linoleum

/> Regina Axley

diy small bathroom remodel, limited budget and know how. Want to change out the floor but can’t afford nice slate

View discussion

How can I improve the look of the grout between my subway tile?

/> Nikki staadt

My tiler left a wide spacing between subway tiles. The black grout accentuates this unevenness and the wall looks really messy. Can you scrape the grout out or go over it in white? Any ideas on how to improve the appearance?

View discussion

Is it absolutely necessary to grout bathroom floor tile & new shower?

/> Carla

I hate cleaning grout and love the look with no grout lines.

View discussion

New Tiling Projects

Here is our collection of new DIY tile projects. See what's new in tile.

Penny Wall Stove Backsplash

When I bought my house there was one of those old yucky ovens from the 70's with the high top. I replaced it and now there was just wall behind my stove. So I decided to do something that I, personally, could put up myself. A penny wall! I cut the top and side pennies with a pair of Cutco shears but you could use any metal snips. The backing is clear sticky backing that holds light objects- pennies, small tiles, half marbles. Then I threw some grout overtop and wallah!

Jennifer Lynn

Dollar Store Gem Back Splash - Part 2

Alicia W

PVC Mosaic Planters

I needed some tall planters, so I went to Lowe's. News flash! Tall planters are very expensive!! But as I was walking through the plumbing aisle, I had an idea...

Alicia W

Beautiful Massachusetts Backsplash Update

After moving into a new house and replacing the floors, Daria and Gabe decided it was finally time to tackle a new backsplash. While the kitchen was in great shape, the old backsplash with cornucopias and fruit basket inserts just weren't creating the vibe Daria was going for.

South Cypress

Mosaic Tile Trivets or Pot Stands

After I had tiled the patio on my shed (see other posts) I had a couple of tiles left. So what to do with them???

Stephen Taylor

Mosaic Walkway

Our front walkway was just recycled concrete pieces and dirt. I decided I wanted a mosaic walkway and with river rocks, broken pots and small tiles I created a fun colorful path to our front steps. This was an easy project although it did take me a couple of weeks to complete due to age and health issues. A local landscaper quoted $2500 to do this job. I did it for under $100.

Eileen Wuenstel Taylor

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Backsplash

Bathroom

Ceiling

Floor

Walls

Backsplash

Bathroom

Ceiling

Floor

Walls