My biggest fear as I began to tile a bathroom wall was just where to begin, but I pushed past my hesitation and am happy with the finished project. In this article, I’ll walk you through, step-by-step, how I tiled my bathroom wall.
This project involved careful planning, selecting the right materials, and dreaming about bathroom ideas while figuring out what tools and supplies I would need while getting hands-on experience.
Armed with some essentials and a good plan, you can confidently navigate this project over a couple of days with a minimum budget of a few hundred dollars, depending on the type and amount of tiles you use.
| Project difficulty: Intermediate Estimated time to complete: 4 to 6 hours (Drying Time: 24 hours) Project cost: $300 to $900 |
Tools and Supplies
I started by measuring the space and thinking about style, materials, and what I would need to complete the project from start to finish.
As a beginner, I know how tricky it is to figure out what to buy and how much. I was unsure myself, but I found that my tile manufacturer recommended mortar, adhesive, trowel size, and tile sealing instructions. It really helped me make the right choices and kept my costs down.
Here’s what I bought, borrowed, or already had before starting my project.
- Measuring Tape: To find the dimensions and center of walls
- Tile Spacers: Used to keep tiles an equal distance apart
- Notched Trowel: Will help you apply adhesive or mortar to the wall and tile (¼ inch x ¼ inch)
- Grout Float: To press grout into tile spaces and to remove excess grout
- Bucket (5 Gallon): Used for mixing mortar, adhesive, and grout
- Box Level: To keep lines straight and surfaces flat
- Chalk Line or Chalk Box: Not essential but very helpful to keep your tile straight
- Carpentry Pencil: You’ll need this to mark surfaces like walls and the backs of tile
- Scrapers or Putty Knife: Used at several steps in the tiling process
- Gloves (specially made for tiling): Mortar, adhesives, and grout are extremely drying on hands
- Eye Protection: Will protect your eyes from tile chips and dust
- Drop Cloth or Plastic Sheet: Saves your cleanup time
- Tile-Cutter/Saw: A tile-cutting tool is needed to fit tiles around fixtures
1. Prep Work
The prep work began with choosing the perfect tile and carefully selecting a design for my bathroom wall. Then, the focus shifted to prepping the wall. I put down a drop cloth to protect the floors from tile pieces and stray drips of mortar or grout.
I was a little anxious about what I’d find behind my old, outdated tiles; mold, for example, was a worry. Luckily, I came across moisture-resistant drywall — you might find construction materials such as cement board, water-resistant foam board, or fiber-cement board behind your tile.
It took a couple of hours to scrape out the old grout with a painter’s tool or scraper, carefully chipping and prying away at the tiles, making sure not to damage the wall.
I then applied a waterproof sealant to the wall and let it dry for a few hours. While this was drying, I began measuring the wall to find the center point and marking where I would place my first tiles, using the level and chalk lines.
2. Mix the Mortar or Adhesive
I learned the hard way that mixing mortar, adhesive, and grout can kick up a lot of dust — definitely wear a mask, gloves and eye protection.
For mixing mortar, I used a cordless drill with a mixing bit, but a putty knife or stirring stick would have worked fine, too — just follow the instructions on the container for water-to-powder ratios.
After mixing, let the mortar sit for a few minutes. I found that the consistency of peanut butter worked best; it was easier to apply to the wall and stuck well.
3. Lay the Tiles
At this point in the project, I found that it became a two-person job. I was on a ladder some of the time and needed my brother to hand me supplies.
A dry fit confirmed if any tiles would need to be cut before applying mortar to the wall. Measuring twice and marking the tile on the back worked best for me. I made sure to use a tile spacer to help measure the space between tiles and added that to my cut measurements — a step I missed a few times, which cost me a few tiles.
I spread mortar over a small area, about two tiles wide, using the flat side of the trowel, then made ridges with the notched side. Pressing tiles into place took some effort. It was tricky, so I used a level and tile spacers to keep everything lined up.
Finally, I let the mortar cure according to the container instructions — about 24 hours.
4. Apply Grout
Now, I was ready to apply grout.
First, I removed all the tile spacers with my little scraping tool. Using water and my bucket, I put on my mask and eye protection to mix grout. In my experience, thicker grout was easier to work with and caused less mess.
I quickly learned that applying grout requires more skill than applying mortar. I used a grout float tool (a piece of foam or rubber with a handle) to press the grout into the spaces between tiles, making sure to fill spaces past the tile edges.
Removing excess grout takes some practice. Here’s the technique I used to get the best result.
- I held the float tool at an angle and worked from the bottom up in a diagonal motion across the tiles. This technique helped me collect the excess grout without removing what was between the tiles. I also made sure to clean the float after each pass.
- After applying grout to the whole wall, I waited about 30 minutes before gently wiping it down with a sponge and a bucket of clean water. I had to carefully scrape some areas of dried grout. I let the grout cure for 24 hours before giving it a final rinse.
5. Clean Tiles
A few hours after I did a final rinse of my tiles, a chalky white film covered my newly tiled wall. It was a struggle to remove it; no matter how many times I washed the wall, it would return — after some online investigations, I found a solution for grout haze.
I used a one-to-one solution of vinegar and water to clean walls and even floor areas that might have become dirty during the project.
Once my tiles were free of dust, haze, dried grout, and even hard water spots, I could apply caulk to corners, edges, and any place where the tile met a wall or fixture.
6. Seal Tiles
I checked the manufacturer’s recommendation for tile sealant. My tiles were glazed and did not require this additional step. However, sealing the tile surfaces can be done simply by rolling liquid sealant or using a foam brush to apply the sealant.
You’ll need to seal tile corners, edges, and any place the tile comes into contact with fixtures or walls using caulk or caulking. Caulk is a flexible material that keeps out air and water.
In my case, the project was manageable with a small tube of caulk. I did not purchase a caulking tool, which would have been an added expense.
Tile a Bathroom Wall: DIY or Hire a Pro?
I’m delighted with how my bathroom tile project turned out. Mixing my own mortar and grout saved money, even if it was really dusty. The tile and grout combination I chose gave my bathroom a renewed sense of openness with bright, calming colors.
The cleanup was more than I expected — especially scrubbing grout haze, which took patience. With a good plan and some essential tools and supplies, you and a helper should be able to confidently complete this project over a couple of days.
However, if this project seems like it involves more work, time, or precision than you’d like or feel comfortable doing yourself, you can hire a handyman or tiler to do the job. One big plus of hiring a pro is that he or she is experienced. You’ll pick out the tile and create a design vision, while a pro will make your bathroom wall look great.
You won’t get that sense of pride that you did this yourself, though. Like I said, I’m thrilled with how my tiled bathroom wall looks (that photo at the top of this article is the finished project).
Note: Home Gnome may get a referral fee for matching you with pros in your area.
Main Photo Credit: Robin Chipman / Home Gnome, overlay created using Canva Pro
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