Why can't bathrooms be square

At first glance nearly every room appears to be square and the walls vertical! Having just tiled my bathroom I only wish this was the case.
Unfortunately the start wasn't as straight forward as I had hoped as a leaky shower screen over the bath had made the floor a bit dodgy, so that needed to be rectified first! 18 mm play was the answer and well screwed down, we needed to get a plumber in to disconnect the water and toilet so we could tile the entire floor.
In my infinite wisdom and to match the wall tiles, I had chosen a porcelain floor tile, they look the part, however they are pretty tough and take a lot more care to cut than a ceramic tile.
After a day of messing around the floor was finished, except for the grouting - hooray.
Then onto the walls. The plan was to half tile most of the bathroom, except around the shower that is over the bath, with a natural pebble border to go around the top of the half tiled area.
I thought I would start with a full tile by the door frame and move around the room from there, not good! I assumed, foolishly that the door frame would be straight, but when I got to the corner the problem became clear, so off they came.
I called a friend who is a more experienced diy expert so he advised me to start with a vertical line in the middle of the wall, which would most likely mean cutting both ends, but your joints would be vertical.
So this I did and it worked well, so the thing I learn from here is not to assume that rooms are built straight, square, vertical etc, to start by using a level to make sure the joints are straight




Thank you for reading

Problems With Hard Water

We all know the look when you get watermarks on your new bathroom tiles or your freshly cleaned shower door or screen!

It isnt always the easiest thing to get around, but depending on the tile, but a good sealer can always help.

If you are using an uneven tile, a sealer will help fill the microscopic holes that can hold water and dust residue, if the water and dirt can't get into them, then they wont stain as easily.

It may seem like a pain, but an hour or so doing this before the tiles are used much is much better than a couple of hours cleanng them, then applying a suitable sealer.

You can also apply the same thought to floor tiles. By helping to fill all the possible dirt traps, you will prolong the aesthetic appearance of your floor! It may sound like a pain, and you wont necessarily notice the effect immediately, however, over a period of months, floor tiles subject to heavy foot traffic will inevitably get dirty!

But whatever course of action you prefer, the best thing to do is to clean your tiles regularly. Mild detergent solution, used regularly, worked in and mopped up to help remove the dirt is on of the best ways to help overcome any problems.

By doing this you will avoid the need for more chemical detergents, chlorine based bleach products, although one of the best and oldest remedies is white vinegar for your tiles and taps.