Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

Drilling into porcelain tiles is a lot trickier than drilling holes in ceramic tiles as porcelain is a much harder material. Therefore rather than using a standard spear shaped tile bit that is used for ceramic tiles (see my guide – ‘Fixing into tiles’), you need to use a diamond drill bit, which is specifically designed for making holes in hard tiles. Like any drill bits, diamond bits come in a number of different sizes, so you need to select the right size of bit for the job at hand read more »

A good manual tile cutter is pretty vital to a tiler’s toolkit and although you may need an electric tile cutter, or tile saw, for making tricky cuts, a manual cutter is the ideal tool for making quick, straight and accurate cuts. These types of tile cutter are also known as score and snap tile cutters, because that best describes how they work, and although you can buy hand held manual cutters, I’d urge you to opt for the larger model of manual tile cutter that I demonstrate in the guide below. read more »

The silicone sealant joints around the edges of baths and showers are vital waterproofing components and must be replaced/renewed if they have been badly applied, or,  the passage of time (and corrosive cleaning agents!) have gradually broken down the effectiveness of the seal. read more »

Regrouting tiles is a very effective way of reviving the look, and more importantly, the water repellent properties of a tiled surface. Grout will deteriorate a lot quicker than the tiles themselves and so within the lifespan of a tiled surface, you can expect to do some regrouting at least once or twice in order to keep things looking good as well as being water resistant. read more »

Replacing a broken tile is a straightforward job,  but you do need to be careful not to damage surrounding tiles during the process. The technique shown below deals with situations where single tiles may have cracked, been scratched, or perhaps a fitting has been moved and you want to make good the area. read more »