I'm currently tiling a shower stall but I have a busy household—my toddler needs attention and my wife is pregnant. I'm worried I won't have enough time to finish all the tiling in one day. If I can only do half the job now, what should I do to prepare for resuming the work later? I plan to scrape off any wet mortar from the parts I haven't tiled yet, but can I simply pick up from where I stop later?
3 Answers
Absolutely! You can tile in batches without any issues. Just make sure to clean up any leftover mortar from the areas you haven't tiled yet. When it comes time to grout, try to grout one entire wall at a time with the same batch mix to avoid color differences. If you stop after finishing a wall, just start fresh with a new mix for the next one—this helps blend any minor shading differences due to varying light.
Or mix your grout dry and keep it on hand for your next batching. That way you ensure it matches!
Yes, many professionals do it this way. They often tile part of a shower wall and then wait for the material to set before continuing. Just clean up thoroughly when you stop, and you’ll be good to go! A little tip: use a laser level; it makes setting the first course way easier. And if you can, use a measuring tape that shows millimeters to help with precision—trust me, it helps!
That's great advice about the leveling! I’m definitely getting one for my project.
For sure, tiling in sections is perfectly fine, especially for us DIYers! My wife and I did the laundry room floor in several stages. Just keep those edges clean and neat so when you come back to it, there's no mess. It really simplifies picking up from where you left off!
I’d definitely recommend trying to grout all at once if you can. It helps keep the color consistent.