I'm a UK multi-award-winning DIY home improvement blogger, YouTuber, and TV presenter as seen on ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, BBC One, and many more. And my final tip on tile adhesive is that it's best to clean up as you go with a sponge of cloth. Also, try to clear the 2mm gaps as it takes AGES to remove carefully once dry. So where possible, why not two of you work on it at the same time? *Note I work alone as there's less arguments(!) SPREADING TILE ADHESIVE

Edge Finishing Profiles | Splashback Accessories | AluSplash UK Edge Finishing Profiles | Splashback Accessories | AluSplash UK

I lined my first tile up with my centre pencil line, ensuring I left a slight gap for the spacer and pressed firmly on the wall.Then continued laying the rest in a straight line as above. However, note I didn't go to the very end of the far left as I knew I needed to add trim behind it. So after marking a notch to cut around my upstand (far right), I poured water in the cutter and carefully cut. It's scary on the first go, but I fell in love almost immediately. Then tiled as usual. PREPPING FOR GROUTING Also, AVOID scraping off with a filling knife or window scraper. Speaking from experience, it's far too easy to chip a tile, which you'll then need to replace. HOW DO I MIX GROUT? You can see above that I'm using a tile adhesive trowel. It should have teeth on it which looks quite notchy. Here, I'm starting where my centre line is, but making sure I only work with enough as I go. Mine probably had about 30 minutes working time before it set.

Worktop Upstands | Kitchen Worktops Upstands | Wickes Worktop Upstands | Kitchen Worktops Upstands | Wickes

From doing tile research, I noticed some tile directly on to their worktop and others don't. I've done it both ways now. However, because I had a corner joint on my worktop that protrudes ever so slightly, I opted for spacers along the bottom.Then I cut my trim roughly down to size, leaving a cm or two extra. And with the remaining trim, I laid my new cut on top as below and drew along it for a visual. You'll find tile adhesive can get everywhere. So it's a good idea to protect your surfaces, such as worktop and sink.

Worktop Edgings | Worktop Trims | Wickes

It can be scrubbed off, but it's very very tough. So here I used a plastic sheet with masking tape on a roll. Also, don't forget that stainless steel sinks still scratch. In fact, I wish I'd done this behind my hob two years ago. And instead of buying a grout impregnator, I found this free stone sealer sample from Eco Pro Tec perfect. Firstly, always use tile spacers when tiling. They allow you to continue ensuring your tiling is level and even throughout.Another tip is to mark with masking tape of which cut tile is which in case your cut was ever so slightly different. TILE AS USUAL Worktop trims and edgings are essential for achieving a clean, professional finish around your worktops. Whether you’re replacing old edges or installing new worktops in your kitchen or bathroom, find options to suit your project here. However, no matter how perfect my mitre cut was, it wouldn't sit closed on its own. Now, maybe I have OCD, but I found last month's Bostik Fix & Flash resin glue perfect too. (This post honestly isn't sponsored in any way).

Kitchen Splashback with Metro Tiles - The Carpenter Tiling a Kitchen Splashback with Metro Tiles - The Carpenter

I place a bit of masking tape or rag around my surface, but DON'T masking tape too close. This is solely to catch drips. Then I apply a bead of silicone, My best advice is try to be consistent - not too much, not too little. Now spray the silicone with watered down washing up liquid and smooth run along it with the corner of a credit card.

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Also, it's an awful thought to take ages cutting a tile with hand tools, only to find you've measured it wrong in the first place. I used to dread working with silicone sealant because if applied wrong, it looks very messy and awful. But now I get asked how do I get it so neat! Well, here's how! If you have any questions, then feel free to drop me a comment below! More Fitting a Kitchen Projects