Tiling doesn't have to crack you up!

Yes it does' you scream back as you read this! That's because it's likely you have not got those little 'how-to' tips under your belt.

Tiling your own bathroom or kitchen has become almost the standard, universal 'must have a go' challenge. Everyone you know seems to do it. This will ultimately lead to the Sunday trip to your local DIY superstore to load up with adhesives, sealants, grouts, tilecutters and spacers after stacking your trolley with dozens of your carefully chosen tile packs. Yet as soon as you start to attach the new tiles, those unforseen problems start to crop up.

You may be for example, attempting to work out the correct spacing, lining up the patterning or trying to figure out how to work neatly over or around a corner, step, or column. You may have needed to apply a screed or look more closly at your surface preparation before beginning the tiling itself.Suddenly, you become aware that this tiling lark is not so straightforward as you first thought - and you can't for the life of you think how your best mate completely retiled the shower or those people at work who claimed to have managed to completely transform their breakfast bar. The likelihood is of course, that they have done it before and have been through all the unexpected obstacles, perhaps been shown what to do by someone else experienced in preventing all the pitfalls - OR - they have taken a short training course!

It really does make sense. And can save you a lot of valuable time, stop you from pulling your hair out and preserving your sanity! As the old saying goes - it's easy when you know how.Luckily, there are many great training courses where you can go on to find out how to tile easily and properly. It really is recommended, especially if you are going in for tiling surfaces with expensive natural products like Granite, Marble, Limestone and Slate, which are are increasingly popular. Specialist training is required in order to obtain the perfect finish.

All the above is even more important if you are thinking of taking up tiling professionally and you will require to learn the necessary knowledge and skills to become fully NVQ-qualified.

So if you are ready to turn your bathroom into a masterpiece of Victorian mosiac craftsmanship, which will show your family and friends that you really did have it in you, then before you get too carried away, why not try a 2 x weekend course, which gives you a whole weeks worth of training - then you can plan the big one!