Choosing a professional tool for laying ceramic tiles often becomes a serious problem, especially for people who are faced with this for the first time. It is no secret that many consumers are deterred from doing their own installation by the lack of tools, which in some cases is quite economically justified. A full set of good, high-quality tools will cost a tidy sum, and if all this is needed just to hang an apron in the kitchen, it would be better not to fool yourself, but to use the services of a professional tiler. But what is meant by a “full set” and how to make the right choice? To answer this question, a few words about tools.
Professional and household tools
So, any tool can be divided into two categories: professional and household . The main difference between a professional tool is the so-called safety factor (i.e. duration of continuous operation, wear resistance, ability to replace parts, etc.), as well as ease of use (light weight, ergonomics, reduced noise or vibration levels and etc.). This is achieved by using higher quality materials, and as a result, makes the instrument more expensive. In addition, tool manufacturers additionally popularize and promote the brand of professional equipment, which is also reflected in its price (we will pay more attention to this later). Household tools are usually designed for short-term use. In addition, it is not designed to implement such tasks as: saving the master’s time or preventing his rapid fatigue. It is important to remember that the safety margin of a professional tool does not guarantee its “indestructibility”. This is a misconception that has taken root very firmly in the minds of ordinary consumers. Often, a professional tool, on the contrary, requires a more careful attitude than a household one, and of course, 100% use strictly for its intended purpose. Hence, by the way, another division into a specialized tool and a multitasking one (multi-tasking or multi-tool from the English “multitools”) . As a rule, multitasking is a sign of a household tool, specialization is a sign of a professional one. This is dictated primarily by high performance characteristics; in multitasking there are many of them, and most often they are mutually exclusive, but in specialized ones there are few - and the entire emphasis of design thought is directed towards them. In addition, one should not forget about the time spent changing the type of activity of the tool or the convenience of its use in work, as well as storage, since a professional can afford to have a workshop and store a wide range of all kinds of tools there, but the average person does not see the need for this, and will I'm glad to have several multitools to solve my everyday problems. In addition to household and professional, we can, again, conditionally divide the tool into mandatory and additional.
Mandatory and optional tool
Mandatory means a tool that is impossible to do without during the installation process, and optional means one that helps make this process faster and better, and also significantly expands the range of capabilities of the laying master. Let us immediately note that everyone defines the concept of obligatory for themselves independently. Therefore, it is impossible to create a complete list of tools for a professional tiler, and even with indicative prices. After all, even the cost of tile cutters varies from the cheapest manual one for 300 rubles to expensive electric ones for hundreds of thousands, and what in one case seems optional, in another, on the contrary, becomes very important. Most tilers add to their collection of tools gradually, encountering and overcoming various difficulties in their work from time to time. In contrast, many ordinary people try to compensate for the lack of professional tools through handicraft devices, ingenuity and the eternal Russian “maybe”. One thing can be said for sure, reversing the well-known “they are greeted by their clothes”, a professional tiler is greeted by his tools, and if his mandatory minimum set arouses admiration, somewhere interest, and perhaps even envy, then the customer’s trust in him will be much higher. On the other hand, an ordinary person does not need to purchase a super-innovative comb with an ergonomic handle that relieves stress from the wrist, or a powerful mixer with the ability to run continuously for 24 hours if he wants to lay a couple of squares of tiles on the floor in the hallway. The selection criteria can be completely different, depending primarily on the tasks for which the tool is purchased. Now some tips.
Tips for choosing a tool for laying ceramic tiles
As for professional installation of ceramic tiles, it is necessary to approach the choice more responsibly. A tiler must have a tool in his arsenal for : marking the surface, preparing the base, laying tiles, grouting joints, and monitoring the quality of work performed. It’s better to take a professional tool: firstly, it will last longer, and secondly, don’t be afraid to overpay for the brand. Remember, this is your business card and the best advertisement for your activities. If a master invests in his instrument, it means he is going to work on this business for a long time and seriously. Don't discount time and convenience. If a tool or equipment allows you to increase the pace of work or productivity, or at least simply saves you energy, it is worth paying for. Be interested in new products; manufacturers do not stand still and always invent something new. You should not think that the result will be written off, if the customer saw during the installation process how you compensated for the lack of professional tools with various “tweaks” and “devices”, you can be sure that at the end of the work he will find something to complain about. And in conclusion, do not neglect cleanliness, neatness and culture: firstly, this is your health, and secondly, a grimy, foul-mouthed “tile maker” will not arouse either respect or trust from the customer. As for the independent installation of ceramics by the average consumer, here it is necessary to rely on the stages of the work. Make a plan, think about what you will do, how, and what you will use. If you don’t have a tool, think about what you can replace it with. You, unlike a professional stacker, do not need speed and the highest quality of work performed. Your spouse will likely forgive you for the uneven seam and appreciate the money you save. The groups of tools are the same: meters for marking the surface, a brush or roller for applying primer or waterproofing (pay attention to the product manufacturer’s recommendations on what to use and how to apply), a mixer or drill attachment for mixing glue and grout mixture, a comb for applying glue, crosses for laying tiles, a tile cutter, spatulas for applying grout and a sponge to wash off its residues from the surface. This minimum set should be enough for a start, but then look further as needed. In conclusion, I would like to say that the tool itself does not guarantee high-quality installation. This is just a means of realizing your creative imagination and bringing to life the ideas of arranging your own living space. And if you firmly know what you want, then you will definitely select tools that can help you with this.