# Forum Home Renovation Tiling  Tile Floor or Walls last?

## DIYGeoff

I know this has been asked before and the standard answer is to tile the walls first but leave the bottom row of tiles until after the floor is tiled.
However I have only found one reason for this order of work and that was to avoid water pooling in the floor edge grout (and possibly leaking through) if the floor was tiled last. Whilst  I am sure this is a valid reason given the sub floor and wall are water proofed before tiling I am not convinced this is a compelling reason.
I can see a couple benefits in tiling the floor last...
1. In my case the floor tiles will be a dark colour; the wall a light colour. Tiling the floor last would leave a dark grout at the edge, less sensitive to long term dirt.
2. My wall are very straight so cutting floor tiles to match the wall would be easier than matching the floor undulations.
3. Visually, I think avoiding the grout line on top of the floor tiles would look better? 
Anyway, looking for counter auguments, or compelling reasons why my thinking is wrong!!! 
Cheers
Geoff

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## Dr Freud

The main reason is to maximise water flow away from the surface as soon as possible to maximise drying time.  One bad part of damp is it eventually gets behind the tiling system, and yes, inside the waterproofing.  The biscuit (clay part of the tile) is only glazed (waterproof) on the front, so your tiles will start to dampen and soften from behind.   The damp is now trapped between two waterproof surfaces, the waterproofing and the glaze.  There are threads about how discoloured damp tiles look, apart from the obvious structural issues. Then, with this damp, keep a look out for: Signs of a Mold Problem Even if you kill the surface mould, it may continue growing behind the tiling system. If you use mould-resistant silicone in the gap, you can reduce this somewhat, but unless you over silicone to create a run-off effect, water will still pool, and enter tiles via the cuts and biscuit, unless you silicone over the sharp cut ends. As for cutting tiles, it is no different snapping on an angle than snapping straight.  As for looks, mould looks ugly. This process may take months, years, or never happen at all depending on water coverage and airflow etc.  But at the end of the day, I tell everyone the same thing.  You gotta live there, so as long as youre happy.  :Smilie:

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## DIYGeoff

Ok many thanks for your comment... 
I will do it the RIGHT way. 
Cheers
Geoff

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## bpj1968

So why not just tile the floor first then the wall?

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## renov8or

A bare floor makes a better workbench - rather than trying to keep new floor clean and undamaged.

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## intertd6

> A bare floor makes a better workbench - rather than trying to keep new floor clean and undamaged.

  By tiling the walls first, which was the way it used to be done, the damage done to the waterproofing membrane by way of dropped sharp tiles or unseen damage is never known till' the jobs is well & truly finished, trades, materials paid for & the job is handed over. Then you have to do it all over again! You only have to hear bout this happening once & the cost of it to know which sequence to do it in.
regards inter

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