Tiles and Porcelain Stoneware DIY: From Substrate to Grout
A course for people who have never laid tiles but want to do a bathroom, a kitchen backsplash or a hallway floor themselves without redoing it. You will learn to read packaging labels, choose adhesive, grout and waterproofing by class (EN 12004, EN 13888), estimate materials and budget, prepare the substrate, waterproof the wet zone, set out, cut and lay tiles on floors and walls, grout and inspect the result. Materials and prices are from the Ukrainian market in 2026. Hands-on skill is built on a practice board with a checklist or photo self-check. Electrics, large formats and level-access showers are covered only as an overview, with clear 'call a professional' thresholds. The course is in Ukrainian.
Your lesson is in your language: your assistant leads it.
- Material: Ukrainian
- Exam: Ukrainian — taken on the site, not translated
How it works
Your assistant takes the course material from our server and leads the lesson in your language.
The exam is taken on the site, without an assistant. Exam questions are not translated: this is decided for every course.
Path through the course
· 23 unitsthe order is free · the steps below are the order the author suggests, not a conditionView: map · steps
Stage 1
~3 h
Stage 2
~4 h
2 · by the author’s design, after “Do It Yourself or Call a Professional”
~1.5 h
9 · by the author’s design, after “Waterproofing the Wet Zone”
~1.5 h
20 · поглиблено · by the author’s design, after “Waterproofing the Wet Zone”
Level-Access Shower and Floor Drain
~1 h
Stage 3
~3.3 h
3 · by the author’s design, after “Tiles and Porcelain Stoneware”
Adhesives, Primers, Grouts, Waterproofing
~1.8 h
10 · by the author’s design, after “Setting Out and Marking”
~1.5 h
Stage 4
~2.8 h
4 · by the author’s design, after “Adhesives, Primers, Grouts, Waterproofing”
~1.3 h
11 · by the author’s design, after “Cutting”
~1.5 h
Stage 5
~3 h
5 · by the author’s design, after “Tools and Safety”
Calculating Materials and Budget
~1.5 h
12 · by the author’s design, after “Mixing and Applying Adhesive”
~1.5 h
Stage 6
~5.8 h
6 · by the author’s design, after “Calculating Materials and Budget”
Substrate: Inspection, Removal and Priming
~1.5 h
13 · by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”
~1.5 h
18 · поглиблено · by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”
~1 h
19 · поглиблено · by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”
Underfloor Heating Under Tiles
~0.8 h
23 · поглиблено · by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”
~1 h
Stage 7
~3.8 h
7 · by the author’s design, after “Substrate: Inspection, Removal and Priming”
Levelling: Self-Levelling Compound and Plaster
~1.5 h
14 · by the author’s design, after “Tiling Walls”
~1.5 h
22 · поглиблено · by the author’s design, after “Tiling Walls”
~0.8 h
Stage 8
~1.8 h
15 · by the author’s design, after “Working Around Obstacles”
~1.8 h
Stage 9
~2.5 h
by the author’s design, after “Grout and Silicone”
16
~1.5 h
21 · поглиблено
~1 h
Stage 10
~1.8 h
17 · by the author’s design, after “Inspection, Defects, Care”
Final Project: Olha's Bathroom
~1.8 h
Exam
closed · enrol on the course
final · in the browser, without the assistant
Exam
The path in words
- Stage 1 · Do It Yourself or Call a Professional — ~1.3 h
- Stage 1 · Waterproofing the Wet Zone — ~1.8 h
- Stage 2 · Tiles and Porcelain Stoneware — by the author’s design, after “Do It Yourself or Call a Professional”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 2 · Setting Out and Marking — by the author’s design, after “Waterproofing the Wet Zone”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 2 · Level-Access Shower and Floor Drain — by the author’s design, after “Waterproofing the Wet Zone”; optional; ~1 h
- Stage 3 · Adhesives, Primers, Grouts, Waterproofing — by the author’s design, after “Tiles and Porcelain Stoneware”; ~1.8 h
- Stage 3 · Cutting — by the author’s design, after “Setting Out and Marking”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 4 · Tools and Safety — by the author’s design, after “Adhesives, Primers, Grouts, Waterproofing”; ~1.3 h
- Stage 4 · Mixing and Applying Adhesive — by the author’s design, after “Cutting”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 5 · Calculating Materials and Budget — by the author’s design, after “Tools and Safety”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 5 · Laying Floor Tiles — by the author’s design, after “Mixing and Applying Adhesive”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 6 · Substrate: Inspection, Removal and Priming — by the author’s design, after “Calculating Materials and Budget”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 6 · Tiling Walls — by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 6 · Large Format 60×120 — by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”; optional; ~1 h
- Stage 6 · Underfloor Heating Under Tiles — by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”; optional; ~0.8 h
- Stage 6 · Balcony, Porch, Steps — by the author’s design, after “Laying Floor Tiles”; optional; ~1 h
- Stage 7 · Levelling: Self-Levelling Compound and Plaster — by the author’s design, after “Substrate: Inspection, Removal and Priming”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 7 · Working Around Obstacles — by the author’s design, after “Tiling Walls”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 7 · Mosaics and Narrow Formats — by the author’s design, after “Tiling Walls”; optional; ~0.8 h
- Stage 8 · Grout and Silicone — by the author’s design, after “Working Around Obstacles”; ~1.8 h
- Stage 9 · Inspection, Defects, Care — by the author’s design, after “Grout and Silicone”; ~1.5 h
- Stage 9 · Epoxy Grout — by the author’s design, after “Grout and Silicone”; optional; ~1 h
- Stage 10 · Final Project: Olha's Bathroom — by the author’s design, after “Inspection, Defects, Care”; ~1.8 h
Programme · 23 units
| 1 | Do It Yourself or Call a Professional Assess which tiling jobs a beginner can do on their own with this course and which they cannot | ~1.3 h |
| 2 | Tiles and Porcelain Stoneware Explain the difference between ceramic wall tiles, floor tiles and porcelain stoneware in terms of water absorption (EN 14411 groups) | ~1.5 h |
| 3 | Adhesives, Primers, Grouts, Waterproofing Decode a tile adhesive class under ДСТУ EN 12004-1: C/D/R, 1/2, F, T, E, S1/S2 | ~1.8 h |
| 4 | Tools and Safety Put together a minimal tool kit for your project and explain what each item is for | ~1.3 h |
| 5 | Calculating Materials and Budget Measure a bathroom and calculate the floor and wall area, allowing for doors, niches and boxed-in pipes | ~1.5 h |
| 6 | Substrate: Inspection, Removal and Priming Name the four data sheet requirements for a tile substrate — sound, flat, dry, clean — and explain what happens if each one is violated | ~1.5 h |
| 7 | Levelling: Self-Levelling Compound and Plaster Decide from a straightedge measurement whether levelling is needed and whether you can do it yourself | ~1.5 h |
| 8 | Waterproofing the Wet Zone Explain why tiles and grout do not protect the floor slab from water and why waterproofing is needed | ~1.8 h |
| 9 | Setting Out and Marking Explain why laying "from the corner" without a layout leaves narrow cut tiles in plain sight | ~1.5 h |
| 10 | Cutting Choose the tool for the type of cut: manual tile cutter, angle grinder, tile nippers, diamond core bit, electric tile saw | ~1.5 h |
| 11 | Mixing and Applying Adhesive Read an adhesive class under ДСТУ EN 12004-1 (C1/C2, T, E, F, S1/S2) and choose an adhesive for the tile, the substrate and the room | ~1.5 h |
| 12 | Laying Floor Tiles Prepare for laying: check the batch (shade and calibre), mix tiles from several boxes, dry-lay the first row | ~1.5 h |
| 13 | Tiling Walls Explain why a wall is not started from the floor, and calculate the height of the support batten from the lowest point of the floor | ~1.5 h |
| 14 | Working Around Obstacles List the obstacles in your bathroom and divide up what you do and what the plumber or the electrician does | ~1.5 h |
| 15 | Grout and Silicone Determine when grouting can start from the adhesive data sheet, not "by eye" | ~1.8 h |
| 16 | Inspection, Defects, Care Inspect the work in two stages — before and after grouting — using a checklist: straightedge, side lighting, tap test | ~1.5 h |
| 17 | Final Project: Olha's Bathroom Put together a plan for the whole project: scope of work, obstacles, who does what — you, the plumber, the electrician | ~1.8 h |
| 18 | Large Format 60×120 Explain why a 60×120 slab requires a different technique from formats up to 60×60 | ~1 h |
| 19 | Underfloor Heating Under Tiles Distinguish the types of underfloor heating and understand which of them ends up in the tile adhesive layer | ~0.8 h |
| 20 | Level-Access Shower and Floor Drain Explain why a shower without a tray is the area with the highest risk of leaks in a flat | ~1 h |
| 21 | Epoxy Grout Explain how epoxy grout (RG under EN 13888) differs from cement grout (CG) | ~1 h |
| 22 | Mosaics and Narrow Formats Explain why small and narrow tiles take more time, more grout and a larger cutting allowance | ~0.8 h |
| 23 | Balcony, Porch, Steps Explain how frost destroys tiles outdoors: water in the pores, voids and joints | ~1 h |