Tile may be able to be removed and reused, but some materials pose greater challenges than others. Check the top tile installation mistakes you are probably making.]. Silly question I know but would having a stronger flex in a a bigger gap be better for the overall stability of an area? The beginning of the year is the perfect time to follow the trends & become part of the statistics of phenomenal ti… https://t.co/3y1TyTznKV, If you want to learn how to cut 3/4" pavers with a manual cutter and an electric wet saw, then don't miss this vide… https://t.co/80e9CerUnZ, Tile Installation Problems: How to Avoid the Worst Mistakes, RUBI Diamond Blades: The Most Powerful Tile Saw Blades in the Market, Rubi Tools Webinars Can Refine Your Professional Skills, How to Create Spaces With Mixed-Media Tile Designs, NEW DELTA LEVEL SYSTEM: Small improvements that make a good product GREAT, 12 Custom Bathroom shower ideas for ultimate luxury, DIY Projects? For example: A higher quality tile could allow for a 1/16" or 1/8" grout line and maybe even a brick layout as lippage may not be an issue (in a perfect tile world) where as a lower quality tile might have major lippage risk so laying the tile in 1/3's and having a 1/4" grout line is recommended. Basically, there is not a standard trowel size for tile installation, since it depends on the size and type of tile you install. Current trends are moving towards leaving much smaller grout lines between tiles. This tile was pushed down only about halfway into the bed of thinset. For a small square tile is recommended to choose a spatula with prongs of 4 mm. Discuss Required gap for 600x600 porcelain tiles and other questions in the UK Tiling Forum | Tile Advice Forum area at TilersForums.com Since the spaces between the ridges have the same size as the ridges themselves, this will split the height of the ridges in half. I am tiling my shower walls around the bathtub and have a question about the gap size between the bottom course of tile and the tub. Thanks in advance Jim. They are cream coloured and the grout is grey. Note that using the smallest grout possible will increase installation time. Front path slab ( possibly has rising damp) - can I tile on it. The width of each ridge will DOUBLE the trowel size – 3/4”. Learn the expert’s recipe to mix mortar like a pro]. Visual inspection is simply fully embedding the tile into the bed of thinset mortar, then removing it and looking at both the substrate and the back of the tile to determine whether you have proper coverage. When installing wall and floor tiles, technicians place plastic spacers between each one to ensure the lines remain uniform.Tile spacers range in size from 1/16 inch to 1/2 inch. This makes it easier to have the tile drop into the bed with the edge over an open area between the ridges than over the top of a standing ridge. Pushing a tile into the bed of rounded ridges causes the ridge of thinset to spread out, from the bottom, with less possibility of trapping air. Figure this out by placing the tile face-to-face and squeezing one corner. A U-shaped ridge, on the other hand, spreads OUT when embedding a tile into the bed. When you use a 1/4” x 3/8” square-notched trowel you will leave 1/4” wide by 3/8” high ridges of thinset on the substrate, with ¼” spaces between each ridge. Tool Guy - Kg. ALTERNATIVELY COULD IF YOU WANTED TO, USE SCHLUTER DITRA MATTING OVER THE WHOLE FLOOR AREA,THIS IS ALSO ANOTHER EFFECTIVE WAY OF TILING ONTO SUBSTRATES THAT MIGHT BE SUBJECT MOVEMENT,EXPANSION,ITS QUITE EXPENSIVE BUT IS AN EXCELLENT PRODUCT! For tiles with lugs on only two sides of each tile you must make sure they are all stacked in the same direction, that the lugs are not butted against each other. Depending upon the texture and consistency of the tiles I may use 1/8″ spacers on occasion. JavaScript is disabled. When you spread thinset with a U-notched trowel, it will leave half-round ridges on the substrate. and 95% minimum total coverage in a wet area (showers, bath surrounds, etc.). Hi Martha, no, a .5 inch gap will be fine. This is sometimes difficult with vertical installations. I've cut the tiles to (roughly) follow the unevenness of the stone walls and left a gap for expansion. The tiles are 33.3m² and 7mm depth. They suggest you insert the spacers at right angles to the tile, to facilitate removal. Selecting the right width for grout lines on your tile project may seem unimportant compared to picking tile sizes, patterns and materials. Should I use a U-notched or a squared-notched trowel? 1) The tile supplier said that the tiles look best 'without any joint' (I assume he means butting tiles together completely) as they just form a single expanse of marble look floor. The u-notch in the center has even coverage, but you need a much larger notch to get the same amount of coverage. A little extra thinset beneath a tile is completely acceptable, not enough thinset beneath the tile is not acceptable. For example; you have two different 24” x 24” tiles for two different floors. The trowel size determines how much thinset to put on the substrate, as well as how thick the bed of thinset should be under the tile. There is more to that requirement such as complete coverage beneath all four corners of the tile, but those are the basics. Common practice is 2-3mm for wall tiles and 3-5mm for floor tiles. As a general rule, floor tiles should have grout lines of 1/8 inch or larger, depending on the type and size of tile; most floor tiles are 8 inches by 8 inches, but larger versions are available. Measure the amount of space between the faces of the tile on the opposite corner then divide that number in half. Tile longer than 15” tends to have slight variations to it that cause complications for successful installation in a brick joint pattern. I am covering my 10 year old basement floor (grey painted) with vinyl click tiles. Those are common questions you must ask yourself before starting your installation project. More accurately, it depends on how flat the tile and substrate are. So a 3/8” U-notched trowel leaves a 1/8” bed of thinset beneath the installed tile. YES,CHEAPEST WAY DEFINATELY,IT MUST BE SCREWED AND GLUD AT 300 mm CENTRES ,PRIMED AS PREVIOUSLY STATED,WEDI BOARD IS A BETTER PRODUCT,BUT ITS ALL DOWN TO COST AGAIN, WEDI BOARD IS A BETTER PRODUCT,AVAILABLE IN A RANGE OF THICKNESSES,YOU CAN FIX IT WITH FLOOR ADHESIVE,AND BED IT UP OR DOWN TO THE REQUIRED HEIGHT,MAKING SURE NO VOIDS ARE LEFT BELOW THE BOARD WHEN FIXING IT, RECENTLY TILED AN ONIELS IRISH BAR 300 SQ MTRS ,THE FLOOR HAD TO RAISED BY 12MM TO ACCOMODATE 2 LEVELS FLOORING,WEDI BOARD WAS AN EXCELLENT FAST TRACK PRODUCT IN THIS SITUATION,ITS NOT A CHEAP PRODUCT BUT DOES THE JOB IT IS MADE TO DO,EASY TO CUT AND INSTALL,MAKE SURE ALL JOINTS ARE TAPED,AND LAY IT BRICK BOND FASHION, you can lay the matting yourself its so easy,a good blade in your stanley knife,and a floor layers trowel 1 to 2 mm notch should do fine,you dont have to be too accurate with the cutting around door casings etc, as long as its covered with the matting you should be fine, Which Tiles Are Best? Attaching brick slips to painted plasterboard and other questions. I am not sure what size of gap would look/work best. a 1/2” x 1/2”), the bed of thinset will be half of that measurement, or 1/4”, beneath a flat tile over a flat substrate. I am using a 3/8” U-notched trowel, which has a half-moon shaped notch. It is easier to keep a standing ridge on a wall with smaller square-notched than with a larger U-notched. U-notched trowels normally only have one number. hairline crack, slight flex in 2 tiles - to foam or not to foam? There are two basic ways to determine which size of trowel to use: calculating the warpage (cupping) of the tile and substrate or visual inspection. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Apply more to make a layer of adhesive roughly 1/2-inch thick. These shifts often lead to gaps appearing in your wood floor.[v161475_b01]. lol, ditra matting at a good trade price is about £8.50 sq mtr plus vat... glue required to stick it down about 40.00 + plus vat, NOT TOO SURE ABOUT TILING DIRECT TO A VARNISHED BLOCK FLOOR,AS YOUR NOT STICKING TO THE ACTUAL SUBSTRATE,ONLY TO THE VARNISH,I THINK MAYBE SANDING THE FLOOR BACK TO ITS RAW STATE TO GET A BETTER "KEY" IS ADVISABLE HERE, COAT WITH ARDEX P 51 PRIMER, FIX WITH ARDEX 7001 FLOOR ADHESIVE,THAT SHOULD DO THE JOB NO PROBLEM, YOU MUST MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO SECTION OF THE WOODEN FLOOR HAS DE-LAMINATED FROM THE SUBSTRATE. Pushing the tile down into the bed of square ridges causes the ridges to fold over from the top of the ridge, then spread out. Will thick DPM sheet act as a poor mans decoupling membrane? If one of the tiles is fairly flat with minimum warping (cupping), you may meet the proper coverage requirement using a 3/8” square-notched trowel. If one of the tiles is fairly flat with minimum warping (cupping), you may meet the proper coverage requirement using a 3/8” square-notched trowel. The less flat the tile is, the more thinset mortar you need beneath it, which means a larger trowel size. When to Expect a Grout Gap In Your Wood Flooring Project Anytime a hardwood edge meets a tile edge, this small crack will not only be natural, but necessary to achieve a smooth transition. Shower walls can be covered in glazed ceramic or porcelain. So a 1/2” x 1/2” trowel will leave a 1/4” high bed of thinset beneath the tile. That is the amount of cupping in the tile. Grout Lines for Floor Tiles. Rubi manufactures tile trowels in two basic types, the square-notched and the U-notched. Is a bigger gap better? All other cuts of tile, from tumbled to chiseled to punched, contain slight variations in shape and size… When we purchased our square edge tiles the supplier said we should get a 1.5mm gap, we have a 2.5mm gap … For floor tiles, 3 mm (0.12 inches) is the smallest gap. Whether the tile is in a bathroom, kitchen, or around a fireplace where the wood butts up to the tile, there will be a grout line that needs to be filled. There is more space between the half-moon ridges with a U-notched than there is with a square-notched. Checkout our sister-sites Tiling Tools | Tiling Courses | UK Tiling News, Reply to Required gap for 600x600 porcelain tiles and other questions in the UK Tiling Forum | Tile Advice Forum area at TilersForums.com. Trowel notches should be the same size as the thickness of the tiles being set. Be concerned with the amount of coverage for the tile. For vinyl that looks like black granite, I used black caulk. Bathroom Floor: 5sq/m meters of 12mm porcelain tile, tile size 200x200mm; Bathroom wall (also used as shower backing) 20sq/m of 8.5mm 250x400mm. Would 1/16 between the tub and tile be too small for the silicone? The trowel’s tooth shape and spacing determines how much thinset is sandwiched between the tile and substrate once the tile is fully installed. Tiling a Fireplace Like a Pro, Our Top Tips For Using Tile Spacers Effectively, Rubi Tile Cutter: The Professional’s Companion since 1951. And it’s very important. What tile adhesive should I use for large porcelain tiles?