Larger Tile

[copenrc]

I will be installing 24"x24" porcelin tile and was told its tricky(harder) to install.
It will be going on the floor as well as the walls, is it just because of the weight when tiling a wall? I was also thinking of using 1/8" grout lines, does that sound right? Thanks

[hookknife]

The larger the tile, the more important the floors flatness will be. The smaller the grout lines the more important you floors flatness will be this is because an uneven floor will force you to deal more with ledging issues. Thinset coverage will be more important, make sure you get plenty of coverage of mortar on your tile/floor. Others will offer good advice soon

[BrianM]

copenrc said I will be installing 24"x24" porcelin tile and was told its tricky(harder) to install. It will be going on the floor as well as the walls, is it just because of the weight when tiling a wall? I was also thinking of using 1/8" grout lines, does that sound right? Thanks

I installed some 20"x20" porcelain tiles in my living room and found to to be quite a challenge keeping all the tile level. When a tile sticks up over the height of the adjacent tile it's called "lippage" and can be a reason for the job to be rejected.

When I finished I was very lucky and so was my wife. I did my best and if she even thought about giving me any lippage...............BANG! ZOOM! Straight to the moon!

[Barry Carlton]

These would be worth the money, I know I would use them on my home with the limited experience I have w/tile. QEP 99720 Lash Tile Leveling Clips (96 pack)

[copenrc]

thanks for the input guys, and Barry I looked at those today. I will give them another look. My bathroom floor shouldn't be too hard to keep straight and the tiles level ( I Hope) it's only 5x7

[Barry Carlton]

copenrc said thanks for the input guys, and Barry I looked at those today. I will give them another look. My bathroom floor shouldn't be too hard to keep straight and the tiles level ( I Hope) it's only 5x7

I would defiantly spend the extra 20 to keep every thing smooth and level.

[copenrc]

you're right Barry whats 20 bucks when I've spent alot more on the tile, Thanks again

[Kman]

If your floor is out of plane to a great extent, the Lash system won't help that much. It basically keeps your tile from sinking due to the natural shrinkage of the thinset. Your floor must be reasonable flat to begin with.

I have used the Lash system one time and still have quite a few pieces left over. I may use them again if the job warrants it. More important is to get your floor flat.

Is this on a slab or over a crawl space? If it's a crawl space, have you verified that your subfloor and joists are adequate for a tile installation?

24x24 is a pretty big tile, even for a pro. I would use either a 1/4x1/4x1/2" trowel or a 1/2" square notched trowel. It's also very important that you skim-coat the back of each tile with the flat side of the trowel to ensure good coverage.

Do you have access to a saw that will cut a tile that big?

[copenrc]

KMan, everything underneath is good I tore out all the old floor and replaced some floor joists, put 3/4 plywood then cement board with thin set between, I am putting a skim coat with radiant heat(elec) on top of the cement board. You did bring up a good point, I just started thinking about a saw big enough to cut the tile, prob try and check for a rental somewhere

[Rain Man]

1/8 joints call for unsanded grout. One of the biggest problems I've encountered is to make sure the walls are plumb and square before intalling. Re-mud the corners if you have to

[rusty baker]

It's up to personal preference, but smaller tiles usually look better in a small area than big tiles.

[Kman]

I forgot to mention about your reference to grout joint size. 1/8" is doable if your tile are all exactly the same size, which is rare. Tile of that size with 1/8" grout joint leaves very little room for adjustment if a tile is 1/16" bigger than the one next to it.

Personally I would go with 3/16". But if you're dead-set on 1/8", here's what you should do: Since the most number of tiles you will be laying is 15, I would check every tile by setting them on edge on a perfectly flat and level surface, two or three tiles at a time. If one of them sticks up just a hair more than the other, you should go with 3/16" grout joint. You can also check them by measuring each tile individually, but you have to make sure you have a very accurate tape measure.

A general rule of thumb is that your grout joint should be three times the difference in the tile size. So if your tiles vary by 1/16", the grout joint should be 3/16".

If you have a high-quality porcelain that varies by 1/8" or more, I would take them back and get something else. Nothing you can do will make them look right when they are on the floor.

[copenrc]

KMan thanks for the help, hopefuly they should be darn close in size. I think they are a better quality porcelain, the style is UltiMetal from Crossville, any word on this tile?

[Kman]

Sorry, haven't heard of it.

Hope they're consistent in size and that you don't need hernia surgery when the job is over.

[Jaz]

Certainly Crossville is a highly respected brands in porcelain tiles. It's best known for their commercial products but residential is an important part of their business.

They are headquartered in Crossville Tennessee, where some of the tiles are manufactured. Many, if not most of their offerings are made for them by other companies around the globe. I have found some of these tiles to be of a lower quality than what I expected from a tile marked with the Crossville name. A sign of the times I'm afraid.

Those 24" tiles are also rectified, which means your floor better be flat.....very flat. The good thing is that "rectified" should mean they are almost perfectly square. The bad thing is that without the rounded shoulder of regular tiles, the square shouldered rectified tiles gives you no leeway for lippage.

Jaz