How do I choose ceramic tiles for floors and bathrooms?

[unheard]

41 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I mentioned it above already: The "problem" are big and huge tiles. For those tiles it seems to be necessary to use a leveling system to install them properly.

An interesting video but it references a different problem, related to long porcelain planks.

What I was referencing to is the problem related to uneven grout lines due to the effects of gravity.

Gravity pulls down freshly applied wall tiles.

Spacers are used to greatly simplify installation and allow very consistent in width horizontal grout lines.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, unheard said:

An interesting video but it references a different problem, related to long porcelain planks.

What I was referencing to is the problem related to uneven grout lines due to the effects of gravity.

Gravity pulls down freshly applied wall tiles.

Spacers are used to greatly simplify installation and allow very consistent in width horizontal grout lines.

I guess I saw at least 30 videos from that guy. Now I just picked the first video with a leveling system. For anybody who is interested look at his YouTube channel. It contains lots and lots of information about tiles. Not just about the installation but also different types of tiles, etc.

[unheard]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

For anybody who is interested look at his YouTube channel. It contains lots and lots of information about tiles.

A good advice for anyone in the market.

[FrederikKitten]

6 hours ago, Richard 2020 said:

Tile help...So laid they make the bathroom bigger!!!

 

All tiles 30 x 60

 

In the shower and on the floor non-slip!!!

I like this simple one color thing. I'll do this.

[talahtnut]

12 hours ago, steve187 said:

years, some work i did in the UK-

Amazing work, you should have given me your number

8 years ago!

[steve187]

7 hours ago, KannikaP said:

What a mess the first photo is, looks like you used left over tiles.

Do ceramic tiles expand & contract? You suggest a 3mm gap, but that is filled with grout. Is grout comressible?

that wet room had just been grouted and washed off so still a bit hazy, you can see bits are still wet, they were natural stone and cost a kings ransom, and was floor to ceiling, had to re-enforce the walls to take the weight, one wall had half a ton in stone slabs, fixed on  a waterproof backer board, stone chosen by the house owner, i don't have to like them to lay them, it was a refurbishment, all the floors and walls were stone, here's a better photo of the same wetroom and the kitchen floor.

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, steve187 said:

that wet room had just been grouted and washed off so still a bit hazy, you can see bits are still wet, they were natural stone and cost a kings ransom, and was floor to ceiling, had to re-enforce the walls to take the weight, one wall had half a ton in stone slabs, fixed on  a waterproof backer board, stone chosen by the house owner, i don't have to like them to lay them, it was a refurbishment, all the floors and walls were stone, here's a better photo of the same wetroom and the kitchen floor.

Still looks a 4ing mess whatever it cost.

[steve187]

4 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

Amazing work, you should have given me your number

8 years ago!

thank you,  lots of tilers in the family, I had  45 years at it, worked all over the UK, maily London and Eastern UK, I really liked large one off built houses, for smaller good builders.

[steve187]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Still looks a 4ing mess whatever it cost.

everyone entitled to their opinion, but as i said i don't have to like the finished article, but as long as the quality of my work was the best, i was happy

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, steve187 said:

everyone entitled to their opinion, but as i said i don't have to like the finished article, but as long as the quality of my work was the best, i was happy

You mean you did the work but didn't like the result?

[phetphet]

7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Agree

I asked my (expensive) contractor. And they confirmed they will use a leveling system on the floors and walls.

 

I mentioned it above already: The "problem" are big and huge tiles. For those tiles it seems to be necessary to use a leveling system to install them properly.

 

For smaller tiles it might help but it is not necessary.

As far as I know 20 years ago nobody used those systems anywhere in the world. And at that time they didn't have huge tiles.

 

 

P.S.: My "knowledge" is theoretical. I never worked with tiles. But I read a lot about it and watched videos from several experts. 

They sell those in HomePro. I saw them there this morning.

[LosLobo]

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

that wet room had just been grouted and washed off so still a bit hazy, you can see bits are still wet, they were natural stone and cost a kings ransom, and was floor to ceiling, had to re-enforce the walls to take the weight, one wall had half a ton in stone slabs, fixed on  a waterproof backer board, stone chosen by the house owner, i don't have to like them to lay them, it was a refurbishment, all the floors and walls were stone, here's a better photo of the same wetroom and the kitchen floor.

Stone by it's very nature is a natural product and some people like this rough look. Ceramic tiles are pressed and the ones with rectified edges are machined. So of course they look neater. 

The tessellated tiles in a later photo are very difficult to lay and unless done by a pro look terrible. Yours look excellent!

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

They sell those in HomePro. I saw them there this morning.

Yes, but...

 

This reminds me of an AC technician who used to clean my AC in my rented apartment. He was a nice guy, but his electrical work was bad. He only drilled wires together and used lots of tape. That's it.

When he came again to install a new AC, I thought I do something good, and I bought in HomePro some electrical accessories like screw terminals.

When I gave them to him, he ignored them. "No problem, I can just drill the wires together and use tape" ...

[gamb00ler]

A word of warning about using the long rectangular wood looking ceramic tiles.  Often those tiles are manufactured such that each tile is slightly thicker in the center of the tile than it is at the edges or at the ends.  The finished floor will have a very small wave as a result.

 

To get the best result, you should offset each row of tiles from its neighboring rows.  I think a regular offset looks better than a random offset.  I asked our builder to use a 25% offset between rows.  The difference in tile thickness is more noticeable if you arrange the tile rows with a 50% offset because the lowest part of each tile (the end) is adjacent to the highest part (the center) of neighboring tiles .  Using a 25% offset makes the height difference less noticeable.

[LosLobo]

When I selected my floor tiles, I graded mine by slip resistance. In the bathroom, the shower area had the highest and the bathroom general area not so much.  The variation with a different complementary colour looked quite stylist.

 

The other part of the house had a moderately high slip resistance for the kitchen, more so than the rest of the house which had a larger area. Remember the higher the slip resistance the more difficulty in cleaning but safety is king.

 

Maybe select glossy and low slip resistance for wall tiles as they are easier to clean.

 

Homepro has an excellent website with large setting pics of tiles and also shows slip resistance and surface textures. They also have a tile area calculator and grout calculator and local store stock holdings. They have good discounts for online purchases. You could select your tiles online and buy in person from there or use another supplier. Remember tile colour shades can vary from batch to batch so order all your needs at the same time.

 

I think rectified tiles look more modern with very straight edges and finer grout lines and make rooms look larger.

[talahtnut]

The missus tiled the front floor while I was away,

not surprising really, as she used to be a bricklayer

by trade.

Thats why I forced her into marriage.

[Richard 2020]

15 hours ago, FrederikKitten said:

I like this simple one color thing. I'll do this.

My bathroom must be bright,it just looks clean and friendly.   Has worked with "spacer". That is why the top result!

Edited August 22, 2022 by Richard 2020