A few questions about installing tile

[farmerjohn1324]

Not necessarily, but if that's what you choose.

Or, "You do it with a tape measure and a pencil and you make aesthetic adjustments as you go."



Repeat.

There are cheap-n-dirty installation, and there are thoughtful, professional installations.

Can you explain how I can make an adjustment once I get started? As of right now, I don't understand how the grid pattern for the entire house isn't set once I set the first tile. I've started measuring the dimensions of every room in the house. Is this necessary to get the best result before I start?

I am trying to avoid small widths of tile at the edges. Google told me to avoid anything smaller than 1/2 a tile width, which would be 8" in this case. I think that's overkill, and I might just want to avoid very small pieces like 3" and smaller.

But even now, I'm at Dunkin Donuts and they have strips of tile along the wall that are 1", and I would never have noticed if I wasn't thinking about it. Is this impossible to avoid at all places in the house?

 

[Snoonyb]

Can you I/D. the rooms?

Kitchen=Kit.
Living rm= LR
Dining room-DR
Entry=E
Etc.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Hopefully this is readable

Can you explain how I can adjust the grid after getting started? Other than for interruptions like thresholds?

 

[Snoonyb]

Where is the front entrance door?

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Where is the front entrance door?

Towards the bottom left of the room labeled "E."

 

[Snoonyb]

Thanks.

The entry, kit. and living room are the high traffic areas, and the most visual.

The kit./bdr and the liv.rm have the longest common wall so I would start at the kit./bdr. wall with an 8" tile, which would follow along the common wall into the liv.rm.

Lay the 16" out form the 8" tile in the kit, to the left and with a chalk line, determine how that translate that into the entry. Working back to the right entry wall, what is the margin tile size. 3.5" would be Ideal.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Thanks.

The entry, kit. and living room are the high traffic areas, and the most visual.

The kit./bdr and the liv.rm have the longest common wall so I would start at the kit./bdr. wall with an 8" tile, which would follow along the common wall into the liv.rm.

Lay the 16" out form the 8" tile in the kit, to the left and with a chalk line, determine how that translate that into the entry. Working back to the right entry wall, what is the margin tile size. 3.5" would be Ideal.

The right wall of the kitchen that leads to Bedroom 1 (Be 1) has these shelves on it, so it wouldn't matter so much if there were little tile pieces under the shelf, basically out of view.

Also, there will have to be a reducing transition strip on both of the entries from the kitchen to living room, so that will basically be a separate grid for the living room and the rooms to the left of it.

I attached a picture of the shelves and the right entry from kitchen to living room.

Why are you saying I should aim for 3.5" strips of tile? I would think I would want larger than that in highly visible areas.

 

[Snoonyb]

You are absolutely free to use transitions between each and every room, and to treat each an every room as separate grids.

As I've said, the aesthetics are an adjustment you make.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

You are absolutely free to use transitions between each and every room, and to treat each an every room as separate grids.

As I've said, the aesthetics are an adjustment you make.

So that is what you meant when you said the grid wasn't set for the house after the first tile is laid? Use transitions?

 

[Snoonyb]

The concept is of a flat palate that the layout follows throughout the palate without interruption. Using transition and creating individual grids interrupts this, and however, is your aesthetic choice.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

I want to lay the first tile square in the kitchen.

However, I measured the kitchen to be 3/8" longer at bottom than at top. Therefore, how do I get square?

 

[Snoonyb]

Assuming that the north and east wall are square to each other.

You strike a mark 5' out from the east wall at both the north and south ends of the room, and snap a line. You repeat this from the north wall.

Pick a square and mark 3' from the apex north, and 4' from the apex east. The dia. length between those marks should be 5'. If it's longer or shorter, you mark it at 5' and re-snap the north south line.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Assuming that the north and east wall are square to each other.

You strike a mark 5' out from the east wall at both the north and south ends of the room, and snap a line. You repeat this from the north wall.

Pick a square and mark 3' from the apex north, and 4' from the apex east. The dia. length between those marks should be 5'. If it's longer or shorter, you mark it at 5' and re-snap the north south line.

I understand the 3', 4', 5' thing.

3^2 + 4^2 = 5^2. Makes a right triangle.

I have determined the best lines in the house to minimize small pieces of tile around the edges. They are the red chalk line and the top wall of the kitchen.

But they are not square when I tried. They are off square by 7/16" every 15 7/8" (one tile length).

How do I get this square and know where to put my first tile. It is more important to keep a straight line along the top wall of the kitchen because I will be placing mosaic floor tiles to transition into the room above the kitchen (LR).

That means that over the horizontal distance of the kitchen, it would be off center by over 6". That's pretty significant. Or if I made the tiles straight to the top kitchen wall, it would be very off center going vertically down all the main walls of the house.

I cannot fix a house that is not square. And I can't make my tiles anything but square.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Okay so I guess I need to square it to that top wall using the 3, 4, 5 rule. But wouldn't that leave weird triangular edges of tile along every vertical wall in the house?

I don't see what I can do about this.

 

[Snoonyb]

Mark 8' to the west of the east wall along the north wall, then mark 6' along the east wall from the north wall. The distance between those two marks should be 10'.

The 2nd and 3rd sentence tell you how to square the layout, and when you have it sq. you adjust the layout from there.

 

[Snoonyb]

Okay so I guess I need to square it to that top wall using the 3, 4, 5 rule. But wouldn't that leave weird triangular edges of tile along every vertical wall in the house?

I don't see what I can do about this.

Read the 2nd and 3rd sentences again. The square is the 3 & 4 legs, not the 5, which is the hypotenuse, and it's only function is to tell you if the 3 & 4 are square to each other.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Mark 8' to the west of the east wall along the north wall, then mark 6' along the east wall from the north wall. The distance between those two marks should be 10'.

The 2nd and 3rd sentence tell you how to square the layout, and when you have it sq. you adjust the layout from there.

Either way, I have to put one flat edge of the tile on the north wall because it has to be straight along the transition between the rooms.

I already know that the walls are not square, so doing an 8, 6, 10 will just confirm that.

Could I also do a 3, 4, 5 using the north wall as either the 3 or 4?

The vertical angle that the grout lines must be at are already determined by the fact that they have to be perpendicular to the north wall.

I know the 5 and 10 are the hypotenuse.

I believe there is no way to avoid having odd triangular shaped tiles near some of the walls.

 

[Snoonyb]

Either way, I have to put one flat edge of the tile on the north wall because it has to be straight along the transition between the rooms.

The 2nd sentence creates 4 boxes, and measuring from the apex in the east 2 boxes creates a straight north/south line when adjusted. The north/south dimension divided by 16" leaves you with a cut tile, and the option of splitting that tile, placing it along the north or south wall. Your choice.

The east/west dimension also leave you a cut tile, which you can either split, and/or hide under the shelves, or under the cabinets.

I already know that the walls are not square, so doing an 8, 6, 10 will just confirm that.
Could I also do a 3, 4, 5 using the north wall as either the 3 or 4?

The longer the hypotenuse, the greater the accuracy.

The vertical angle that the grout lines must be at are already determined by the fact that they have to be perpendicular to the north wall.

As stated in the 3rd sentence, you make the adjustment.

I know the 5 and 10 are the hypotenuse.
I believe there is no way to avoid having odd triangular shaped tiles near some of the walls.

Only at your creation, can a triangle be created from a square box.

 

[slownsteady]

If you have to cut tiles, the best place to do it is at the edges, and you may HAVE to cut tiles. You have some flexibility by adjusting the size of your grout lines, and a molding or cove base at the bottom of the wall also helps cover small cuts. You can also try to hide them under appliances or heaters etc. Try to avoid cut tiles in doorways or other high-traffic areas.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

The 2nd sentence creates 4 boxes, and measuring from the apex in the east 2 boxes creates a straight north/south line when adjusted. The north/south dimension divided by 16" leaves you with a cut tile, and the option of splitting that tile, placing it along the north or south wall. Your choice.

The east/west dimension also leave you a cut tile, which you can either split, and/or hide under the shelves, or under the cabinets.



The longer the hypotenuse, the greater the accuracy.



As stated in the 3rd sentence, you make the adjustment.



Only at your creation, can a triangle be created from a square box.

What is the 2nd and 3rd sentence?