Hello dear forum,
This year we bought a house from the 1970s and are now undergoing a complete renovation. As a fairly skilled DIY enthusiast, I’m doing some of the work myself, for example, laying tiles in the basement.
Since the house and the renovation are already quite expensive, we want to avoid spending too much on tile materials for the basement. Nice 30x60 or 60x60 cm (12x24 or 24x24 inches) porcelain tiles with rectified/calibrated edges are available in clearance sales for under €20 per square meter (around $20 per square yard), while 30x30 or 45x45 cm (12x12 or 18x18 inches) tiles are only available at regular, much higher prices. I’m leaning towards the 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles but I’m still unsure because of the larger format.
Who else here is an ambitious DIYer and has laid 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles themselves?
Years ago, I installed 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) tiles in a brick bond pattern but struggled a lot with leveling and avoiding lippage. Even if I were to lay the 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) tiles now in a third-bond pattern, would 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles with straight grout lines probably be easier and faster?
The basement rooms are roughly square, so square tiles would also visually fit better (although it’s just a utility basement, so appearance isn’t very important). The basement currently has untreated screed of an unknown type, meaning it’s not smoothed or covered with leveling compound. There are no local uneven areas, but I can’t rule out imperceptible waves or height differences that aren’t visible to the eye.
This year we bought a house from the 1970s and are now undergoing a complete renovation. As a fairly skilled DIY enthusiast, I’m doing some of the work myself, for example, laying tiles in the basement.
Since the house and the renovation are already quite expensive, we want to avoid spending too much on tile materials for the basement. Nice 30x60 or 60x60 cm (12x24 or 24x24 inches) porcelain tiles with rectified/calibrated edges are available in clearance sales for under €20 per square meter (around $20 per square yard), while 30x30 or 45x45 cm (12x12 or 18x18 inches) tiles are only available at regular, much higher prices. I’m leaning towards the 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles but I’m still unsure because of the larger format.
Who else here is an ambitious DIYer and has laid 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles themselves?
Years ago, I installed 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) tiles in a brick bond pattern but struggled a lot with leveling and avoiding lippage. Even if I were to lay the 30x60 cm (12x24 inches) tiles now in a third-bond pattern, would 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles with straight grout lines probably be easier and faster?
The basement rooms are roughly square, so square tiles would also visually fit better (although it’s just a utility basement, so appearance isn’t very important). The basement currently has untreated screed of an unknown type, meaning it’s not smoothed or covered with leveling compound. There are no local uneven areas, but I can’t rule out imperceptible waves or height differences that aren’t visible to the eye.
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motorradsilke14 Jul 2024 18:05Renovator123 schrieb:
In this context, I have another question: Is it possible to remove a pressed-in 60cm x 60cm (24in x 24in) tile without damage if the screed is not perfectly level somewhere and some adhesive needs to be taken out or removed? You can remove 50cm x 50cm (20in x 20in) tiles without damage.
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nordanney14 Jul 2024 19:51Renovator123 schrieb:
In this context, another question comes to mind: Is it possible to remove a pressed-in 60cm x 60cm (24in x 24in) tile without damaging it, Yes.
Renovator123 schrieb:
if the screed is not perfectly level in some places after all You can usually tell beforehand. If someone other than a butcher (i.e., an unskilled person) installs the screed, I don’t see any reason why tiling there shouldn’t be possible without issues.
Renovator123 schrieb:
and some adhesive has to be removed or taken out? If you work properly at about 70% handyman level, that shouldn’t happen either.
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Renovator12314 Jul 2024 20:40motorradsilke schrieb:
So you can go back to 50 x 50.Ok, thanks! I hope that the extra 10cm (4 inches) in edge length won’t make too much of a difference.R
Renovator12314 Jul 2024 20:45nordanney schrieb:
If no professional screed installer is involved, I wouldn’t see any reason why tiling there wouldn’t be possible without problems.I would normally have felt confident laying 60x60cm (24x24 inches) tiles without consulting anyone first. But reading here that even professional tilers sometimes do a poor job with them does raise some doubts...
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motorradsilke14 Jul 2024 20:48Renovator123 schrieb:
Normally, I would have trusted myself to handle 60x60 without asking anyone first. But when you read here that even professional tile setters sometimes do a poor job with this, doubts naturally arise...They deliver poor results because they rush and don’t care, not because they are unable to do it.B
Buchsbaum06615 Jul 2024 19:04The tiler trade was removed from the list of master craftsman professions in 2004 under a red-green government.
As a result, there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of work from many tilers.
In such cases, it is often better to do the work yourself.
If in doubt, I would always level surfaces with leveling compound. And you need an appropriately suitable tile cutter.
As a result, there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of work from many tilers.
In such cases, it is often better to do the work yourself.
If in doubt, I would always level surfaces with leveling compound. And you need an appropriately suitable tile cutter.