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.
nordanney schrieb:
Sizes range from 60x60 up to 120x90. So the question of choosing smaller formats doesn’t even come up. Just because large formats are currently popular doesn’t mean you have to choose them. Even though this is only about the basement, I don’t necessarily see an advantage in large tiles, not even aesthetically. Only if you want to follow the mainstream.
nordanney schrieb:
30x30 looks poor in comparison. I don’t see anything wrong with “looking modest.” Often, if you replace modesty with restraint, you can actually achieve more.
However, if you have to pay a surcharge for smaller tiles (hard to believe, I know), then you might have to settle for large formats.
nordanney schrieb:
it’s not easier to lay. Haha
N
nordanney16 Jul 2024 23:14ypg schrieb:
HeheSeriously. Instead of using four pieces of 30x30cm (12x12 inches), just one piece of 60x60cm (24x24 inches) is much easier for a layperson when using leveling systems, because you create fewer edges and lips and don’t have to level as often.M
MachsSelbst17 Jul 2024 13:36No, the exact opposite is true. Smaller tile formats are easier to install because you can compensate for more unevenness.
Anyone tiling for the first time should definitely not start with 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles... the result will be a disaster, as even a screed is not perfectly level, the screed installer has allowable tolerances, and so on.
A professional tiler does this daily and can therefore usually fix issues much more quickly and effectively than a beginner...
Anyone tiling for the first time should definitely not start with 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) tiles... the result will be a disaster, as even a screed is not perfectly level, the screed installer has allowable tolerances, and so on.
A professional tiler does this daily and can therefore usually fix issues much more quickly and effectively than a beginner...
M
motorradsilke17 Jul 2024 13:41MachsSelbst schrieb:
No, the exact opposite is true. Smaller tile sizes are easier to lay because you can adjust more.
Anyone tiling for the first time should definitely not start with 60 x 60cm (24 x 24 inches)… the result will be a disaster, because even screed is not perfectly level, the screed installer has allowable tolerances, and so on.
The tiler does this every day and can therefore do it much better and faster than a layperson… I wouldn’t completely agree with that.
Our screed was perfect.
And on a smooth floor, nordannay is right, 60 x 60cm (24 x 24 inches) can also work for beginners.
However, if a lot of leveling is needed and the floor is not very smooth, I would also recommend smaller tile sizes since they handle unevenness better.
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Renovator12317 Jul 2024 22:00nordanney schrieb:
motorradsilke schrieb:
I can’t really understand that. Every hardware store offers affordable smaller tile sizes.
When I go to my tile supplier, there are also affordable small formats. But there are always 20-30 discontinued models or clearance items priced between 10 and 20€ per square meter (roughly 1 and 2 USD) – formats ranging from 60x60cm (24x24 inches) up to 120x90cm (48x36 inches). So the question of choosing small sizes doesn’t even come up.Yes, it sounds strange, but that’s how it is. Good quality, rectified porcelain stoneware is available in 30x60cm (12x24 inches) or 60x60cm (24x24 inches) at around 15 - 20 €/m² (about 1.60 - 2.15 USD/ft²) on clearance. 30x30cm (12x12 inches) tiles are also available at 10 €/m² (around 1.10 USD/ft²), but they look unattractive and have pressed edges. Otherwise, they are normally priced at 25-30 €/m² (about 2.70 - 3.20 USD/ft²).
So @nordanney is right, under these circumstances, the question of choosing 30x30cm (12x12 inches) tiles no longer really arises for me.
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